Commentary - Hebrews 4:14-16

Bird's-eye view

This brief but potent passage serves as a crucial hinge in the book of Hebrews. Having warned his readers about the peril of unbelief by pointing to the generation that fell in the wilderness, the author now pivots back to the magnificent solution to our weakness and unbelief: the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. This is the great encouragement that prevents us from falling away. The argument is both majestic and deeply personal. Majestically, our High Priest is none other than the Son of God who has ascended far above the created order. Personally, this same exalted Priest is one who can sympathize intimately with our every weakness, having been tempted in precisely the same ways we are. The conclusion, therefore, is not one of fear but of confident access. Because of who Jesus is and what He has done, the throne of God is not a place of terror and judgment for the believer, but a throne of grace, a place where we can run for mercy and find help in our constant state of need.

In essence, these three verses encapsulate the gospel. We have a problem: weakness, temptation, and a proneness to wander. We have a provision: a great High Priest who is both divine and human, exalted and empathetic. And we have an invitation: to draw near with boldness. This passage is the foundation for the Christian's confidence, not in himself, but in his perfect representative who stands before the Father on his behalf.

Outline

Context In Hebrews

The author of Hebrews is writing to a community of Jewish Christians who are feeling the pressure to abandon their confession of Jesus and return to the familiar rituals of the old covenant. Throughout the letter, he argues for the supremacy of Christ over every aspect of the old system: He is superior to the prophets, superior to the angels, and superior to Moses. In chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4, he draws a sharp parallel between his readers and the Israelites in the wilderness. Just as they failed to enter God's rest because of unbelief, so too his readers are in danger of the same. This warning reaches a crescendo in 4:11-13, with the sobering reality of God's living and active word that exposes every heart. It is right on the heels of this stern warning that he introduces verses 14-16. This is not a jarring shift in tone, but a pastoral masterstroke. After showing them the danger, he immediately shows them the refuge. The high priesthood of Jesus is the central theme of the book, and this section serves as the introduction to the lengthy exposition of that priesthood in chapters 5-10. It provides the anchor for their souls, lest they drift away.

Key Issues

Our Man in Heaven

The central comfort of the Christian faith is that we have a representative, a champion, who has gone before us into the very presence of God. The Old Testament high priest would go into the Holy of Holies once a year, a place curtained off from the people, and he would do so with fear and trembling. He was a frail, sinful man representing other frail, sinful people. But our High Priest is of an entirely different order. He is not just a man; He is the God-man. And He has not gone into a tent made with hands, but has passed clean through the heavens. He is not behind a curtain; He is on the throne. This is the basis of our stability. We are commanded to hold fast to our confession precisely because the one we confess is holding fast to us from the control room of the universe. His position is our security. His sympathy is our comfort. His invitation is our life.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us take hold of our confession.

The word Therefore links this glorious encouragement directly to the preceding warning. Because the Word of God is sharp and discerning, and because we must all give an account, we are in desperate need of a mediator. And what a mediator we have. He is a great high priest. The Aaronic priests were high priests, but Jesus is a great one, setting Him apart in a superior category. His greatness is demonstrated by His location: He has passed through the heavens. The Jewish high priest passed through the veil into the Holy of Holies, which was a copy of the true. But Jesus has passed through the heavens themselves, not just into the sky, but through the created order to the very throne of God. He is not contained within the system; He is Lord of it. His identity is then stated plainly: He is Jesus the Son of God. He is Jesus, the historical man who walked among us, and He is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Because of this unshakeable reality, the application is straightforward: let us take hold of our confession. To "take hold" or "hold fast" is a command to persevere. Our grip on the gospel is not a grim, white-knuckled affair based on our own strength. We hold fast because we are held fast by this great High Priest.

15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet without sin.

Here the author anticipates a potential misunderstanding. We hear that our priest is the great Son of God who has passed through the heavens, and we might think He is too remote, too exalted, too holy to understand our grubby little struggles. The text corrects this immediately with a strong negative: we do not have a priest who is aloof and unfeeling. The word sympathize means to "suffer with." He feels our weaknesses with us. And how can He do this? Because He has been there. He was tempted in all things like we are. This is a staggering claim. It means that the entire range of human temptation was thrown at Him. He knew the pull of the flesh, the lure of worldly glory, and the direct assaults of the devil. He experienced the full force of temptation in a way we never will, because we usually give in before the temptation has spent its full power. He took the whole hurricane; we surrender to the first gust. But there is a crucial distinction, the glorious qualifier: yet without sin. He was tempted in every way, but He never once yielded. Not in thought, not in word, not in deed. His temptations were real, but His holiness was perfect. This is what makes Him the perfect priest: He is able to sympathize because He is human, and He is able to save because He is sinless.

16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This final verse is the grand conclusion and application of the previous two. Another Therefore. Because our Priest is both great and sympathetic, the logical response is not to shrink back in fear but to draw near with confidence. The word for confidence is parrhesia, which means boldness, freedom of speech, a frankness that comes from being accepted. We are not crawling into the throne room; we are invited to walk in. And notice the destination. For the unbeliever, the throne of God is a throne of judgment. But for those in Christ, it has been transformed into a throne of grace. It is the place where God dispenses His unmerited favor. And what do we find there? Two things that we desperately and constantly need. We receive mercy. Mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve for our past sins. It is pardon. And we find grace to help in time of need. Grace is getting the power we do not deserve to face our present and future struggles. Mercy deals with the guilt of sin; grace deals with the power of sin. And notice when we find this help: in time of need. For the Christian, that is always. We are always in a time of need, and so the throne of grace is always open.

Application

This passage is a direct assault on two opposite errors that plague the Christian life. The first is the error of presumption. This is the Christian who thinks of his sin lightly, who treats the grace of God as a cheap excuse for lazy living. To him, this passage says our High Priest is the holy Son of God, and we are to hold fast our confession, not let it go slack. The second error is the error of despair. This is the Christian who is so beaten down by his own weakness and repeated failures that he feels he has no right to approach God. He feels like an intruder in the throne room. To him, this passage is a lifeline. It says that your High Priest knows exactly what you are going through. Your weakness is the very thing that qualifies you to come, because He is a Priest who sympathizes with weakness. Your sin does not disqualify you, because He is a Priest who provides mercy for sin.

The practical application is therefore to come. When you have sinned, do not run away from God in shame; run to the throne of grace for mercy. When you are tempted and feel weak, do not try to fight it in your own strength; run to the throne of grace to find help. Our confidence is not in our performance, but in our Priest. He has already done everything necessary. The way is open. The invitation is given. The help is waiting. Therefore, let us draw near.