Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
(Heb. 4:14-16, NIV)
Our lives and our work here with the boys are filled with reasons to give up, reasons to let go. Physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, spiritual emptiness, and many more distractions crowd into our hearts, especially during times like the beginning of the summer. The recipients of Hebrews have plenty of temptation to give up as well. They have faced persecution, losing home, family, and monetary and stability because of their commitment to Christ.
Perhaps the most draining aspect of our work and Christian life in general is failure. The demoralizing nature of our mistakes (real or perceived) works against our intent to endure. In fact, we sometimes beat ourselves up so ferociously for our mistakes that we incapacitate ourselves, siphoning the very energy which we would be using to help the boys and, instead of dedicating it to them, punishing ourselves for our mistakes. When our sense of failure mounts like this, it is all the more tempting to give up.
But what the author of Hebrews goes to great lengths to demonstrate is that Jesus has proved himself greater than sin, and greater than the Old Testament covenant, which could not put an end to sin. Rather, we have a high priest who offered himself as a sacrifice, once for good and once for all. That priest is Christ. Having such a priest, the author exhorts us to "hold fast to the faith we profess." The presence of sin, exhaustion, and failure are not the period at the end of the sentence - Jesus serves as our priest so that we can hold on.
Moreover, our priest, Jesus, can identify with our weakness. Not only has Jesus made atonement for us, but he can sympathize with us. He can feel our fatigue in his bones, he can feel our pain in his heart, and he can feel the aches in our muscles. And that empathy means that we have a lifeline. We can approach the throne of grace with boldness because we approach it behind Christ. Even though it feels like we are drowning, we have a lighthouse on the shore because Jesus has felt the water rush over his head before as well.
It is also worth noting that the writer exhorts us to "draw near" to God's throne, not because of what we can do or have done, but because we have a high priest who can sympathize with us. Drawing near to God in worship is always possible, even when we are frazzled and worn out, because it is our priest Jesus who leads us toward God. Our approach is dependent, not our merit, but on Jesus' priesthood.
Our great high priest, Jesus, has been through suffering and has passed through the heavens, so that he is now seated with God. Because of his journey, we are not lost - we have hope yet. This hope is specifically for the "drowning times" and the "exhausted times," so that, as the Scripture says, we that might "receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." As we wade through the overwhelming parts of life, don't forget that our high priest stands as a lighthouse at God's side.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
