Mensa Otabil - The Lord Sympathises With Us (10/26/2025)
Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15: For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Jesus is our high priest, but He’s also a Shepherd. The unique thing about Jesus as Shepherd is that He is a Shepherd who became like His sheep. He identified with us; He became a man. He didn’t just live as God, but He became God living with us. He put on flesh, and when He became like us, He identified with us. Jesus lived a life like every ordinary human being. He grew up, had friends, played with people, experienced every human emotion, and went through all the challenges humans face. Yet, the Bible says He did all of that and did not miss one point; He did not miss the mark; He didn’t sin.
So, it’s important when we follow Jesus as a Shepherd to know that He is a Shepherd who understands us. He knows our feelings and appetites. The Lord Jesus Christ did not live on Earth in a bubble, isolated from all the hardships of human life. He didn’t live as a person without feelings and emotions; He lived with the fullness of our humanity. He understood the pressures on the human flesh and the human body, and yet without sin. So, when you’re going through temptations of the flesh, remember Jesus walked where we walked, and yet He was able to overcome. He can help us overcome too.
Additionally, He didn’t just deal with the temptations of the flesh; Jesus also knew how people were. He lived with people; He didn’t live with angels. He lived with His friends and with people who didn’t like Him. He lived with people who loved Him, with enemies, and all kinds of people. The reality of life is that we don’t live with only one group of people. Even in your own family, there may be people who like you and others who don’t really like you. Amongst your friends, there may be those who are loyal to you and those who are not. It’s normal to life; we treat people probably similarly, and Jesus went through all of that. He knew what it is to be betrayed by friends, to be denied, and He understood the human need for vengeance and for hitting back at people. Yet, even when He was being crucified, He forgave people. Jesus experienced the extremes of human commitment: extreme devotion and extreme betrayal, and yet He remained the same. He can also help us live with all the extremes of our human experiences.
Moreover, Jesus understood the pressures of life we have here on Earth. Every one of us faces pressures of life. The pressures of life want you to take a shortcut, to do something very quickly without going through the process. If you follow Jesus, even His mother wanted Him to do something that Jesus was not ready to do at a certain time. His friends wanted Him to do things; His brothers, His neighbors, everybody was putting pressure on Him. The devil also put pressure on Him, tempting Him to do things that were not in the will of God. So, we are going to face pressures to perform, pressures to impress, and pressures to fit in. Jesus went through all of that and yet He overcame those pressures.
So, if in life there is pressure on you to perform, pressure on you to impress, pressure on you to fit in, or pressure on you for people to accept you, Jesus went through all of that and yet He didn’t fall for those pressures. That’s why He’s a good Shepherd; that’s why we can trust Him. He can help us to deal with the desires of the flesh, He can help us with all the challenges we have with relationships, and He can help us with all the challenges we face in fulfilling the expectations of people. May the Lord be your Shepherd in all that you do.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, thank You for sharing in my experiences so I can share in Your strength. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.