SYMPATHETIC AND STRONG.......By Marion Clark

Hebrews 4:15-16

Know your hope. We have a high priest who knows our weaknesses. He knows our flesh is weak, especially as one himself who has taken on flesh. He knows the battle being waged against us; he knows the strength of the enemy, the powerful lure of the world, and the weakness of the flesh; and he is sympathetic. Jesus did not stop loving Peter and the rest of the disciples. He did not throw a tantrum; he did not declare that if his friends weren’t going to be there for him, then he wasn’t going to be there for them. If anything, his resolve was all the greater to carry out his mission.

And our sympathetic high priest is strong. Jesus did not sin. He did not falter in the Garden of Gethsemane. And because he didn’t, the sacrifice he offered was sufficient and effective to cover our sins. Jesus doesn’t say to us, “Been there, done that.” He says, “Been there and overcame that. You can now count on me to pull you through.” We can also count on Jesus to speak on our behalf and guarantee that we will receive mercy. His Father will listen to him because he was fully obedient. When he says that he will put in a good word for us, we can count on him doing so and getting his way. We are weak, but he is strong for us.

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