Loving God, you sent your Son Jesus to lead us from death to life and to show us the Way to you.  Empower us by your Spirit, that we might be ready to follow wherever Jesus leads; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    When you think about somebody who is a pioneer, what are some of the first things that come to mind?... [people building log cabins?  The first to do something? Blazing a trail so that others may follow?  An innovator in their field?] Today we hear about Jesus as “the pioneer of [our] salvation” (Heb. 2:10).  Jesus has blazed the trail in order that we may follow.  However, I’d also like you to try this one on for size:

    “Salvation: the final frontier.  These are the voyages of Jesus, the Messiah.  His three year mission: to explore with people their understanding of God; to seek out the poor and the lost and the vulnerable; to boldly go where no one has gone before!”  What do you think?  Does this fit?...

    When you think about suffering and dying and being raised from the dead, this is indeed where no one has gone before.  This is also true when we think about God actually humbling himself and becoming human and living among us.  There is no one who has revealed the love of God like Jesus has.  However the pioneering image that seems most powerful to me is that of Jesus opening the way of salvation so that others might follow.

    It is as if Jesus is the first of many who will be brothers and sisters and children of God.  And we find out in Hebrews that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters (Heb. 2:11)!  Have any of you ever been ashamed of any of your relatives?... Sometimes relatives might engage in some shameful behaviour, and we might be tempted to say, “I’m not related to him,” or “I’m not related to her!”  However, Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.  We are assured that Jesus values us as children of God and inheritors of eternal life.  When Hebrews talks about “bringing many children to glory,” it’s talking about us!

    As Jesus does this, he tramples death and hell underfoot.  Or, as Martin Luther would say, “He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil” (Small Catechism).  In traditional Christian thinking, sin, death and the devil lost their power when Jesus lived a sinless life, offered himself as a sacrifice for human sinfulness, died, and was raised from the dead.  As the only person who has ever lived who didn’t deserve to die, Jesus is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between us and God.  When we think about death and resurrection, Jesus has indeed blazed the trail in order that others may follow.

    Hebrews also talks about how we have been set free from the fear of death.  The image that is used is slavery – being enslaved by the fear of death.  So how might we describe somebody who is enslaved by the fear of death?  In extreme cases, somebody might be so afraid of death that they never leave the house, never get in a car, never get on a bus, train or airplane – never do anything that involves any risk.  This would be somebody who is so afraid of death that they cannot embrace life.

    Others might exhibit a fear of death in other ways.  Some might spend an enormous amount of time, energy and money trying to look younger.  The hidden message is, I’m not getting older, I’m not going to die.  Others focus on becoming famous or making a name for themselves.  As the song goes, “Fame!  I’m gonna live forever...”.  For still others, the fear of death might be closely linked with a fear of hell and a fear of punishment.  These have not come to know the God of grace who has loved and saved us through Jesus Christ.

    However, Jesus, as the pioneer of salvation, has led us from death into life.  The point is not that we would be so unafraid that we would be reckless, but that we would be able to embrace life more fully - living in the knowledge that we are loved and valued by God and that beyond death, there is resurrection.

    The final thing for us to consider as we think about Jesus blazing the trail for us is found in the last verse of our reading today: “Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested” (Heb. 2:18).  The word that is used here can mean to tempt or to try or to test.  It can have the sense of trying or testing one’s faith by enticing one to sin.  It can also mean the kind of testing that suffering brings, where one’s character or steadfastness in faith might be revealed.

    When we think about Jesus being tried and tested, there are two main events where this happens.  The first is the gospel that we heard today - his temptation in the wilderness where the devil tries to get him to embrace the things of this world rather than his mission to save and to bless.  The second time we see Jesus really being tested is in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He knows what suffering awaits him, and he really wrestles with whether he can do it or not.  Ultimately, his faith wins out, but not until he’s had some very real struggles.

    For us, then, we have somebody in our corner who truly understands whenever we face similar testing.  Sometimes it is our own suffering or the suffering of others that tests our faith.  Sometimes (in fact, quite often!) we are also enticed to embrace the things of this world rather than the things of God.  However, in each case Jesus is the one who has actually conquered these things and who can help us to do the same.

    And so, today we are invited to recommit ourselves to following the one who is the pioneer of our salvation.  He is the same one who is on our side and who serves as a merciful and faithful high priest, interceding with God on our behalf.  He is ready to lead us from death into life, from fear into faith, and from shame into the freedom that forgiveness can bring.  God has opened the way for us and has made us brothers and sisters of Jesus and children of God.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Pentecost 12 (NL summer)                        Hebrews 2:10-18
August 16, 2015                                Matthew 4:1-11
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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