"Jesus Deals Gently with Us"

Has someone ever dealt harshly with you? Has there ever come a time where you dealt harshly with others or in an angry manner? Maybe you were treated unfairly by a parent, coach, teacher, or boss. Maybe you have been hurt not only verbally but also physically. We live in a day an age where people are more upset and angry than ever before. We are angry about politics, race, relgion, injustices (how people are treated or not) we are angry about everything. We are angry about little issues and big issues and so the typical response lately has been to lash out, to deal harshly with others who don’t see eye to eye with us. But is this what we see in God’s Word? And how does the Lord respond to those of us who are sinners?

In the Old Testament the high priest would have to minister to nice people who were godly, and who came to offer sacrifices for their sins, but also he would have to be there for those who were ignorant, and people who choose to go wayward. This meant that they choose to deliberately live in a way that went against God’s laws for their lives. We see this happen today when people shake their fist at God and say, “I am going to live how I want to live, in adultery, lying, stealing, blaspheming the name of God.”

An Old Testament Priest could identify with sinners, why??? Because, he himself was a sinner. In fact, as we saw last week, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest first of all had to make a sacrifice for his sins, then for the peoples. We would think that the sinner would have compassion for another sinner, but often times sin has a way of making us selfish. Even, in my own life sin can make me selfish and blind to the hurts of others. If we are not careful what can happen is that sin will harden our hearts and make us way more critical and judgmental of others instead of being more sympathetic with others. Because we are such sinful beings we have a difficult time encouraging, loving, and sympathizing with others. But as we have seen from Hebrews 4:15 Jesus our Great High Priest is able to sympathize with us because He was fully God and yet fully man and came to this earth and yet is without sin. He was and is perfect. God’s Word tells us that our sin hurts the Lord. He does not desire for us to continue in sin.

Romans 6:1-2

Romans 6:1–2 ESV

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

But even in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us and desires for us to come to Him. This is how we see that the Lord can deal gently with us and is able to meet our needs after we sin. When we come to the Lord in confession and repentance He will forgive us and restore us into a right relationship with Him.

As we jump into our text today we begin our time by a little comparison and contrast. I want us to see today that the Great High Priest In Christ is similar and different from the High Priests throughout the Old Testament. (The human form of a high priest.) Verses 1-4 point to the Old Testament high priesthood while verses 5-10 point us to Christ. So let’s begin in verse 1.

Hebrews 5:1 ESV

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

It is clear here from verse 1 that the priests that have been chosen or appointed have come from the lineage of Aaron and not to Christ. Of course, when Christ came to this earth He had to take on blood and flesh, but what the author tells us here is that Aaron and all the high priests that followed after him would offer many gifts and sacrifices to God. The difference between them and Christ is that Jesus, God’s Son offered one sacrifice. It was once and for all.

Hebrews 9:28 ESV

so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

What we see from this verse is that the author is pointing us to the humanity of Christ and what he has done for mankind. The author here is comparing and contrasting Aaron, with a new High Priest who has left the throne of heaven and came to earth in order that he might share the human condition of the people of God. The book of Hebrews here focuses on Christ’s identity with mankind in order to establish a pattern for the incarnation and suffering of the new High Priest. So, I want us to start in verse 2 to see some of the comparisons and contrasts.

Hebrews 5:2 ESV

He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.

As verse 1 comes to an end we see these words “for sins.” The first part of verse 2 introduces us to the first point of comparison and contrast that I want you to see today and it is this.

1. Aaron the high priest was inadequate to truly take care of human sinfulness.

Yes, I believe that there were many high priests including Aaron that at times dealt gently with the sinner. Aaron himself understood what it was like to fall into sin. We are told in Exodus that Aaron while Moses was away made a golden calf for the people to worship. He sinned and his sin grieved God. Aaron understood temptation and was understanding towards others when they sinned. But, the point here that I want you to see is that Aaron had no ability whatsoever to deliver them from sin and remove the barrier that separated sinners from a holy and righteous God.

We are a people who are at times ignorant and have gone away from the Lord. There have been times in my own life where I have chosen the sinful pleasures of this world only to hurt myself. I am a sinner in desperate need of a Savior. In Exodus God’s people willfully went astray and God choose to let them wonder around in the wilderness until they all died off. This may not sound gentle and that is because the Lord does not want us to continue in our sin. He wants us to see it and come running back to Him.

By contrast here, Christ has become the author of eternal salvation, not to those who are going astray and continue to live in sin. But to those who obey him.

