Fully Man, Fully Savior

Fully Man, Fully Savior

The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of the Lord Jesus – 2/2/2026

Hebrews 2:14-18

Rev. Dr. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Epistle lesson from the Epistle to the Hebrews in the second chapter with special emphasis on verses fourteen through sixteen which read as follows:

“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.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today is a feast set aside to remember how Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law of God in Exodus 13:2 commands that every firstborn male be consecrated to the Lord. Further, Leviticus 12:1-8 commands that a woman after childbirth go through a period of purification for forty days and then offer a sacrifice of either a lamb or two turtledoves is a lamb was too expensive.

While is it important to know that the earthly parents of the Lord Jesus were pious, godly people, we see in this act of obedience far more than a ritual being fulfilled. We see the eternal Son of God taking His place under the Law, entering our human condition fully. Today’s text from Hebrews reminds us why this matters: Christ comes not only to live among us but to save us. He comes to take our place, to bear our burdens, and to make us holy in God’s sight.

Christ is Man

     Jesus Christ is fully and completely a human being. He is a man in the full sense of what that means. In other words, He is not missing anything necessary to be a man. He possesses a human body, a human soul, and a human mind. This is why the writer of Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus shares our humanity in every respect.  The incarnation of the Lord is not a phantom or a vision.  He is truly human, even more surely than you and me. More than having all the right parts, He experienced the things that are common to us in this present age such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, sorrow, and even the temptation to despair.

Yet, unlike us, Jesus never sinned. He is the spotless Lamb of God. This sinlessness is not a mere theological curiosity; it is essential for our salvation. Only One who is truly human and yet without sin can stand in our place and satisfy the demands of God’s holy Law. Only One Who is Himself free from the condemnation of the Law is able to stand in righteousness before God.

That is to say, if Jesus has any sins of His own then He is just as guilty before His Father as we are. And if He is guilty, then we do not have the promise or hope that our sins have been shouldered to the cross and put to death there.

All of this is necessary. Everything in the life of our Lord Jesus is necessary; no detail is insignificant. God’s will has been done from beginning to end in our Lord Jesus. And Jesus being presented to the Lord as holy, set aside by Mary and Joseph for the use of the Father in heaven underscores both our Lord’s role in serving the will of the Father and of taking our place under the Law.

Our sins condemn us. God’s Law, perfectly just, exposes our rebellion and our helplessness. If Jesus had not been fully man, He could not have borne our punishment; if He had sinned, He would have joined us in guilt rather than saving us from it.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it for us. When Mary and Joseph brought Him to the Temple, they were fulfilling the Law; when Jesus lived His life perfectly under the Law, He did so as our substitute. Every act of obedience, every prayer, every word of love, every moment of humility, every miracle He performed on our behalf. In this way, He bears the Law’s demands that we could never meet, and in Him, God declares us righteous.

Christ is able to be a priest

But Christ’s membership in our human race is not only for Him to be our substation offered to God. No, it also allows Him to serve before God on our behalf in a way that only human beings can do. Jesus can be a priest. More than a priest, He can serve as the eternal High Priest who in the great Temple of Heaven can offer intercession and provide the benefits of His sacrifice to His people.

According to God’s design, only a man could serve as the priest who offers sacrifice for the people. Jesus, fully human, fully obedient under the Law, is qualified to intercede for us and to minster as our Priest forever.

Yes, unlike earthly priests, He is eternal. Hebrews tells us that He is not only a priest but a High Priest Who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, having experienced temptation and suffering Himself. In His priestly work, He not only offers the perfect sacrifice but continually intercedes for us before the Father. That is to say, He cries out to God the Father on our behalf, constantly presenting before the Father the wounds of His sacrifice, continuously receiving the good favor of the Father on our behalf.

Conclusion

In the temple, Mary and Joseph saw the fullness of what God intended for us human beings in the child they carried. We see in Him the fulfillment in His life, death, and resurrection. Christ, fully man and fully God, became like us in every respect yet without sin. We do not have a God high and far off who is unable to understand or sympathize with us in our present condition. More than this, He bears the punishment we deserve, fulfills the commands we cannot, and prays for us before the throne of God. As Simeon declared in Luke 2, He is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” Today, we rejoice that the Law has been satisfied, that salvation has been won, and that Christ, our eternal High Priest, continually intercedes for us. Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that Jesus is truly one of us, yet perfectly a Savior for you.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

 The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] Hebrews 2:14-18 English Standard Version. All further quotations from the Holy Scriptures are from the ESV.