“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Hebrews 4:15
November 6, 2026
Have you wanted sympathy or have you offered sympathy to anyone recently? Your thought may go back to your mother when you were stay-at-home sick. A grape popsicle during a fever comes to mind. But let’s move it to the greatest possible sympathy possible. The writer of Hebrews wants his readers to know that because of Jesus’ exalted position in heaven this does not mean He is remote and indifferent to our weaknesses. The Savior delights in providing help to those who are helpless. He knows all about our struggles because He lived as one who experienced pain and suffering. Dangers, sorrows, sickness, limitations, all kinds of frailties which are often the occasion for sin were no strangers to Jesus. But He never sinned. He experienced temptation to the full since He never yielded before its full force was spent. Jesus had a direct confrontation with Satan Himself and overcame the evil one. Therefore, we have a Savior who knows us, loves us, and cares deeply about us. Find comfort in the perfect sympathy of Jesus in all our miseries. The fuel of genuine sympathy is the encouragement God gives to His people.
H
Reflect:
How can you be encouraged by God and encourage others at this dark time in our nation?