Why was it necessary for the Son of God to assume mortal human flesh and endure death?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Son assumed genuine flesh and blood so that through His death He might destroy the devil's dominion, deliver humanity from the fear of death, and become a compassionate High Priest acquainted with human suffering.

Chapter breakdown

The author issues an urgent warning that believers must pay diligent attention to the revealed truth they have received, guarding against the danger of spiritual drifting. If the Old Law delivered through the mediation of angels carried binding force, such that every transgression met with just punishment, there is no possibility of escaping condemnation if one disregards this far greater message of salvation. This divine gospel was inaugurated by the preaching of the Lord Himself, corroborated by eyewitnesses who heard His words, and attested by God through miraculous signs, marvels, mighty deeds, and sovereign distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His divine will.

God did not assign the promised world to come to angelic rule, but to humanity, as the Psalmist contemplates when asking why God remains mindful of mortal man or visits the son of man. Though scripture describes humanity as made a little lower than the angels before being crowned with dignity and receiving dominion over creation, the visible order does not yet display all things subject to mankind. Nevertheless, believers look upon Jesus, who willingly descended below the angelic level by assuming mortal vulnerability, now crowned with celestial glory and honor because He endured the suffering of death, tasting mortality on behalf of all people through the gracious mercy of God.

It was entirely appropriate that God, the source and end of all existence, having brought many children toward heavenly glory, should bring the pioneer of their salvation to His ultimate perfection through suffering. Challoner explains that by enduring the passion Christ entered into His glorious triumph, which the sacred author describes as being made perfect. Because the divine Sanctifier and the human souls being sanctified share a single origin, the Son is not ashamed to call believers His brothers, quoting prophecy to declare that He will proclaim the Father's praise within the assembly of the faithful, anchor His trust in God, and stand alongside the children given to Him.

Because mortal children are clothed in physical flesh and blood, the Son assumed that same bodily nature so that through His sacrificial death He might break the tyrannical power of the devil, who held the empire of death, and emancipate those held in lifelong enslavement by the terror of dying. As Challoner's note clarifies, Christ did not adopt the nature of celestial angels, but took hold of the living seed of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to share the full human condition of His brethren in every respect, becoming a merciful and faithful High Priest before God capable of making propitiation for the sins of the people. Having personally experienced suffering and temptation, He is uniquely able to succor all who are undergoing trials.

The story inside

The author urges diligence toward things heard: if angelic speech received just recompense, how escape neglect of salvation declared by the Lord, confirmed by hearers and attested by God’s signs and gifts? The world to come is not subjected to angels. Quoted testimony places all under man’s feet, though not yet seen; Jesus is crowned for suffering death, that he might taste death for all. God perfected the author of salvation by passion; the annotation explains entry into glory. Sanctifier and sanctified are of one, called brethren. Sharing flesh and blood has purposes of destroying the devil and delivering those in fear’s servitude. The Abraham-seed annotation distinguishes assumed nature; likeness, suffering and temptation ground merciful priesthood and succour.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Preserve many children and a little lower without added numbers or duration.
2
Purpose clauses about delivery do not establish every believer’s achieved release from fear.
3
Identify both annotations separately from scripture.

Test your recall

How does Christ's personal experience of suffering and temptation qualify Him to serve as an empathetic High Priest for humanity?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 135310–135316
2:3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Which, having begun to be declared by the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. 2:4. God also bearing them witness by signs and wonders and divers miracles and distributions of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.
Lines 135333–135342
2:9. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour: that, through the grace of God he might taste death for all. 2:10. For it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things, who had brought many children into glory, to perfect the author of their salvation, by his passion. Perfect by his passion.... By suffering, Christ was to enter into his glory, Luke 24.26, which the apostle here calls being made perfect.
Lines 135354–135360
2:14. Therefore because the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner hath been partaker of the same: that, through death, he might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil: 2:15. And might deliver them, who through the fear of death were all their lifetime subject to servitude.
Lines 135362–135373
2:16. For nowhere doth he take hold of the angels: but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold. No where doth he, etc.... That is, he never took upon him the nature of angels, but that of the seed of Abraham. 2:17. Wherefore, it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest before God, that he might be a propitiation for the sins of the people. 2:18. For in that wherein he himself hath suffered and been tempted he is able to succour them also that are tempted.