15 Question 1

The Lord certainly does feel your pain.  Hebrews 4:15 tells us, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  This is telling us that the Lord Jesus Christ, our high priest is touched by our sufferings.  When we suffer, He suffers right along with us.  The word ‘touched’ in this verse, means to sympathize.  We learn also in this verse that the Lord is able to sympathize with us in our suffering because He, himself, knows what it means to suffer.  He suffered many things in His life.  He suffered from hatred, rejection, mockery, abandonment.  He suffered the loss of friends; he suffered from hunger, exhaustion, physical pain.  He suffered even the rejection of God as all His friends forsook Him.  If there is something that you are suffering from, the Lord has suffered in some like manner. The Lord was subjected to all the kinds of trials that we are subjected to and he is able to sympathize with us, and to help us in our trials.

However, while the Lord sympathizes with us in our infirmities, or weaknesses, He does not sympathize with us in our sins.  He sympathizes with our temptations and trials, but not our sins.  We sometimes sympathize with others in their sins.  A friend may get mad at his wife and say unkind things to her.  We may sympathize with him by saying that we understand his feelings because we have done the same thing.  The Lord will never console or sympathize with us for sinning.  Instead, when we look to Him, He will strengthen us so that we may not sin.

The Lord endured all temptations, yet He did it without sinning.  Hebrews 7:26 tells us, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.”  We have the witness of three Apostles as to the sinlessness of the Lord Jesus.  Paul said of the Lord Jesus in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  Peter’s testimony of the Lord in 1 Peter 2:21-22 was, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:  Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.”  John said of the Lord in 1 John 3:5, “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”  So, the testimony of these three men was that the Lord Jesus knew no sin, did no sin, and in Him was no sin.  It is critical that we understand the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He did not have a sinful nature that would have caused Him to sin.

Now realizing that the Lord does sympathize with us in our suffering…that he does feel our pain when we suffer, how should we react to this?  Let’s read Hebrews 4:15 again along with verse 16 which says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  Realizing the compassion of the Lord, let’s come boldly before that throne of grace.  There we will find mercy and grace.  There we will find the help that we need to endure and overcome whatever trial we are going through, realizing that according to 1 Corinthians 10:13 that, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”