What makes Jesus worthy of our faith? How can we know that Jesus is trustworthy – enough so that we should stake our eternal destiny in his hands?
These are the kinds of questions the book of Hebrews seeks to answer. The author of Hebrews makes the case for the superiority of Jesus. He shows us that Jesus is greater than the angels, Moses, or any human priest. Jesus has done what no one else could ever do. He offered himself as a once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin. He did this for us. This is why he is worthy of our faith. He died and then conquered death, offering life to all who treasure him supremely. That’s why the author of Hebrews makes this conclusion: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (Hebrews 4:14).
And yet, immediately after reveling in the superiority of Jesu, the author deemed it necessity to address the possible misconception that Jesus was, therefore, too far removed from the needs of his people. Consequently, v. 15 states, “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).
This verse highlights one characteristic of Christ’s role as our Savior: his willingness to enter into the sufferings of his followers. The word for “sympathize” literally means “to suffer along with”. The word was used to describe the feelings of a mother with her children. Jesus’ ability to sympathize with means more than just his ability to feel compassion for our struggles, it includes an active ability to help those who are suffering. This is what makes Jesus such a great Savior – he not only knows experientially the trials of living in a fallen world, he has the power and desire to help us endure those trials.
The take away is this: As a Christian, you can know that Jesus is actively involved in your life. Not just when things are going well, but when they are not going well. Christianity is the only religion that says our God was willing to enter our suffering and experience all of the brokenness of this life. And Christianity is the only religion that says our God has done something about our suffering. In his resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of death. So now we can trust him even in the final moment of our earthly lives. Not even death can take away the eternal life God has given us. And that means Jesus will be with us to strengthen and help us in every situation leading up to that final moment.
Yes, Jesus is worthy of our faith. He is worthy of our devotion, worship, and obedience in the midst of all the ups and downs of life. Because Jesus has promised and guaranteed that he will lead us all the way to our eternal home.
