The brother who understands

[Jesus] had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, in order to be their faithful and merciful high priest in his service to God, so that the people’s sins would be forgiven. And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself was tempted and suffered. (verses 17,18)

Read Hebrews 2:9-18

It’s nice to have someone with a sympathetic ear when things go wrong. More important is having someone we can trust to listen as we pour out our feelings of guilt, someone who knows as much as we do what it means to be burdened by sin.

Jesus became a human being and understands what it is to be tempted to sin, even if he never gave in to temptation (4:15). Our heavenly high priest still shares our humanity. So there is nothing about being faced with temptation that he doesn’t understand.

The biggest temptation that can hit us is to give up on God­ to lose faith, to lose the courage to believe. The letter to the Hebrews is a wonderful appeal never to doubt God, based on the certainty that Jesus is a merciful high priest. He both listens to your cries for help and has the Father’s listening ear to plead your cause. ·

To receive God’s help in any trouble, cry for help via Jesus, your sympathetic brother. You are assured of a good hearing.

Thank you, my merciful brother Jesus, for the confidence that comes from knowing you are always ready to hear my pleas for help when I am tempted. Amen.

Devotion by Vic Pfitzner from “Time Out … with Jesus” (Australian Church Resources, 2014)

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