Hebrews 4:14-5:10 - Jesus, our great high priest

In Hebrews chapter two, our author talked about how Jesus, the son of God, became totally human. How, according to Hebrews 2:17-18:

He had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

And because Jesus is our high priest, the one who "sat down" at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us, and who helps us during our times of temptation and testing, he goes on to say in Hebrews 3:1:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession . . .

And the rest of chapter three and into chapter four is his call to this group of "drifting believers" to turn their thoughts, attentions, and devotion back to Christ, the one who is our high priest.

He calls on them to hear God’s voice "Today", and to not harden their hearts to the call of God, but instead to renew their faith in and their commitment to Jesus Christ, "Today".

And so, in some ways, most of chapters three and four are a slight "digression", but when we eventually get to our reading this morning in Hebrews 4:14-16, we find that our author gets back on track, he gets back to that thought that he had at the end of Hebrews 2, where he mentioned that Jesus is our:

merciful and faithful high priest in service to God.[1]

And in Hebrews 2 he mentions two things that Jesus, who came into this world and "was made like us in every way",[2] two things that Jesus as high priest came to do for us. Firstly, he came to make atonement for sin. And, secondly, he talks about how Jesus has come to help those who are being tempted to sin. To help those who are being tempted, tried, and tested[3] by the things of this world, so that they might continue to remain faithful to God through Christ.

And that is the theme that he takes up again here in Hebrews 4:14, and just about everything from Hebrews chapter 5 through to Hebrews 10, revolves around these two topics:

Jesus, the one who makes atonement for sin.
And Jesus, the one who aids us when we are tempted to sin.

And in our reading this morning he takes us through the second of these themes: "aiding us when we are tempted to sin". He says in Hebrews 4:15-16:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Later on in chapters five through ten he will focus upon the second theme, the sacrifice of Christ, as we read in Hebrews 7:27:

Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.

Or Hebrews 9:26b:

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And again, in Hebrews 10:12, 14:

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” . . . For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

But here in Hebrews 4 the writer takes us through that understanding of Jesus as the one who aids and helps us when we are tempted to sin. And the first thing that he mentions is that, in the middle of every struggle that we have in our lives, Jesus "sympathises with our weaknesses".

Now, we often use that word "sympathy" with the idea of "I feel sorry for you". Or "I feel bad about your situation". But the Greek word that is used here means much more than that. The Greek word, sumpaqew, which is where we get our English word "sympathy" from, is actually made up of two different Greek words, and together they mean, "to suffer with" someone.

To suffer with them. To "sympathise", as used here in Hebrews and in other Greek literature, means far more than just to "feel sorry" for someone, or to "pity" someone. To "sympathise", means that you "suffer with" that person, so that their sorrow, is your sorrow. Their pain is your pain. Their grief is your grief. Their struggle is your struggle. In fact, the writer says that this is exactly what this group of believers has done in their relationships with one another. In Hebrews 10:33-34 he says that they have:

sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion . . .

[using that same Greek word for “sympathy”]

You had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting.

Their actions of “sympathy” went beyond feeling "sad" for those who were struggling but went to being “partners,” or in “fellowship with them.[4] The NIV translates this as "standing side by side" with them in their struggle, loss, fear, and imprisonment.

The Apostle Paul put it this way when he said in Romans 12:15:

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Let their joy be yours and let their pain be yours.

That is what Jesus, our great high priest, does for us. In his "sympathy" for us and our situation: Our pain is now his pain. Our struggle becomes his struggle. Our sorrows are his sorrows. Our concerns, worries, and anxieties have become his concerns, worries, and anxieties, because he "sympathises, he suffers alongside us, and with our weaknesses".

Why are we told in 1 Peter 5:7 to:

Cast all your anxiety on him?

Why?

Because he cares for you.

The story is told about G. Gordon Liddy, who worked for President Richard Nixon, and who went to jail over his participation in the Watergate cover-ups.

As it turned out, when he was a boy, he had a fear of rats, which seems perfectly reasonable to me. But in order to overcome his fear of rats, one day he went down into the basement of his house, and while he was there, he caught, killed, cooked, and ate a rat to help him to overcome his fear of them. However, as I listened to his story, it became clear that because he had been able to overcome his own fears through his own efforts, he had absolutely no sympathy for anyone else who couldn't overcome their fears. Having once been beset by fear, having once faced and conquered fear, he had no sympathy for others beset by fear. Instead, he despised and condemned anybody who allowed fear to control them.

Have you met people like that? People who have it all together, and despise or look down on those who don’t?

