Does Jesus Know?

Does Jesus Know? by Arthur Schoonveld Scripture Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16 "We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses..." Hebrews 4:15

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.

Jesus 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 Bible puts it, “We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, he has 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, 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; when you do, you will “receive mercy and find grace to help” in your time of need.

Lord Jesus, thank you for understanding how your people feel. Comfort all who grieve and feel empty because of what has happened to them. Let them know in the depth of their being that you empathize completely with them because you have been where they are. Amen.