Hebrews 4:14-16
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 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.
Note, Jesus did not EMPATHIZE with our weakness. If He had done that, we all would be done for. But because He sympathized with us, we are saved. He kept one foot on solid ground and then entered into our sin to retrieve us. If He had surrendered the solid ground (empathy), we all would have drowned and no one would be saved.
So Jesus became like us, but not completely, but enough to SYMPATHIZE with us.
Hebrews 2:14-18
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham. 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.
If Jesus had merely shouted advice from His solid ground, we would continue to sink in quicksand... quickly. But because He entered into the quicksand with us to make propitiation for our sin, we can be saved. But only because He entered in without abandoning His solid ground. His help truly helped precisely because He had solid ground to return us to. His solid ground became OUR solid ground because He entered in to our situation without abandoning the only situation which could save us. He entered into in without Himself sinning. He related to sinners without sinning in order to relate. He adopted rebels by bringing us into His family, not by hating His Father along with us in rebellion.
"One last point. Remember that, as I said, the right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not when you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Jesus did not become drunk in order to save drunkards, but He was willing to be accused and killed as a drunkard though He hung there soberly. He did not rebel against God in order to save rebels, but He was willing to be accused of treason and murdered by capital punishment as a traitor though He bled there in obedience, not defiance. He did not become bad in order to save bad people, but He was willing to be accursed as a bad man though He died the only good man the world had ever known.
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