JESUS UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE GO THROUGH

Proclamation:

“For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:16-18 (NIV)

Explanation:

The human author of The Bible Book of Hebrews is unknown.  Some Bible scholars attribute it to the Apostle Paul, although the second sentence in chapter two, verse three, seems to preclude this.  However, it was clearly written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The author states that Jesus shared humanity with us so that by His death He could break the power of him who holds the power of death, the devil, and free all who were held in captivity by the fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)  By putting on humanity, Jesus could feel what we feel and deal with the same things that we deal with.  He could help those who were tempted but did not give in to it.  However, because He did not sin when He was tempted, He was able to be the perfect, sin free sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world.

Application:

When we are tempted or suffer, and pray to The Lord for help with our burdens, we know that He understands what we are going through. He will be merciful to us because He loves us and He has been through similar situations.  Jesus, The Son of God, took on human form, put on flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1 and 14)  Jesus endured rejection by family and friends.  He was talked about and lied upon. He had loved ones close to Him to die.  He was tempted and He suffered physically.  He went through what we go through, so He can empathize and not just sympathize with us.  He truly understands.  He can feel our pains.  Jesus is the only one who is truly qualified to have mercy on us and to forgive us of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions.  So, no matter what it is that you are dealing with, pray, take it to Him, He will understand and answer your prayer.  As the old hymn says, "Take you burdens to The Lord and leave it there ... If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.  Take your burdens to The Lord and leave it there."