Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. – Hebrews 2:17-18
Recently, a friend made an extraordinarily bigoted comment to me. He said, “So-and-so [the other person standing there] and I can relate to one another better than you and I can.” “Really,” I asked, “why is that?” And he explained, “Because we are black and you are white.”
I would have preferred to hear a rationale regarding their formative years, like “we can relate to one another better because we attended the same high school” (which they did, a generation apart). Or maybe about a career that they held in common (except that one of them, like me, is a pastor and the other is not). Or even about their shared taste in music or movies (even though I have a very eclectic album collection and enjoy a variety of films). But, alas, the alleged key to their ability to relate better is skin color.
I find this perspective especially unnerving since my biological brother and I don’t relate well to each other. Attribute this reality to sibling rivalry or lifestyle choices, but regardless my brother and I just don’t see eye-to-eye on many topics. Similar skin color and genetics have not ensured that two distinct fellows consistently relate to one another. Quite the contrary, Thanksgiving dinner conversations expose deep rifts among family members.
One can argue that those who have suffered indignities traced to skin color might have a lot of shared common ground. For these individuals, such suffering represents a clear basis for being able to relate. Furthermore, maybe such commiseration can be so profound that all other experiences would seem to pale in comparison. As such, maybe “we are black and you are white” is considered sufficient shorthand for a special form of unity that results from suffering.
Suffering – which can result from all sorts of brokenness and injustice – is one of the ways that people are united to Jesus Christ. When Jesus suffered persecution and ultimately was nailed to a cross, He both reflected the human condition and established a point of unity for everyone on the planet. God sent His Son to give us His love, to reveal His commiseration, to relate to our suffering, and to pay the penalty for the sins of those who believe. We can be united to Christ without having lived in the same country as He, gone to the same school, worked the same job, or had the same skin color. Rather, we can be united with our Creator – and with each other – because through suffering Jesus was made to be like His brothers, despite profound differences.
Jesus relates to us because He knows us better than we even know ourselves. Let us not imagine that our differences make it impossible to relate well. Instead, let us recognize that each person has suffered from being enslaved to our sin. And let us rejoice that God sent His Son to rescue us from our individual and collective torments. Union with Christ unites all who repent and believe.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. – Hebrews 2:14-15
