“He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” – Hebrews 5:2
In this verse, the writer of Hebrews speaks of the ability of a human high priest to care for, nurture, gently admonish, guide, help, and direct people in their foolishness, ignorance, and sin because he too experiences the weaknesses, indignities, embarrassments, and temptations of life. The point he’s making is how much more and better will Jesus deal with each of us as our Great High Priest!!!
Jesus truly is our Great High Priest. He intercedes on our behalf with God the Father. However, but He isn’t some distant, unconcerned, abstract power. Jesus took on a human body and human nature so He could fully understand us from firsthand experiences. At times, He was hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, and tired. During His life, He was tempted powerfully and relentlessly. He experienced the temptations that come from deprivation and the temptations that come from fame, success, and popularity. He experienced the temptations that come from loneliness, from suffering, and from betrayal. He experienced the temptations to speed things up and the temptations to run from His destiny.
Jesus understands all the trials, temptations, indignities, struggles, aches, and pains you’re going through. Because He understands, He’ll always deal gently with you when you mess up, when you go astray, when you act in foolish ignorance, when you find yourself in a place you never should have gotten.
Jesus will certainly be firm about what He expects of you, but He’ll also be tender, loving, and kind in that firmness. Jesus understands what you’re going through. He understands how you got to wherever you got. He isn’t going to reject you simply for being there. He’s always ready to guide you out of that place and onto the path of truly following Him. You’ll never be too far gone for His kind love, care, and willingness to hear your confession while offering gentle forgiveness and correction. Never let shame, guilt, pride, or stubbornness keep you from seeking the gentle correction of Jesus!