A Sympathizing High Priest
Sympathize means to commiserate, have compassion, or be touched with a feeling of sympathy.
In essence, it is feeling the effects of something along with another, even though you were not actually involved, and it did not happen to you personally.
As humans, we often express this when we say to someone we're sorry as they tell us of how they might be suffering or going through a trial or difficulty, and then are moved to try to help them in some way, especially when a person is in a relationship with us.
In the letter to the Hebrews, the Holy Spirit prompted the writer to discuss entering a rest in chapter four, and then begins to cover the priestly ministry of Christ, from the end of chapter four through to chapter eight. With so much attention being dedicated to the priestly ministry of Jesus, I tend to think it must be of some importance. My focus today is on what is spoken concerning him at the end of Chapter Four.
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In these passages, we find a description of the sort of High Priest our Jesus is. We see He has passed through the heavens, meaning He is ministering in a more effective place than any holy sight here on this earth. For this reason, we should always maintain a good confession of knowing Him.
We also discover that Jesus is not distant from what we are going through. He feels what we feel, and He is very familiar with the challenges and temptations we deal with in this life. He understands the weakness of our flesh, and He has compassion on us. He, too, was tempted in His flesh, but He never sinned. He understands the battles we face. It moves Him in His feelings towards us. It doesn't alienate us from Him. He doesn't get angry and insists we get it together. He desires that we come to Him and ask Him for His help. His compassion motivates him to aid us actively.
When we understand this by the revelation of who He is and what He is truly like, we are not hesitant to come boldly to His throne of grace. We approach knowing that we will meet with His mercy (Compassion and willingness to help, although in our flesh we would not deserve such). We expect to receive mercy from Him and be gifted with His favor in our situation, which will empower us to move forward in His wisdom. It can also cause others to be activated to favor us and assist us according to His leading in them regarding us. Until we are convinced that in Jesus we have a sympathizing High Priest who intends to do us good, will we truly approach His throne of grace with boldness? I encourage you today to see Jesus as He really is, according to the Scriptures, and change your mind concerning Him so you can take full advantage of everything He offers you as a result of coming to Him.
