Psalm 8.4-5 and Hebrews 2.5-13
Sylvia has just been moved from the town centre to a top flat on the edge of town; Jill speaks with the husband she lost last year each day; Ahmed lives in a shared government provided house but no one else speaks Arabic; Graham left university last year and was excited to get his first job in a new town but now he has been placed on furlough. Each one surrounded by people but craving intimacy.
If it is so hard to find human intimacy, how can intimacy with God be gained, when David in Psalm 8 describes the massive gap between the creator of the universe and humanity? *‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?’ v4a Hebrews Chp 2 interprets this passage to reveal Jesus as the means by which humanity can gain intimacy with God and regain the relationship with Him that He had always intended. Son of man is a term Jesus regularly used to referred to himself. It was Jesus, when he took on humanity, that was made a little lower than the angels v5 and Jesus who was crowned with glory and honour following his death on the cross, resurrection and ascension. ‘But we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’ Hebrews2.9 Jesus has made believers sons and daughters of God, been the forerunner of our salvation and made his people holy in God’s sight. Heb2.10-11
‘Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.’ Heb2.11 It is difficult to get more intimate than that. As we have been designed for intimacy with others so our soul cries out for intimacy with God. ‘Jesus says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Heb2.13
*ESV translation