What do we think of when we think of being disciplined by the Lord? Do we think of punishment? This past Sunday we looked at Hebrews 12:1-11 and the idea of discipline in Jesus' life and our own. Jesus endured many hardships during his life, the greatest of which was to endure death on a cross for the sin of others. It appears that the Christians the writer is speaking to had forgotten the inheritance God had given them because of Jesus' sacrifice. In verse 5, he reminds his brothers and sisters that they are sons and daughters of God and that God treats us as children whom he loves. Too often we can look at this passage and think that the discipline is God reacting to our mistakes, a punishment to be administered when we do wrong. We forget the context of this passage and completely forget how Jesus fits in to the picture. We believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and he was disciplined by his father. In Hebrews 5:8 , it says that Jesus learned obedience from his sufferings. Jesus understood that his suffering was helping him learn obedience, a reliance on God for strength, security, and comfort. How do we see suffering? Is it a "I must have done something wrong to deserve this" viewpoint? Do we ask "Why me"? Shouldn't we instead see suffering as an opportunity to grow as a child of God? When we go through difficult times and endure hardship, God is treating us as His sons and daughters!As we go about our day to day lives, let us remember Jesus and WHY he did what he did. Let us remember that the "source and perfecter of our faith" was looking to a time where he could be reunited with his God. Let us remember that this same hope, the hope of a bodily resurrection and being with God forever, is ours as well.
