Scripture Reading : Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10
Theme : Superiority of Jesus Christ over Levitical Priests I
Progressing from Moses to the Sabbath, the sign of the Mosaic Covenant, the author of Hebrews continues to show that Jesus is superior compared to the levitical priesthood in the Mosaic Law.
- Sympathizes with our weakness. Jesus was “tempted as we are” “in every respect” (4:15), enabling Him to identify fully with sinners. And it was because He identified fully with sinners that He went through baptism by John the Baptist, even though He had no need to be baptized (Matthew 3:13-15). Some theologians argue that since Jesus is God and He cannot sin, He cannot understand the struggles that sinners face on a daily basis. Nothing is further from the truth, since the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was tempted in every way, and He sympathizes with our weaknesses.
- Even though Jesus was tempted “in every respect”, He did not sin. Again, some theologians argue that since Jesus is God, He could not possibly have sinned, and so His temptation is only symbolic. This is definitely not what the Bible teaches. It is actually harder for a perfect person to resist temptation than for a fallen sinner to resist temptation. Therefore, for Jesus to be tempted in every way and still remain sinless is really an achievement that gives Him full and complete victory over sin.
- Source of salvation. Jesus is God and He is the One who saves. Jesus was “made perfect”, referring to His obedience despite being tempted. It does not refer to Jesus as a created being (He is eternally God, the Creator), nor does it refer to Jesus’ imperfection that needed any correction.
Praying the Scripture
- Many people like to use the argument, “I had no choice.” It becomes a convenient excuse to sin. However, the Bible tells us that Jesus resisted temptation in every way, and we as His followers must imitate Him. Let us pray that God help us to resist temptation to sin.
- Because Jesus remained sinless even though He was tempted in every way, He achieved complete and full victory over sin. Let us thank God that He has the power to overcome sin, and pray that He will help us live holy lives.
- Jesus alone is the unblemished “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Pray that we will trust Him fully to take away our sin, because Jesus is the “source of eternal salvation.”
经文：希伯来书4:14 – 5:10
主题：耶稣基督超过利未祭司（一）
希伯来书作者已从摩西论到安息日，即摩西之约的迹象。他继续表明在摩西律法中，耶稣是超过利未祭司的职分的。
- 祂体恤我们的软弱。耶稣“也曾凡事受过试探，与我们一样”（4:15），所以祂能完全与罪人感同身受。正因如此，虽然祂不需要受洗礼，祂仍到施洗约翰那里受他的洗（太3:13-15）。有些神学家认为既然耶稣是神，不能犯罪，祂就无法了解罪人每日所面对的挣扎。然而，事实并非如此，因为圣经清楚教导耶稣也曾凡事受试探，而祂能体恤我们的软弱。
- 无罪。虽然耶稣凡事受过试探，但祂没有犯罪。有些神学家也说既然耶稣是神，祂就不可能犯罪，所以祂的试探只不过是象征性的。这绝对不是圣经所教导的。实际上，一个完全人抵挡试探比一个堕落的罪人抵挡试探还要难。因此，耶稣竟然凡事受过试探，但仍然无瑕疵，这可真是一大成就，使祂完完全全地胜过罪恶。
- 得救根源。耶稣是神，也是拯救者。耶稣“得以完全”，也就是祂虽然受试探，但仍顺服神。那并不表示耶稣是被造的（祂永远是神，是造物主），或者是耶稣是不完美的，需要更正。
用经文祷告
- “我没有选择。”——这是许多人爱用的话，也成为了犯罪的借口。可是，圣经告诉我们耶稣凡事抵挡试探，而身为跟从祂的人，我们必须效法耶稣。让我们求神帮助我们抵挡犯罪的试探。
- 耶稣虽然凡事受过试探，但祂没有犯罪，所以能完完全全地胜过罪恶。让我们为耶稣有胜过罪恶的能力感谢神，并求神帮助我们过圣洁的生活。
- 唯有耶稣是那无瑕疵之“神的羔羊”，是“除去世人罪孽的”（约1:29）。求我们能完全信靠祂除去我们的罪孽，因为耶稣是那“永远得救的根源”。
