¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. – Hebrews 2:14-16

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We live in a culture that is afraid of death. People seldom want to talk about death or face death. But, as we have been painfully reminded this year, death is something that all of us are going to face. The good news from our verses in Hebrews, however, is that the Christian does not need to fear death. The reason for this is Jesus has become one of us. Part of becoming one of us meant Jesus taking on death for us. Because Jesus has died and risen again, the devil and death have been defeated once and for all. They no longer have a hold over us.

Now this doesn’t mean that the act of dying won’t hurt or be painful or sad. It will be. Death is unnatural as it was never intended to be part of God’s good creation. What it does mean, though, is that we don’t need to fear death itself. Death will not be the end for the Christian but the doorway into life forever with God.

Also, by taking on human flesh with all its weakness, Jesus knows what it’s like to face the fear of death. He is uniquely able to help us deal with our own fear of death. He understands, on a personal level, our fears and anxieties about death; in this he longs to strengthen us and help us. So today let’s remember these awesome truths. Let’s give thanks that Jesus become one of us and took on death for us. Let’s give thanks that he rose again to defeat the devil and death. And let’s look to him as the one who can help us face the fear of death.

Yours in Christ

Mark