Hebrews 4:15
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
The author of Hebrews wrote to Jewish Christians familiar with the Levitical priesthood, where high priests offered sacrifices for their own sins before interceding for the people (Hebrews 5:3). These earthly priests shared the people's moral failures, creating solidarity through common sinfulness but also compromising their mediatorial effectiveness. In contrast, Christ's priesthood according to Melchizedek's order (Hebrews 5:6, 7:1-28) combines genuine humanity with absolute sinlessness. The incarnation narratives (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) demonstrate Christ's authentic temptation—He experienced hunger, weariness, emotional distress, and satanic assault. The Gethsemane agony (Matthew 26:36-46) reveals the intensity of His human struggle, sweating blood under the weight of impending crucifixion while perfectly submitting to the Father's will. For first-century Jewish Christians facing persecution, this verse provided profound comfort—their High Priest knew experientially what they suffered and could intercede effectively because He had walked the same path without stumbling. Unlike earthly priests who might be callous or compromised, Christ combines perfect sympathy with perfect holiness.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Christ's sinlessness enhance rather than diminish His ability to sympathize with our temptations?
- What comfort does this verse provide when facing temptation or weakness that seems overwhelming?
- In what ways does understanding Christ's full humanity affect your confidence in approaching Him?
- Why is it essential that our High Priest experienced 'all points' of temptation rather than just some?
- How should Christ's sympathetic high priesthood shape the way we pray during trials?
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Analysis & Commentary
This verse presents Christ's perfect qualification as High Priest through His genuine humanity and sympathetic understanding. The Greek construction 'ou gar echomen' (οὐ γὰ ρ ἔχομεν, 'for we have not') establishes a negation that is immediately reversed—we do not have an unsympathetic High Priest, but rather one who fully understands our weaknesses. The word 'sumpathēsai' (συμπαθῆσαι, 'be touched with the feeling' or 'sympathize') means to suffer together with, indicating Christ's experiential knowledge of human struggle rather than mere intellectual awareness. 'Astheneias' (ἀσθενείας, 'infirmities') encompasses not just sickness but all human weaknesses, limitations, temptations, and trials inherent in embodied existence. The phrase 'pepeirasmenos kata panta' (πεπειρασμένος κατὰ πάντα, 'tempted in all points') uses the perfect tense to indicate that Christ's testing was thorough and complete, covering every category of human temptation. The crucial qualifier 'chōris hamartias' (χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας, 'without sin') distinguishes Christ from fallen humanity—He experienced genuine temptation's full force yet never yielded, maintaining perfect holiness. This sinlessness paradoxically qualifies rather than disqualifies Him from sympathy, for only one who resisted every temptation to the uttermost understands its full weight.