Sanctified to Sympathize

"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."

Hebrews 4:14-15

Long before the existence of the nebulous word empathy, "sympathize" was defined by Webster in his 1828 Dictionary as:  "To have a common feeling, as of bodily pleasure or pain; to feel in consequence of what another feels; to be affected by feelings similar to those of another, in consequence of knowing the person to be thus affected."  When Jesus put on human flesh and came to earth, our Creator personally entered into the complete human experience.  Through experience, He knew what it was to feel hungry, thirsty, sleepy and sore.  He endured without sin all the physical influences that often overpower our resolve and cheerful attitudes.  Unlike us, Jesus never became short-tempered and snapped in frustration when He felt tired, nor did He become crabby or angry when He was starving.  But He can sympathize with our weaknesses.

As Jesus continued to walk righteously and stand strong in the face of temptation to sin, we ought to hold fast our confession of faith.  Since Jesus can sympathize with us in our weakness by His grace, this is an example we are to follow in our relationships with others.  We may naturally look upon weakness with disdain, but Jesus looks upon all with compassion.  Genuine sympathy does not come as naturally for some as others, and thank God He is able to make us new creations and fill us with the Holy Spirit.  Our temptation may be to be callous or uncaring when others experience difficulties, pains and trials, but by the grace of God He supplies wisdom and strength to walk according to His will:  to love one another as He loves us.  Having been set apart by God to do His will, it is our responsibility to embrace our sanctification to intentionally follow Jesus in all aspects of life.

Since Jesus experienced human weakness yet did not sin, it follows we should seek the LORD Jesus who overcame the power of sin in the world by His death and resurrection.  He successfully navigated human frailty and fleshly tendency to sin and was righteous.  Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  For me, switching gears between thinking and feeling can be slow and clunky--and sometimes in my weakness I can go past feeling.  Our weakness and sin, evidenced by what we say, do and even feel--by things naturally out of our control--ought to lead us to desperately seek our Saviour in repentance who provides mercy and grace to help in time of need.  Because we are new creations by the power of the Gospel that raised Jesus from the dead, even an old dog can learn a new way of living by renewing our minds by the word of God.

The Haman Distortion

The Bible provides many examples we should emulate and also ones we ought to avoid.  Thus the worst characters and most repugnant personalities provide instruction we do well to observe and take to heart.  Haman, the villain of the Jews, is one such person.  He was an influential, rich and powerful man, a close friend of King Ahasuerus who ruled over the Persian and Mede empire.  One would think with the great wealth, favour and royal access Haman would have been content, but he was far from it.

After accepting an invitation to a banquet and enjoying the hospitality provided by Queen Esther for the King and Haman, he was pleased.  But on the way home there was the Jew Mordecai who did not stand or move at all as he walked by--and this lack of a show of respect filled Haman with rage.  Esther 5:10-13 says, "Nevertheless Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. ¹² Moreover Haman said, "Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. ¹³ Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."  Haman had much to be glad about, yet the lack of respect from one man on the street made all the good things--even the favour of the king and queen--Haman possessed as nothing.  His envy over the loss of honour stripped him of thankfulness for all his blessings.

I wonder:  can we Christians give a place in our lives to the Haman distortion?  Has not the almighty God given us better things than Haman possessed?  He had great riches, but it was not long before Haman was parted from them.  In Christ we have eternal riches, a home in the heavens with the LORD forever that no one can steal from us.  Haman bragged about his children:  how much better it is to be a child of God by faith in Jesus?  The king promoted Haman in the kingdom of the Persians and Medes, yet we have been made co-heirs of the everlasting kingdom of God with Christ by His grace!  The blessings and benefits of being a child of God infinitely exceed what Haman possessed, yet we can experience his affliction:  to allow a small slight to render our blessings as nothing.  When Jacob's faith was tested to send Benjamin to Egypt, he felt all was against him rather than finding rest and comfort in God who was for him.

