Christ Made Like His Brethren: The Divine Assumption

Saint Chrysostom called the Nativity "the great metropolitan feast," for as all roads lead to the chief city, so all feast-days of the year converge in the joy of Christ's coming. The text "made like unto His brethren" (Hebrews 2:17) presents a perfect model proposition: Christ is made like us, and it behoved Him to be so.

Consider first the proposition itself. Christ is made like us. God existed from all eternity, yet in the fulness of time became like unto us—we who were miserable sinners, enemies to Elohim. But through Christ's assimilation to our nature, we are now made like unto God. This creates a divine exchange: the Eternal One assumes our flesh, our bones, our souls in all things, yet without sin.

Secondly, consider the modification—the convenience and necessity of this assumption. If in all things it behoved Christ to be like His brethren, then equally it behoves us to be made like unto Christ. This is our duty, born from His benefit.

Three aspects demand our devotion: His divine nature—we must ask who He was to accomplish this; His human nature—flesh of our flesh, bone of our bones; and the union of both natures expressed in the passive "to be made." The end of all this—our salvation and the glory of Adonai—calls us to dwell together in unity with Him.