Does Jesus Know?
Scripture Reading — Hebrews 4:14-16
We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. . . .
Shortly after her husband died, my sister said, “I feel so terribly empty. I try to explain it, but no one knows just how I feel.” She had it right. Unless we have lost a spouse, a child, or another person close to us, we cannot really know what it is to lose someone we love. That explains why, in the Old Testament, Job complained that his long-winded friends were “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2).
But according to today’s Bible passage in Hebrews, there is Someone who does understand: the Lord Jesus. He came to earth to live our lives from beginning to end. Born as a human being who dealt with all kinds of struggles and challenges just as we do in life, he identified with us—and much more, because he also gave his life so that we can have new life and be reconciled with God. As Hebrews assures us, we have a high priest who can feel what we feel. As The Message puts it, “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.”
When no one else understands or knows how we feel, the Lord Jesus knows. If you feel alone and misunderstood, come and talk to him. He knows how you feel and what you have gone through. Come to him boldly, with confidence, and tell him exactly how you feel. And when you do, you will “receive mercy and find grace” in your time of need.
Lord Jesus, thank you for understanding how we feel. Comfort all who grieve and feel empty because of what has happened to them. Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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