Advent: Like Me

Bill White | Dec 20, 2020

Study Guide

As we consider the first Advent of Christ—the incarnation—we stand in awe of the powerful empathy of Jesus. The Son of God took on blood and flesh so that he could experience birth and death. In this way, he was not only able to redeem us, he also became our merciful and faithful High Priest before God—able to fully empathize with us and faithfully intercede for us.
Application

  1. Jesus had to become like us because we failed to be like him. Consider Jesus’ choice to become human in light of your own sin. How does this truth affect your attitude towards any personal limitations or losses that you are struggling with?

  2. Discuss the power of empathy. Has someone ever empathized with you in a meaningful way? How did it affect you? How can you grow in empathy towards others?

  3. Jesus choosing to become “like me” should prompt gratitude and freedom. What are some things you are grateful for in this season of your life? In what ways do you need to let go of your own desires and freely worship God?

Key Points

  • We live in a broken world—subject to the power of death. The only way Jesus could empathize with us was to become human and to experience both birth and death.

  • God is not subject to necessity as we are; he has complete freedom and exists on his own terms. It took great humility for Jesus to embrace necessity in order to redeem us from our sins.

  • While the brokenness of our world can feel overwhelming, it should comfort us to know that Jesus understands every instance of grief, rejection, or abuse that we have experienced.

  • God’s holiness is so powerful that we cannot stand before him. Only Jesus is able to intercede as our merciful and faithful High Priest. As both fully human and fully God, Jesus is able to bridge the gap between us.

  • The incarnation—Jesus taking on flesh—brings us great comfort. We are not alone in either suffering or temptation. Jesus has suffered like us and been tempted beyond what we can imagine. We can rejoice this Christmas that he chose to become like us.

Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18

Topics: Empathy, Human, Incarnation