But what we see about Jesus is, having been tempted, and that word "tempted" doesn't simply mean a temptation to do wrong, for it also has the idea of being "tested" and "tried", but Jesus, being tempted, tested, and tried in every way, just as we are, he "sympathises" with us in our struggles and in our weaknesses.

He knows what it is like. He understands what it is like, and he struggles with us, and he feels for us as he suffers with us. Jesus knows what it is like to struggle with temptation, with life, and with all of the problems of life, because, as Hebrews 4:15 says, Jesus has:

in every respect, been tested as we are, yet without sin.

Now we all know about the temptations that Jesus endured during his forty days of fasting in the desert. We read in Mark 1:13 that he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. That is, it went for the full forty days! And, as we read both Matthew and Luke, we find that some of these temptations were:

Turning stones into bread. That is, trusting in himself and his own abilities to provide, rather than trusting in God.
Throwing himself off of the temple, and in so doing challenging God to look after him and keep him safe.
And worshipping the devil to gain the world.

Yet, we must never think that that was it. We must never think that this was the last time that Jesus was tempted to turn from the path that God had set for him, or even to think that that was the first time that Jesus was tempted to turn from the path that God set for him.

We know, of course, that he was tempted to do so at the end, in the garden of Gethsemane, but he prayed instead "not my will, but yours be done".[5] But that wasn't all. Hebrews says that Jesus was "tempted in every way, just as we are". What does that mean? Well, it means what it says. It means that:

Jesus was tempted to lie to his parents. Disobey his parents, and to talk back to his parents.

It means that Jesus was tempted by the pretty girls in the village, and the no doubt dirty stories that teenage boys will always tell.

It means that Jesus was tempted to pride, arrogance, and prejudice. Jews against Romans. Jews against Samaritans. Male against female.

It means that Jesus was tempted to mock the sufferings of others. To turn a blind eye to what others were going through, and to simply not care.

It means that Jesus was tempted to break each and every one of the commandments, not only when he was a grown man, but when he was a young man, and when he was a young boy.

It means that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, and because of this, there is never a time when we can turn and say to Jesus, "you just don't understand what it is like", because, in fact, yes, he does.

Having been born of a human mother.
Having four younger brothers and a couple of younger sisters.
Having gone to school, got a trade, and worked for a living.
Having, quite possibly, gone through times of unemployment.
Having had his own mother and brothers thinking that he had lost his mind.
Having had friends who disappointed him, betrayed him, and turned against him.
Having suffered the lies and false accusations of the crowds.
Having been thrown to the wolves by the Romans, who couldn't be bothered doing what was right and just, because it was just too hard.

Yes, Jesus knows what it is like because he has been through it all!

Have you ever noticed how Joseph is not mentioned at all in the adult life of Jesus? That is most certainly because by the time of Jesus' ministry, Joseph was dead.

And so Jesus also knows the pain and sorrow that death causes, and he knows the responsibilities and burdens that fall upon others when someone we love dies.

Further when Joseph died, as the oldest son, Jesus all of a sudden became responsible for the family. Responsible for his mother, his brothers, and his sisters, and most probably responsible to make sure that his sisters married “well.”

When Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, what did he do? "Jesus wept".[6] He wept in the sorrow, the grief, the loss, and the pain that death brings. So yes, Jesus knows what it is like, because Jesus has been through it all. As the Old Negro spiritual says:

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Nobody knows but Jesus.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Glory, Hallelujah

Sometimes I'm up.

And sometimes I'm down.

Yes, Lord, you know sometimes I'm almost to the ground.

Oh, yes, Lord, still!

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Nobody knows but Jesus.

And he knows, and he understands, and he "sympathises" because Jesus has been through them all himself.

But then notice what he goes on to say next in Hebrews 4:15:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

Tested, tempted, but without sin. And this is talking about more than simply doing "wrong things" such as lying, stealing, or cheating. For to "go through it all without sin", means that in the middle of all of the trials, struggles, sorrows, and heartaches of life, Jesus never gave up on the plan and purposes of God. Jesus never lost "faith".

Yes, there were times when it was truly a struggle, just like for us there are times when life is a real struggle and we wonder why we bother continuing to follow Jesus, just like these Jewish Christians here in the first century were struggling with all of their problems, pressures, and concerns, and they were wondering why they were continuing to follow Jesus. But in the middle of his struggle, Jesus' faith in God, God's plan, and God's purposes, was rock solid. And because of this, Jesus, as our great high priest, Jesus understands what we are going through, he understands our struggles, and he struggles right along with us, giving us grace, strength, and mercy in the very middle of our struggle.

