Tuesday 13 January 2009

Background

In this passage, the writer to the Hebrews quotes from Psalm 8from the OldTestament to ask his readers to reflect on how God looks at us, ashuman beings.

Perhaps we cringe from reflecting on this question, conscious ofall that is wrong in our personal, community and globalrelationships with poverty, violence, greed and injustice beingrampant among us in obvious and also insidious ways? Perhaps wefear the judgement we may bring upon ourselves?

And yet the original psalm conveys a sense of God's exalted visionand high view of human beings reflected in the creation stories inGenesis. The psalmist sings with a sense of awe in the belief thatwe were created only a little less than the angels (divinemessengers close to God in heaven). God's trust in us is so greatthat God has subjected all things under our feet. God has entrustedto us the care of the planet and all creation.

In verse 8 of the second chapter of Hebrews, the writer reasonsthat although God has entrusted all things to us, not all thingsare as yet under our control. We have not managed to conquer evil,or overcome the fear of death, or the falling into an abyss ofnon-existence.

In order for this victory to happen, Jesus, who was activelypresent in the creation of all things, for a short time was made alittle lower than the angels and became human. By fully sharing inhuman experience, including the experience of suffering and thingsnot being as they should, he was able to become the full andperfect vision of what God intended human beings to be. In sharingour suffering, in experiencing death and coming through it, heempowers all of us to do likewise.

Jesus inspires us (though baptism) to share in making visible thearriving kingdom of God, with its signs of healing, forgiveness,wholeness and justice.

To Ponder

To what extent do you share God's high view ofhuman beings?

Do you feel that Jesus sharing our human life anddeath points to a way forward? How would you explain your answer tosomeone who didn't follow the Christian faith?

Do you feel that Christians, in your context, arebeing empowered to make visible the kingdom of God? What might helpthem further?