Jesus: Our Compassionate High Priest Through Suffering

 

Summary

In the days of His flesh, Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, demonstrated profound empathy and understanding through His own experiences of suffering and prayer. As we reflect on Hebrews 5:7-10, we see that Jesus, though the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering, becoming the author of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. This passage highlights the dual nature of Christ's priesthood: He is both fully divine and fully human, perfectly suited to intercede on our behalf.

Jesus' humanity is crucial to His role as our High Priest. He was ordained by God, not self-appointed, and His life on earth was marked by prayer and supplication, often accompanied by strong cries and tears. This was not a mere formality; it was a genuine expression of His human needs and His reliance on the Father. His prayers were real, arising from a deep sense of necessity, and they were heard because of His reverent submission.

The intensity of Jesus' prayers, especially in moments like Gethsemane, reveals His deep connection with human suffering. He experienced the full weight of human emotions, including fear and sorrow, yet He remained obedient to the Father's will. This obedience was not automatic; it was learned through the trials He faced, making Him a compassionate and understanding High Priest.

As believers, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus understands our struggles. He has walked the path of suffering and emerged victorious, offering us eternal salvation. His priesthood is eternal, and His salvation is complete, covering all who come to Him in faith and obedience. Jesus' example encourages us to approach God with confidence, knowing that our prayers are heard and that we have a Savior who empathizes with our weaknesses.

Key Takeaways:

- Jesus' humanity is essential to His role as our High Priest. He experienced real human needs and emotions, which He expressed through genuine prayers and supplications. This makes Him perfectly suited to intercede for us, as He understands our struggles intimately. [12:57]

- The intensity of Jesus' prayers, especially in Gethsemane, demonstrates His deep empathy for human suffering. His strong cries and tears show that He fully engaged with the human experience, making Him a compassionate High Priest. [17:27]

- Jesus learned obedience through suffering, highlighting the importance of experiential learning in our spiritual journey. His example teaches us that true obedience is developed through trials and challenges. [33:31]

- Jesus' priesthood is eternal, and His salvation is complete. He offers eternal salvation to all who obey Him, emphasizing the enduring nature of His work and the security it provides for believers. [41:18]

- As believers, we can approach God with confidence, knowing that Jesus empathizes with our weaknesses. His example encourages us to trust in His intercession and to rely on His strength in our times of need. [24:53]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Introduction to Jesus as High Priest
- [01:29] - Jesus' Ordination and Mission
- [02:49] - The Human Side of Jesus' Priesthood
- [03:53] - Jesus' Empathy Through Suffering
- [06:29] - Jesus as Suppliant
- [08:23] - The Days of His Flesh
- [10:18] - Gethsemane: A Day of His Flesh
- [12:57] - Jesus' Real Prayers and Needs
- [17:27] - Intensity of Jesus' Prayers
- [22:38] - Jesus' Understanding in Prayer
- [25:11] - Jesus' Fear and Courage
- [28:48] - Jesus' Success in Prayer
- [30:26] - Jesus as Son and Learner
- [38:42] - Jesus as Savior and Author of Salvation

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Hebrews 5:7-10

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#### Observation Questions

1. What does Hebrews 5:7-10 reveal about the nature of Jesus' prayers during His time on earth? How did He express His human needs? [06:44]

2. According to the sermon, what are the two essential qualities of a high priest, and how does Jesus fulfill these requirements? [00:54]

3. How does the sermon describe the intensity of Jesus' prayers, particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane? What physical manifestations accompanied His prayers? [17:27]

4. What does the sermon say about Jesus' learning process through suffering, and how does this relate to His role as our High Priest? [33:31]

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#### Interpretation Questions

1. How does Jesus' experience of suffering and prayer enhance His ability to empathize with human struggles, according to the sermon? [03:03]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that Jesus' humanity is crucial to His role as our High Priest? How does this impact our relationship with Him? [12:57]

