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. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

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 atonement 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 2:14-18).

When we slow the pace of our study like this, we see, again, another extraordinary passage. Jesus took on death for two reasons. First, to give us victory over the cosmic forces of evil and death itself. Second, to transform the human spirit within us, to free us from slavery to sin and to fear of death.

If asked what the purpose of the incarnation and Jesus’ death on the cross was, I suspect not one of you would answer by quoting Hebrews 2:14.

The author’s answer, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, helps us understand the radical worldview of the early church. Here is another text from another author that helps prove the point. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

We have lost sight of that biblical way of thinking.

So has modern Judaism. It does not affirm Satan as an opposing force to God, as an evil one who conspires against God’s creation and creatures and who stands as an adversary to God.

However, in the first-century Jewish worldview, the role of Satan (adversary, devil, evil one) was prominent. If you go back through the ministry of Yeshua in each of the Gospels, equipped with this understanding, you will be shocked at how often the devil is mentioned. Make no mistake: Jesus’ proclamation and demonstration of the kingdom is a direct assault on the dominion of the evil one.

Satan, at every turn, is a counterfeit of the creator God. First-century Jewish apocalyptic thinking believed that the coming Messiah would defeat the cosmic forces opposed to God’s righteousness. In the Gospels, we see that Jesus fulfilled this messianic expectation.

Listen to some terms applied to Satan and the extent of his dark influence and dominion.

• the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph 2:2)
• that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world (Rev 12:9)
• the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (I John 5:19)
• now will the ruler of this world be cast out (John 12:31)
• the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers (2 Cor 4:4)
• Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14)
• The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10)

Satan is the one who wields the power of death.

For the Father to bring many children into his glory and redeem all creation from its present bondage, he sent his Son. Jesus was himself perfected through his sufferings, including death. In the very act of submitting to death on the cross as a sin offering for us all, he defeated the one who has the power of death when God raised him from the dead.

In other words, this cosmic force that opposes God and his purposes has to be defeated before the purposes of God can come to their glorious consummation. We desperately need to grasp the importance of what Hebrews is saying.

Yes, he died to bring us into the presence of God. But let us never forget that he also died to defeat the one who presently has the power of death, Satan. As Paul so eloquently puts it: Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor 15:24-26).

Jesus has won the decisive battle. However, the full results of that victory await the final consummation.

We have a foretaste of that reality but we still live in this broken world, in the enemy’s territory. These two truths are active simultaneously in our lives. At present, we are under the rule of King Jesus yet still in the enemy’s domain. Our adversary does not have authority over us; therefore, he cannot intimidate or control us with the threat of death.

Jesus’ death not only defeated the adversary, but it also transformed us and set us free from the fear of death. Because YHWH raised Jesus from the grave, he shall raise your mortal body incorruptible as well. That is why the fear of death has been destroyed for us!

Satan has been defeated, but he is not yet completely destroyed. That will happen in the consummation of all things. But in the meantime, we are liberated from the fear of death. A debilitating fear that, unredeemed, subjects us to lifelong slavery. You could say that in Jesus, we are healed of the fear of death.

I had the privilege recently of witnessing how blessed it can be to see a saint of God pass from this world to the next filled with great faith, hope, love, and anticipation. That is our human experience in Jesus because of his cross. We transition from this temporality into the presence of the risen Lord, fully confident and without fear.

The author emphasizes that we are recipients of God’s promise of blessing through Abraham, for surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Now, notice in verse 17 how Jesus identified with our humanness in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God.

The task of Jesus is to represent humans in their pilgrimage to God.

As a faithful son, he atones for our sins by his sacrificial death. But as a fully incarnate man, he becomes a merciful high priest: because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Because Jesus was tested in every way, even as you and I are, he can empathize with us in our life struggles and temptations. More than that, he can help us overcome them. That is why the author exhorts us to look to Jesus alone and be faithful to him alone.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Heb 12:3-4).