December 9

Tempted in Every Way

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ––Hebrews 4:15-16

I admit that I have mixed feelings about the fact that Jesus was tempted in every way. I mean, we know He was sinless, so did He really struggle with temptation just like us mere mortals? In other words, wasn’t it a forgone conclusion that as someone who was fully man and fully God, that He was destined to live a perfect, sinless life? Like many things with our faith, we have 2,000 years of biblical study and scholarship to affirm the divinity of Jesus. However, there is no doubt that He went through hard stuff and suffered just like us:

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.––Isaiah 53:3

Then [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. … My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  ––Matthew 26:38-39

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  ––Hebrews 2:17-18

Have you ever had a boss who said the right words but didn’t back it up with actions? (Perhaps while everyone else was pinching pennies due to pay cuts, he was in Hawaii on vacation.) Jesus wasn’t that. His humanity was real; His suffering was real. When He was cut, He bled. Man of God, through His “fully man-ness” we have a High Priest who is relatable. In today’s lingo, He was down to earth. We cheapen His humanity when we devalue or under-appreciate how much He suffered, and in doing so, we also cheapen the grace He won on our behalf on the Cross.

Know that Jesus was a man just like you, and let this again sink in: “We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). I don’t know about you, but I cherish the fact that Jesus felt what I feel, was tempted the way I’m tempted, and was victorious. What a role model! What an example!

Father, thank You that Jesus came down to my level, and made Himself so very relatable. But most of all, thank You for His example that a victorious life is possible!