Hebrews 5:9 ESV

And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

This is how I believe the Lord deals gently with us. When we come to see how awful our sin truly is, we should have a desire to stop cold in our tracks and confess that to the Lord. From then on we should have a desire to follow the Lord and obey Him. Not perfectly but progressively. The Lord deals gently with us because he forgives us and offers us eternal salvation what a wonderful gift that truly is. A great example for us to see here is in John chapter 4 when Jesus comes to meet the woman at Samaria.

John 4:7–26 ESV

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

The last part of verse 2 now introduces us to the second point of the comparison and contrast that I want you to see between Aaron the High Priest and Christ our new High Priest.

2. Aaron the human high priest was beset with weakness.

Just like we all are! This word beset here can be translated “clothed” or “burdened.” There were many times that the High Priest was clothed in beautiful garment that was made for him. This vestment had precious jewels. But, as we see from verse 3 the high priest had to sacrifice for his own sins as well as the sins of the people. This weakness included his own sinfulness. There were times throughout Scripture where we see just how sinful the priest could be. In 1 Samuel chapter 2-4 we see the story of Eli’s son’s Hophni and Phinehas. Scripture tells us that these men who were priests were worthless. These men were weak and they went astray. Eventually God’s glory departed from Israel. What a sad day!!!

In Contrast, Hebrews points us to the full humanity of Christ, but it never says that Christ himself was clothed or even burdened with weakness, which would include sinfulness. Christ was able to sympathize with our weaknesses and yet he was without sin. Look at verse 8 with me.

Hebrews 5:8 ESV

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. His life here on earth was not determined by sinful weaknesses like those of the human priests. No, Jesus was able to overcome sin and practice godly obedience. Jesus himself was tempted in every way that we are and yet he remained without sin. Aren’t we thankful for what Christ endured for us? Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, a life without sin and then endured the Cross for our sin. What amazing grace this truly is.

Hebrews 5:3 ESV

Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.

Verse three now shows us the third part of the comparison and contrast of the human high priest and Christ our Great High Priest. Both offered sacrifices for sin, as every high priest must do, however the actual role played by the sacrifice in their ministries was very different.

3. Aaron the high priest had to make a sacrifice for his own sin.

The Old Testament was very clear in that we see that the high priest had to make 2 sacrifices. First, he had to make a sacrifice for himself and his house, and then also for the people of Israel. The author here of Hebrews wants us to see and remember that Aaron the high priest would need to offer a sacrifice for his own sin. On Account of his own sin it was necessary for him to do this. Because of this he was obligated to do this. Why??? Because Aaron and all the high priests that followed after him were beset with weakness to sin. They got angry at times, they chose to disobey or whatever sin beset them. My point is this. Clearly, there was evidence of sinfulness with all the high priests and therefore there was an insufficiency.

The contrast here is that Christ’s effective self-giving sacrifice for humanity was sufficient. Jesus Christ was the spotless lamb who came to take away the sin of the world.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 John 3:5 ESV

You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Jesus is sufficient. You don’t need anything else to save you. Call out to him today and know that He will forgive you.

4. A legitimate high priest is not self-appointed, but called by God.

Hebrews 5:4–6 ESV

And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

Every high priest was established by God this included Aaron and the priests that followed after him. They would never self appoint themselves into the office. Just like the priesthood of Aaron, Jesus had a divine call to his office of the Great High Priest. The high priest job was a very dignified job and with it came reverence and honor. Here in verse 5 we see that Christ did not glorify himself or exalt himself, but he was appointed by God the Father. The point here is that God the Father directly addresses the Son and establishes him as High Priest. The saving work of Christ our high priest is everything today church. Without Christ, his life, death, burial and resurrection there can be no gentleness or sympathy because we would all be condemned straight to hell, which we deserve for our sin. But thankfully Christ came and bore our sin, our lies, our anger, our harshness toward others, so that we could have eternal life with Christ forever. Christ is gentle in the fact that He gives us an opportunity to come to Him and experience a new life.

Conclusion: If you are here today and you find yourself running away from God or resisting His plan for your life, I want to encourage you to look to Christ. So often, we look to other things, people, possessions, or even pleasures when Jesus is the one we should turn too.

Why am I encouraging you to look to Christ, because even in my own life I am reminded of the gospel. What Christ has done for me, that instead of condemning me and sending me straight to hell, He has chosen to take on my wrath and punishment. He truly has dealt gently with me beyond what I can really even comprehend. Jesus is our Great High Priest. He is the perfect sinless lamb. He is the King over all other Kings. So, when we really stop too understand and think about Jesus, and fix our heart and mind and soul on Him we see just why we need to look to Christ. If we truly understand Him than we know that Christ is not harsh, mean, angry but GENTLE! He is slow to anger and wrath. The Apostle Peter explains it this way to us.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.