JESUS UNDERSTANDS!

HEBREWS 2:17-18: “Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement, for the sins of the people. For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Nobody understands! Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever been in a difficult situation and felt like you were all alone? Instead of drawing closer to God, you began to drift away. Instead of drawing closer to others, you began to isolate yourself. All the while you kept reinforcing these words in your mind…

Nobody understands!

This is the most common lie that the enemy tries to sow in our mind when we are in the midst of a trial. It could be a difficult time at work, stress in our marriage, or a prolonged illness. Whatever it is, we tend to think that we are all alone. And, we have an enemy of our souls who loves to pile on with this lie. The enemy of our souls doesn’t want us to remember the most important truth in life.

Jesus understands!

One of the greatest miracles of life is the incarnation. God, unwilling to leave His creation lost, confused, broken, and rushing toward hell, humbled Himself and became a man.

“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8

The writer of Hebrews gives us additional insight into this miracle. Jesus, God the Word, became flesh and entered this world as a man. He was fully God and yet fully man. He did not beam Himself down from heaven. He submitted to entering this world humbly through childbirth and growing up like everyone else does. Jesus did this with the ultimate eye of dying in our place, for our sins, on the cross. Yet, Jesus did this for another important reason.

Jesus became a man so He could truly understand us!

“Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement, for the sins of the people. For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18 CSB

I am sure that Jesus skinned his knee as a young child, hit his thumb with a hammer as a young carpenter, and was treated cruelly by other children as he grew up. Jesus felt real pain, real frustration, and real temptation. Yet, Jesus did all of this without sinning. Many dismiss the reality of Jesus’ suffering and temptation because he did not succumb to them. Jesus was God, and we are not. How could Jesus really understand?

Simply because one does not succumb to temptation or suffering does not change the reality of the experience. When Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and nights fasting, when the enemy came to tempt Jesus to shortcut God’s plan of redemption, these temptations were just as real as the ones you and I face. Jesus faced the enemy at His greatest moment of weakness, and He felt everything you and I feel in our moments of weakness.

Yet, think of the wonder of Jesus’ victory! Jesus is not only someone who truly understands, but He is also the only one who has truly overcome! He lived a perfect life so that He could be the perfect sacrifice and take our place in death. The writer of Hebrews goes on to say…

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CSB

Someone may still object to this statement. Jesus never went through the trials I am going through! Jesus doesn’t understand my situation! How can Jesus understand the problems in my marriage since He was never married? The answer to these questions is found on the Cross! Whatever Jesus did not experience as He walked this earth, He experienced when the sin, the brokenness, the weakness, the suffering, the sickness, and the depravity of mankind were laid upon Him as He died on the cross for our sins!

“But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5-6 CSB

“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

Everything was laid on Jesus as He died for us on the cross. In that moment, everything that Jesus did not experience as He walked this earth, He experienced as He hung upon the cross and became sin for us. God laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. All of our sin, loneliness, doubt, suffering, weakness, temptation, frustration, hopelessness, sickness, and everything else known to our human existence was put on Jesus Christ.

Why? So that He could be a faithful High Priest. So that He could understand us in our human frailty. So that He could pay the penalty for our sin in full. So that we could become the righteousness of God, be adopted as His children, and find grace and mercy in our time of need! So that we could have the blessed assurance, during our deepest time of need, that…

Jesus understands!

Heavenly Father, when I am tempted to feel like no one understands, that I am all alone, help me to lift up my eyes and look upon the Cross of Jesus Christ! As I look upon the Cross, remind me of Your great love when You died in my place so that I would never question this important truth…

Jesus, You truly do understand!

In Jesus’ Name!