3. The sermon mentions Jesus' obedience learned through suffering. How does this concept challenge or encourage believers in their own spiritual journeys? [33:31]

4. How does the eternal nature of Jesus' priesthood provide security and assurance for believers, as discussed in the sermon? [41:18]

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#### Application Questions

1. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by your own struggles. How can Jesus' example of prayer and reliance on God during His suffering encourage you to approach God with confidence? [24:53]

2. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. Identify a recent challenge in your life. How might this experience be an opportunity for you to learn obedience and grow spiritually? [33:31]

3. The sermon emphasizes Jesus' empathy for human suffering. How can you cultivate empathy in your own life, especially towards those who are struggling? [17:27]

4. Consider the dual nature of Jesus as both divine and human. How does this understanding affect your trust in His intercession and support in your times of need? [12:57]

5. Jesus' prayers were genuine expressions of His needs. How can you make your prayer life more authentic and reflective of your true needs and emotions? [06:44]

6. The sermon highlights the eternal nature of Jesus' salvation. How does this assurance of eternal salvation influence your daily life and decisions? [41:18]

7. Think about a specific area in your life where you struggle with obedience. What steps can you take to follow Jesus' example and learn obedience through your experiences? [33:31]

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus' Humanity and Empathy
Jesus' humanity is essential to His role as our High Priest. He experienced real human needs and emotions, which He expressed through genuine prayers and supplications. This makes Him perfectly suited to intercede for us, as He understands our struggles intimately. Jesus' life on earth was marked by prayer and supplication, often accompanied by strong cries and tears. This was not a mere formality; it was a genuine expression of His human needs and His reliance on the Father. His prayers were real, arising from a deep sense of necessity, and they were heard because of His reverent submission. As believers, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus understands our struggles. He has walked the path of suffering and emerged victorious, offering us eternal salvation. [12:57]

Hebrews 2:17-18 (ESV): "Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Reflection: Think of a specific struggle you are facing today. How does knowing that Jesus understands and empathizes with your situation change the way you approach Him in prayer?


Day 2: Intensity of Jesus' Prayers
The intensity of Jesus' prayers, especially in Gethsemane, demonstrates His deep empathy for human suffering. His strong cries and tears show that He fully engaged with the human experience, making Him a compassionate High Priest. In moments like Gethsemane, Jesus experienced the full weight of human emotions, including fear and sorrow, yet He remained obedient to the Father's will. This obedience was not automatic; it was learned through the trials He faced, making Him a compassionate and understanding High Priest. His example encourages us to approach God with confidence, knowing that our prayers are heard and that we have a Savior who empathizes with our weaknesses. [17:27]

Luke 22:44 (ESV): "And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by emotions. How can you follow Jesus' example of earnest prayer in your current circumstances?


Day 3: Obedience Through Suffering
Jesus learned obedience through suffering, highlighting the importance of experiential learning in our spiritual journey. His example teaches us that true obedience is developed through trials and challenges. Jesus' humanity is crucial to His role as our High Priest. He was ordained by God, not self-appointed, and His life on earth was marked by prayer and supplication. This obedience was not automatic; it was learned through the trials He faced, making Him a compassionate and understanding High Priest. As believers, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus understands our struggles. He has walked the path of suffering and emerged victorious, offering us eternal salvation. [33:31]

1 Peter 4:1-2 (ESV): "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God."

Reflection: Identify a recent challenge you faced. How did it shape your understanding of obedience to God, and what steps can you take to align your will with His?


Day 4: Eternal Priesthood and Salvation
Jesus' priesthood is eternal, and His salvation is complete. He offers eternal salvation to all who obey Him, emphasizing the enduring nature of His work and the security it provides for believers. Jesus, though the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering, becoming the author of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. This passage highlights the dual nature of Christ's priesthood: He is both fully divine and fully human, perfectly suited to intercede on our behalf. His priesthood is eternal, and His salvation is complete, covering all who come to Him in faith and obedience. [41:18]

Hebrews 7:24-25 (ESV): "But he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."

