Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT
The manger and the cross are inextricably linked. Jesus entered human history through a human mother’s womb, delivered to a manger in Bethlehem as a tiny infant. He came with a stated, definitive purpose: to willingly die as the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of the world. His birth in Bethlehem does not matter apart from His death outside the city of Jerusalem at Golgotha. The journey to the cross began with His birth.
He came as a human through what we call the incarnation. The derivation of the word is fascinating. It begins with the Latin words in (in or into) and caro (flesh). Together they literally mean “in the flesh.” Think of all the words originating from that combination: carnivore, flesh-eating; carnal, associated with fleshy desires; even chili con carne, meaning chili with meat.😊 The word “incarnation” does not occur in the Bible, but the New Testament refers to it consistently as a core truth of who Jesus is. “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14 NIV).
Several significant reasons for the incarnation move my heart and call me to faithfully follow Jesus, my “in the flesh” King and Savior. But one of the most gripping is this: Jesus needed to be incarnate, in the flesh, “For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT).
I had a fear of dying beginning when I was very young. As my father was a pastor, I was often made aware of the fragility of life. A girl in my class died when I was in fourth grade. I went to calling hours and her quiet cold body featured prominently in my thoughts and dreams for months. In college and separated from my family, I had occasional nightmares about my parents dying, and it prompted early morning pay-phone calls to make certain they were all right. As a young wife and mother, I checked on my little ones during the night repeatedly to make certain they were breathing. What a terrible way to live. I was a slave to my fear. But by the time I was about thirty years old, I recognized and claimed my freedom. My King Jesus has defeated death forever, and there is no reason for me to live in bondage to my fear of death.
The grief and loss of death as a human has come very personally to me numerous times now. I grieve with a certain hope, and completely without fear. Jesus delivered me.
- “To truly live free, you must overcome the love of wealth and the fear of death” (Marrtin Luther King, Jr.). A relationship with King Jesus handles both.