David wrote about man: “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). The writer of Hebrews quoted this verse and made application: “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:5–9). That is, Jesus willingly became like us in order to raise us up. He was humbled in order to save us.
Isaac Watts described our lowly, sinful estate and wondered at the fact that Jesus would do what he did for such as we.
“Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred Head
For such a worm as I?” (1707)
Julia Harriet Johnston expressed the same astonishment that the One who was without sin should so bestow his grace upon us, grace that is so much greater than all our sin and guilt.
“Marvelous love of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the lamb was spilt.” (1910)
Oh, my!
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