In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
As a part of the author of Hebrew’s attempt to communicate the ability of Christ to sympathize with us, he refers back to a powerful time of the ministry of Jesus: His pleas in the Garden of Gethsemane.*
If you recall, Jesus came to the Garden of Gethsemane right before being taken to the cross. During this time, Jesus leaned on his disciples for help (something He had never done before) as His soul was in anguish.* Crying out to God under the weight of the prospect of the shame, guilt, and despair that sin brings, Christ began His suffering for us.* Through pleas for another way and sweat like drops of blood, Jesus asked His Father for another way.*
It was this suffering obedience that allowed Christ to experience the fullness of the cost of obedience.* It was this suffering obedience that allowed Christ to complete (or make perfect) His work here on earth.* It was this suffering obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane that ushered in the opportunity for the suffering of the cross that frees us all from the penalty of sin.
It’s profound that in attempting to communicate the ability of Christ to sympathize with us, the author of Hebrews recalls a moment of obedience to God that involves forgiveness.
How many of us have suffered the consequences of the sin of someone else and found ourselves struggling with forgiveness? How many of us have refused to extend our forgiveness because of the intensity of the pain? How many of us have held onto our bitterness and hurt by withholding our forgiveness so as to protect ourselves from future hurt? Jesus understands.
Christ understands how hard it is to want to escape the hurt that the sins of others brings. Christ understands the difficult submission required to forgive. Christ understands the suffering involved in processing the pain of forgiveness.
Christ also understands the powerful victory, freedom, and release of resurrection.
Though Christ Jesus asked His Father for another way, ultimately Jesus submitted: “not my will, but Your will be done.” The will of the Father was not for Christ to suffer for suffering’s sake; the will of the Father was not so that Jesus would endure the consequences of others’ sin for the experience of pain. God the Father willed that Jesus deal with the consequences of our sin so that He could resurrect and we all could experience freedom.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply. Perhaps you have been attempting to avoid the consequences of someone else’s sin, but you have been unsuccessful. Maybe today God wants you to release them to Him so that the part of you that has been dead can be resurrected. Perhaps today God wants you to know that He understands how badly you hurt and He cares.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Stedman, R. C. (1992). Hebrews (Heb 5:14-16). IVP Academic.
Grindheim, S. (2023). The Letter to the Hebrews (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 271–274). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
France, R. T. (2006). Hebrews. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews–Revelation (Revised Edition) (Vol. 13, p. 73). Zondervan.
Guthrie, G. (1998). Hebrews (p. 176–180). Zondervan Publishing House.