It is good for us to realise when we observe the worst of people in Scripture--or see instances of people of faith in God at their worst--we are looking at a mirror of our own natural condition.  Through them, God is giving us a look into our own fleshly hearts and minds, and He helps us see pitfalls to avoid and our own tendencies to pride and unbelief.  Without the transforming power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we would never realise our spiritual blindness and dullness.  The pride of Haman led to his discouragement and downfall, and let us avoid this snare by humility, thankfulness and gratitude before God and man.  Seeing ourselves as unworthy of God's smallest benefits fills us with joy at the grand scope of His goodness towards us continually.  Philippians 4:6-7 exhorts us, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Jesus Is the Man

To the children of Israel God delivered from slavery in Egypt, Moses was the man.  He was the one chosen by God to lead them out of Egypt and through the desert to the land of promise.  By his hand God did great miracles, and Moses spoke with the LORD face to face while the rest of the people kept their distance.  Moses was the one who carried the stone tablets engraved with the finger of God down from the mountain, and he was instrumental in interceding on behalf of the people.  As Moses held aloft the rod of God the Hebrews were victorious over their enemies, and he judged the people with God's wisdom.

After the altar of God was anointed and dedicated Numbers 7:89 says, "Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him."  Moses was given the privilege by God's grace to hear the LORD speak from a burning bush, on Mount Sinai and in the tabernacle.  The children of Israel sinned by making a golden calf to worship as a god, and then Moses moved the tabernacle outside the camp due to their sin.  When Moses arose to go to the tabernacle to meet with God, the people stood in the doors of their tents until he went beyond their sight into the tabernacle.  They watched and worshipped in awe when the presence of God descended in the cloudy pillar at the door of the tabernacle, and He spoke with Moses.

God's presence was seen and was near His people, and at the same time God remained far off and unapproachable in glory.  An incredible, miraculous change occurred when Jesus the Son of God died on the cross to provide atonement for the sins of the world.  When Jesus breathed His last on Calvary, the veil of the Temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place was torn from top to bottom.  This signified the spiritual separation man had from God due to his sin was removed by Jesus Christ for all who trust in Him.  Hebrews 10:19-22 explains, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, ²¹ and having a High Priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."  Jesus has drawn near to us, and we are invited to draw near to Him in faith.

Under the Law of Moses only the high priest was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, and since Jesus has provided atonement once for all everyone who trusts in Him has access to the presence of God spiritually in prayer, to make requests, to be continually casting our cares upon Him.  Like Moses went into the tabernacle, Christians can boldly enter God's throne room of grace to obtain mercy and to find grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  Adam walked and conversed with God in the cool of the day before the fall, and by the Gospel of Jesus we can walk and talk with Jesus all day every day even though we have fallen!  Since Jesus is risen, we can know forgiveness and new life.  Jesus is our peace, and how blessed and privileged we are to converse with the living God.  To paraphrase the words of Pilate, Jesus IS the Man--and He is also our LORD, High Priest and King.

Examining God's Love

During Bible study last night we spoke of our need as Christians to examine our love.  What is important is we realise this is not a comparison with our peers but to consider the manner and expression of our love in light of Christ's love to us.  Jesus commanded His disciples to "Love one another as I have loved you," and He demonstrated His love for sinners by dying on the cross to atone for their sins.  Jesus provided an example of loving service by washing the feet of His disciples when He had every right to demand His feet to be washed as their LORD and Master.

The apostle John, one who referred to himself as the "disciples Jesus loved," wrote in 1 John 2:10-11:  "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."  The one who walks in love towards His brother will not be prone to offence, nor will he be offensive.  If we discover animosity, frustration, annoyance and anger in us towards our brother, these are indications we are not walking in love towards him.  When we are not loving the brethren as we ought, this not only negatively impacts our fellowship with one another but with God too.

Jesus made it clear His love was not reserved solely for His fellow Jews or immediate family members but to all His enemies.  Jesus practiced what He preached in Matthew 5:43-45:  "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."  Born-again disciples of Jesus do not earn the right to become children of God by loving our enemies, but loving as Jesus loves is evidence we are indeed born of God by grace through faith in Him.  We cannot love like Jesus unless we in Christ by faith.  Because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to love with the love we have received from Him.

A description of God's love that never fails is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV):  "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  How constant and consistent is the miraculous, supernatural love of God!  The love described here is a choice based on the goodness, compassion and mercy of God that can be known.  It can be recognised by what it does and does not do; God's love has boundaries yet at the same time remains infinite and is extended to all.  By considering and examining God's love to us, we are enabled and inspired to love one another.