Reflection: Consider the security of your salvation in Christ. How does this assurance impact your daily life and your relationship with God?


Day 5: Confidence in Prayer
As believers, we can approach God with confidence, knowing that Jesus empathizes with our weaknesses. His example encourages us to trust in His intercession and to rely on His strength in our times of need. Jesus' humanity is essential to His role as our High Priest. He experienced real human needs and emotions, which He expressed through genuine prayers and supplications. This makes Him perfectly suited to intercede for us, as He understands our struggles intimately. His priesthood is eternal, and His salvation is complete, covering all who come to Him in faith and obedience. [24:53]

Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV): "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. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to approach God with more confidence? How can you begin to trust in Jesus' intercession for you today?

Quotes

In the days of his flesh, our divine Lord felt his necessities. The words he offered up prayers and supplications prove that he had many needs. Men do not pray and supplicate unless they have greater need than this world can satisfy. Men work for what they can get by working and pray for that which can by no other means be obtained. [00:12:57]

The Savior offered no petitions by way of mere form. His supplications arose out of an urgent sense of his need of heavenly aid. It is difficult to realize it, but so it is that our divine and innocent Savior placed himself in such a condition for our sakes that his needs were manifold. [00:13:59]

The intensity of his prayer was such that our Lord expressed himself in crying and tears. The evangelists do not record his tears, but the Holy Ghost here reveals what human eyes could not have seen. He pleaded with God until his pent-up grief demanded audible utterance, and he began to cry. [00:17:27]

When a man so courageous, so patient as Jesus, betakes himself to cries and tears, we may be sure that the sorrow of his heart has passed all bounds. His soul within him must have been bursting with grief. We know it was so by another sign, for the life blood forgot to course in its usual channels. [00:19:37]

Our Lord learned by suffering mixed with prayer and supplication. His was no unsanctified sorrow. His griefs were baptized in prayer. It cost him cries and tears to learn the lesson of his sufferings. He never suffered without prayer nor prayed without suffering. Supplication and suffering went hand in hand. [00:36:42]

Jesus must needs learn by suffering. As swimming is only to be learned in the water, so is obedience only learned by actually doing and suffering the divine will. Obedience cannot be learned at the university unless it be at the college of experience. You must suffer the commandment to have its way with you. [00:33:31]

The Lord Jesus Christ learned this obedience to perfection. The text speaks of him as being made perfect. As a high priest, he is perfect because he has suffered to the end all that was needful to make him like unto his brethren. He has read the book of obedience quite through. [00:35:31]

He is a Savior and a great one. You are wholly lost, but Jesus is perfectly able to save. You are sore sick, but Jesus is perfectly able to heal. You have gone perhaps to the extreme of sin; he has gone to the extreme of atonement. In every office essential to our salvation, Jesus is perfect. [00:38:42]

Salvation begins with Christ. Salvation is carried on by Christ. Salvation is completed by Christ. If a man is the author of a book and not a mere compiler, it is all his own writing. Salvation has Jesus for its author. Do any of you wish to write a little of the book yourselves? [00:40:00]

Observe that it is eternal salvation. The author of eternal salvation. Jesus does not save us today and leave us to perish tomorrow. He knows what is in man, and so he has prepared nothing less than eternal salvation for man. A salvation which was not eternal would turn out to be no salvation at all. [00:41:18]

Those whom Jesus saved are saved indeed. Man can be the author of temporary salvation, but only he who is a high priest forever can bring in a salvation which endures forever. This reminds us of the word of the prophet: Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation. [00:42:00]

Surely I know that whatsoever the Lord doeth shall be forever. An eternal salvation is worth having, is it not? Jesus does not give us salvation which will let you fall from grace and perish after all, but a salvation which will keep you to the end, though you should live to be as old as Methuselah. [00:42:40]

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Transcript
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