We know that the strain of the reality of what was going to happen to Jesus must have been great, for we read in Matthew 26:39 that:

Going a little farther, [Jesus] threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

And Luke says in Luke 22:44:

In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

Jesus knew well the suffering, the struggle, and the pain, not only the physical but the spiritual pain he was about to go through, and he acknowledged it for what it was, and he faced the struggle, and the suffering, and the pain square in the eye and said:

Father, not my will, but yours be done.

And because Jesus was able to face all of his struggles and continue to walk in faith, he understands the struggles that we are going through, and he stands with us in our struggle.

But more than that, he who in the face of it all knew no sin, this same Jesus can help us to stand in the face of discouragement, doubt, and "giving up", and he can help us to "not sin" by turning away from God, God's will and God's ways, as Hebrews 2:18 says:

Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

He is able to "help us" when life, and when the struggles and pain of life, try to overwhelm us. Not only the struggles of "sin", but the struggles of "everything else". And because Jesus knows it all, and has experienced it all, and through his ongoing faith in God the Father's plan and purpose for his life he was able to overcome it all, and as a result we are invited in to:

Approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.[7]

To receive grace and mercy and to find help from him who knows, and understands, and who longs to gives us the strength to persevere in a life of faith, and in a life of faithfulness.

What is it that Paul said in Philippians 4:13?

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I can stand for Christ. I can live faithfully for Christ. I can overcome the world, by the power of Christ who enables me to stand.

On that last night before his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples in John 16:33:

I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!

We then read in Revelation 17:14 that:

[The powers of evil] will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

Because Jesus has overcome the world, we read in 1 John 5:4 that:

Whoever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.

The book of Revelation says that, during the coming time of trial, the followers of Jesus:

conquered by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.[8]

This same Jesus who has overcome has given, and will continue to give us the power to overcome:

As we continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.[9]

As we continue to fix our thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and High priest we confess.[10]

As we continue to pay more attention to Jesus, so that we do not drift away.[11]

And as we continue to approach the throne of grace and find in him grace and mercy when we need it.[12]

This same Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever[13] will continue to give us grace, mercy, strength and help when we need it, so that we, like him in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was facing death on a cross, rejection by the world, and carrying the sins of the world, we also can come to God in prayer and say, "not our will but yours be done".

Then we, humbling ourselves to the will, plan, purposes, and love of God, we can stand against the evils of this world. We can "overcome" by the power of God. We can continue to walk in faith, and we can continue to walk in faithfulness to our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift![14]

[1] Hebrews 2:17

[2] Hebrews 2:17

[3] πειράζω

[4] κοινωνός

[5] Luke 2:42

[6] John 11:35

[7] Hebrews 4:16

[8] Revelation 12:11

[9] Hebrews 12:2

[10] Hebrews 3:1

[11] Hebrews 2:1

[12] Hebrews 4:16

[13] Hebrews 13:8

[14] 2 Corinthians 9:15

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 - Jesus, our great high priest

In Hebrews chapter two, our author talked about how Jesus, the son of God, became totally human. How, according to Hebrews 2:17-18:

And because Jesus is our high priest, the one who "sat down" at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us, and who helps us during our times of temptation and testing, he goes on to say in Hebrews 3:1:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession . . .

And the rest of chapter three and into chapter four is his call to this group of "drifting believers" to turn their thoughts, attentions, and devotion back to Christ, the one who is our high priest.

He calls on them to hear God’s voice "Today", and to not harden their hearts to the call of God, but instead to renew their faith in and their commitment to Jesus Christ, "Today".

merciful and faithful high priest in service to God.[1]

And that is the theme that he takes up again here in Hebrews 4:14, and just about everything from Hebrews chapter 5 through to Hebrews 10, revolves around these two topics:

Jesus, the one who makes atonement for sin.

And Jesus, the one who aids us when we are tempted to sin.

And in our reading this morning he takes us through the second of these themes: "aiding us when we are tempted to sin". He says in Hebrews 4:15-16:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Later on in chapters five through ten he will focus upon the second theme, the sacrifice of Christ, as we read in Hebrews 7:27:

Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.

Or Hebrews 9:26b:

But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.

And again, in Hebrews 10:12, 14:

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” . . . For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

But here in Hebrews 4 the writer takes us through that understanding of Jesus as the one who aids and helps us when we are tempted to sin. And the first thing that he mentions is that, in the middle of every struggle that we have in our lives, Jesus "sympathises with our weaknesses".

sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion . . .

