How Does a Sinless Savior Help Us Sympathetically?

How does a sinless Jesus help us sympathetically? The book of Hebrews assures us that Jesus is our sympathetic high priest. But how can those who battle with persistent sin struggles make real spiritual use of these assurances?

Let me put it this way: if we experience frustratingly slow growth and continue to stumble in many ways, how does a sinless Jesus help us? What does Jesus’ sympathy mean for us? If in my battle with temptation I periodically or regularly fail, how does one who never failed help me?

Well, listen to Hebrews 2:17-18: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

I want to point out two main points about Jesus in these verses. These two points will help us understand what it means for us that he is our sympathetic high priest. These verses name two actions of Jesus. First, he makes propitiation. Second, he helps.

He makes propitiation. You see, when you stumble, when you fall to temptation, what you need most is grace, forgiveness, a clean slate. And it is precisely because Jesus never stumbled that he is qualified to save you. When you’ve sinned, you need to know that he can and does offer you his own righteousness. You are clothed in his righteousness. This means that in your moment of defeat, all is not lost. More than that, it means that even though you lost a battle, in Jesus you can be assured you will win the war.

But he doesn’t just atone for your sin and give you forgiveness. He also gives you help in the fight, and that’s the second action listed. You see, there’s a difference between sympathizing and commiserating. We don’t need someone to simply commiserate with us. We can do that with each other. We need someone who not only understands how difficult it is, but also knows what it takes to win. We need someone to gently strengthen us, point us in the right direction, someone to give us a steady and strong hand when we stumble, to make sure we don’t give up when we fail, or turn backwards to despair and sin more.

Winston Churchill was known to have said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Jesus is there when we fail to renew our enthusiasm for the Christian life, to make sure that when we get up after stumbling, we get up facing in his direction, not away from him.

Do you need that? Are you thankful for Jesus? There is no one like him, no one who knows how difficult the fight is and who also knows what it takes to win. He has won that fight for you. Seek him with all your might.