For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15
One of the things that I really like to do is watch sports on television. My favorites are professional football and golf. I can’t explain why those two are what I like, but they just are. As a sport, they are wildly different. In football, you want to get a high score while in golf it’s all about being the lowest score. Players have to have a completely different set of skills and talents to play.
But when you watch them on TV, there are a few things that they both have in common.
Commentators. These are the people that have lots to say about what someone else just did. They LOVE to point out the mistakes and highlight the great big victories. And then they go on and on and on about how someone else did something like that back in the day.
Replay. This is why I can be ironing clothes or cooking while watching TV. Because no matter what happens, they will replay what just happened. And then, they’ll replay it again. And again. And again. Sometimes they’ll move the image back and forth to show something they think is of interest to us. But it’s just to show off the technology and their knowledge.
Drawing. As the replays are happening, commentators can draw lines and arrows on the screen to help us see what their trained and experienced eye sees. They point out where the important action is about to happen. This can be really helpful for someone like me who really has very little knowledge about the sport. But some commentators go overboard as they desperately try to impress us with their knowledge.
Sometimes, every once in a while, there is this great play that they just can’t stop talking about. Because it’s so special and exciting, they really don’t talk about it. They shout about it. Sometimes they scream as they jump out of their seat. They replay it over and over and over. From every different angel, they’ll show what this one player did.
Because of these things, it allows me to be doing something else while the action is going on. And then when something important happens, I can then pay attention and catch up on what’s going on. This way, I don’t miss anything.
This is what the writer is doing for the Hebrews. He’s giving them a replay about who Jesus is and all he’s done for them. And this sentence is perhaps the biggest big deal of all big deals. It’s the replay of all replays.
Jesus didn’t just stand beside us and watch what we go through. He didn’t take notes on it and then write a blog on what we did wrong. He didn’t list out all the mistakes we made. He didn’t explain how we could have done better. He didn’t replay our sins for all the world to see. He didn’t point out the one step that caused us to fail.
Instead, Jesus personally experienced exactly all the different kinds of temptations we do. There’s not a single kind of choice that we’re faced with that he didn’t experience. There’s nothing that tries to make us turn from God that didn’t stand right in front of him. There are two results that the writer reminds us and the Hebrews of.
Empathy. Since Jesus knows and experienced everything we do, he personally understands what we’re going through. He can identify with us and our weakness. There’s not a single thing or temptation that we face that Jesus hasn’t also faced. He’s seen it all. Experienced it all. Felt it all. He knows it and can has compassion on us.
Did not sin. Wow. I can hardly write these words without shaking my head. He went through and experienced all the different temptations that I do and never, never, never gave in to them. He always, always, always did exactly what God wanted. And even though some of his not sinning got him in trouble, he still did what was right.
Just think about the last time we ran into a temptation. Remember the thoughts and feelings that ran through your head and heart. About how we made the small choice that no one would see. Or made the choice that changed everything about the rest of our lives.
No matter how big or small the temptation, Jesus experienced the same kind of invitation to sin. Now, he never had to choose whether to post something on social media that would ruin someone’s reputation. And he didn’t have to decide whether to click on a link to see pornography or not. But he did face the same kind of temptations that are behind each of those choices.
Because Jesus has suffered with us, he’s someone we can run to in our time of temptation. In our weakness. In our frustration. In our pain. In our suffering. He’s always available to give us the empathy we so desperately need. But Jesus also gives us his power to live and choose for him. Because he died for us, we want to please the one who loves us.
Noodling Questions
Do we press the “replay” button in our heads for good things or bad? Why?
How did Jesus experience life just like we do? With what exceptions?
Does this really bring you closer to Jesus? Give three examples.
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