[using that same Greek word for “sympathy”]

You had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting.

Their actions of “sympathy” went beyond feeling "sad" for those who were struggling but went to being “partners,” or in “fellowship with them.[4] The NIV translates this as "standing side by side" with them in their struggle, loss, fear, and imprisonment.

The Apostle Paul put it this way when he said in Romans 12:15:

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Let their joy be yours and let their pain be yours.

Why are we told in 1 Peter 5:7 to:

Cast all your anxiety on him?

Why?

Because he cares for you.

The story is told about G. Gordon Liddy, who worked for President Richard Nixon, and who went to jail over his participation in the Watergate cover-ups.

Have you met people like that? People who have it all together, and despise or look down on those who don’t?

He knows what it is like. He understands what it is like, and he struggles with us, and he feels for us as he suffers with us. Jesus knows what it is like to struggle with temptation, with life, and with all of the problems of life, because, as Hebrews 4:15 says, Jesus has:

in every respect, been tested as we are, yet without sin.

Turning stones into bread. That is, trusting in himself and his own abilities to provide, rather than trusting in God.

Throwing himself off of the temple, and in so doing challenging God to look after him and keep him safe.

And worshipping the devil to gain the world.

Yet, we must never think that that was it. We must never think that this was the last time that Jesus was tempted to turn from the path that God had set for him, or even to think that that was the first time that Jesus was tempted to turn from the path that God set for him.

Jesus was tempted to lie to his parents. Disobey his parents, and to talk back to his parents.

It means that Jesus was tempted by the pretty girls in the village, and the no doubt dirty stories that teenage boys will always tell.

It means that Jesus was tempted to pride, arrogance, and prejudice. Jews against Romans. Jews against Samaritans. Male against female.

It means that Jesus was tempted to mock the sufferings of others. To turn a blind eye to what others were going through, and to simply not care.

It means that Jesus was tempted to break each and every one of the commandments, not only when he was a grown man, but when he was a young man, and when he was a young boy.

It means that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are, and because of this, there is never a time when we can turn and say to Jesus, "you just don't understand what it is like", because, in fact, yes, he does.

Having been born of a human mother.

Having four younger brothers and a couple of younger sisters.

Having gone to school, got a trade, and worked for a living.

Having, quite possibly, gone through times of unemployment.

Having had his own mother and brothers thinking that he had lost his mind.

Having had friends who disappointed him, betrayed him, and turned against him.

Having suffered the lies and false accusations of the crowds.

Having been thrown to the wolves by the Romans, who couldn't be bothered doing what was right and just, because it was just too hard.

Yes, Jesus knows what it is like because he has been through it all!

Have you ever noticed how Joseph is not mentioned at all in the adult life of Jesus? That is most certainly because by the time of Jesus' ministry, Joseph was dead.

And so Jesus also knows the pain and sorrow that death causes, and he knows the responsibilities and burdens that fall upon others when someone we love dies.

Further when Joseph died, as the oldest son, Jesus all of a sudden became responsible for the family. Responsible for his mother, his brothers, and his sisters, and most probably responsible to make sure that his sisters married “well.”

When Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, what did he do? "Jesus wept".[6] He wept in the sorrow, the grief, the loss, and the pain that death brings. So yes, Jesus knows what it is like, because Jesus has been through it all. As the Old Negro spiritual says:

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Nobody knows but Jesus.

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Glory, Hallelujah

Sometimes I'm up.

And sometimes I'm down.

Yes, Lord, you know sometimes I'm almost to the ground.

Oh, yes, Lord, still!

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.

Nobody knows but Jesus.

And he knows, and he understands, and he "sympathises" because Jesus has been through them all himself.

But then notice what he goes on to say next in Hebrews 4:15:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

We know that the strain of the reality of what was going to happen to Jesus must have been great, for we read in Matthew 26:39 that:

Going a little farther, [Jesus] threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

And Luke says in Luke 22:44:

In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

Jesus knew well the suffering, the struggle, and the pain, not only the physical but the spiritual pain he was about to go through, and he acknowledged it for what it was, and he faced the struggle, and the suffering, and the pain square in the eye and said:

Father, not my will, but yours be done.

And because Jesus was able to face all of his struggles and continue to walk in faith, he understands the struggles that we are going through, and he stands with us in our struggle.

But more than that, he who in the face of it all knew no sin, this same Jesus can help us to stand in the face of discouragement, doubt, and "giving up", and he can help us to "not sin" by turning away from God, God's will and God's ways, as Hebrews 2:18 says:

Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.[7]