“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.”
The Truth
There are two things you might quietly believe about Jesus that this verse corrects. First, that his sinlessness means he was never really tempted, insulated somehow from the pull sin has on you. Second, that because he never sinned, he cannot really understand what it is to lose a battle you are currently losing. Both are wrong.
He was tempted in all points like as we are. Not a sanitized version of temptation. The real pull, the real appeal, felt with a clarity you have likely never experienced, because he never gave in and dulled the edge of it the way repeated compromise dulls yours. In some sense his temptations were harder-fought than most of ours, not easier.
This is why he is described as a high priest touched with the feeling of your infirmities, not a distant judge unmoved by your struggle. When you bring your specific temptation to him in prayer, you are not explaining it to someone who has to guess at it from theory. You are bringing it to someone who felt its full weight and did not need to sin to understand you.
Come to him today, in your particular weak place, not with performance but honestly. He is not shocked, and he is not distant.
Live This Truth
- Name your most persistent temptation and bring it to Jesus specifically today.
- Remember he felt this pull’s full force without your dulled resistance to it.
- Ask him for help as one who understands, not as a distant judge.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you were tempted in every point as I am, yet without sin. You are not shocked by my struggle, and you are not distant from it. Meet me here, and help me. Amen.
Carry this today
He is not shocked by my weakness. He felt it and did not need to sin to understand it.