There’s a mystery at the heart of Christianity that’s puzzled people for two thousand years: How can Jesus be both fully God and fully human at the same time? It seems impossible, doesn’t it? How can the all-powerful Creator of the universe squeeze Himself into human skin? How can God experience hunger, fatigue, and temptation?
Yet this paradox—this tension between divinity and humanity—is exactly what makes Jesus so incredibly beautiful and effective as our Savior. The book of Hebrews unpacks this mystery in a way that will change how you see Jesus and your relationship with God.
Jesus: The God Who Created Everything
Hebrews doesn’t ease into this topic. Right from the opening verses, the author hits us with the full weight of who Jesus is: “Through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
This isn’t just poetic language. The author is making a staggering claim: Jesus wasn’t just present at creation—He was the agent of creation. He’s not an angel or a super-powered human. He’s God Himself, holding the entire universe together by His word.
If the book stopped there, we’d have a God so transcendent, so far above us, that we could never approach Him. But Hebrews doesn’t stop there.
The God Who Became Lower Than Angels
Here’s where it gets really interesting. After establishing Jesus’ superiority over the angels, Hebrews tells us that Jesus became “for a little while, lower than the angels.” Think about that. The One who created everything, including the angels, voluntarily stepped down and became human—weaker, more vulnerable, more limited than the spiritual beings He created.
Why would He do that?
Because humans were the object of God’s rescue mission, and Jesus had to become one of us to pull it off effectively.
The Perfect Bridge Between God and Us
Here’s the problem humanity has always faced: we’re broken, sinful, separated from a holy God. We need someone to represent us before God, someone to stand in the gap. That’s what the Old Testament priests tried to do, but they had a fatal flaw—they were sinners too, just like the people they represented.
Jesus changed everything. Because He’s fully God, He perfectly understands the Father’s heart and requirements. Because He’s fully human, He perfectly understands our struggles, our weaknesses, our temptations. He’s experienced it all.
Hebrews puts it this way: Jesus “had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest.” His humanity wasn’t optional—it was essential to our salvation.
A High Priest Who Actually Gets It
Think about the best leaders you’ve known. Chances are, they earned your respect because they’d been where you are. They understood the struggle because they’d lived it.
That’s Jesus as our High Priest. He’s been tempted just like we are. He’s felt the pull of sin, the weariness of life, the sting of rejection. Yet He never gave in. And because He’s walked that path successfully, He can help us when we’re facing our own battles with temptation.
The really amazing part? This isn’t just ancient history. Jesus is still serving as our High Priest right now. When you’re struggling with temptation today, He’s there representing you to the Father. When you feel weak and overwhelmed, He’s interceding for you because He knows exactly what you’re going through.
An Invitation to Approach God
Here’s where Hebrews brings it home for us: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Read that again slowly. Because of Jesus—because He’s both God and man—you can approach God with confidence. Not arrogance, but confidence. You don’t have to wonder if God understands your struggle. You don’t have to worry that you’re bothering Him with your problems. You have a High Priest who gets it, who’s been there, and who invites you to come boldly to find help exactly when you need it most.
Why Both Natures Matter
Jesus couldn’t save us if He were only God—He had to become human to die in our place and truly represent us. But He also couldn’t save us if He were only human—He needed to be God to make His sacrifice powerful enough to cover all sin for all time.
The two natures aren’t competing with each other. They’re working together perfectly to accomplish what neither could do alone: bridge the impossible gap between a holy God and broken humanity.
That’s the beauty of the tension. That’s the power of the paradox. And that’s why you can come to God today—not because you’re good enough, but because Jesus is both God enough and human enough to bring you home.
Struggling to understand how Jesus can be your advocate today? We’d love to talk with you about what it means to have a High Priest who truly understands your journey. Connect with us at Northeast Community Church.
