The author begins by reminding us that the word of God is alive. The word actively works to convict us of sin, to lead us to repentance, and to teach us how to live in a way that honors the Lord. None of us is perfect, but we have a great high priest who is, and He has sympathy for us because He has lived in the flesh in this broken world. Because of Him, we can approach God for help.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) This verse makes me think of a skilled surgeon. Symbolically speaking, the word of God does a form of exploratory surgery on us. Sometimes we're blind to our own faults, which is why David said to the Lord, "But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults." (Psalm 19:12) A lot of times we easily recognize the more obvious sin in our lives, although it's possible to willfully ignore it, but we don't always recognize the less obvious sin. The word of God reveals these things to us so that we can be healed of faults we didn't even know we had. Like a surgeon who has to go inside the body to find and get rid of whatever is causing pain, the word of God has to go into the heart and mind to find and get rid of whatever is hurting us.
Thankfully, He knows exactly how to help us. He is going to find whatever is hurting us so we can get it out into the open and deal with it. "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)
Because Christ intercedes for us in His office of high priest, we don't have to be afraid of going to God to ask for help and forgiveness. Jesus, like the high priests of the Old Testament, lived in the flesh. He knows the things we face in our daily lives. He knows how weak our mortal bodies are and how fearful our minds are and how much strength it takes to stand firm against temptation. Although He Himself never sinned, He understands how and why we end up giving in, so His intercession for us is mixed with the utmost sympathy. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are---yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Lest we say to ourselves, "Well, Jesus is God, so it was easy for Him not to sin," we need to stop and consider that Jesus was tempted more than anyone else who has ever lived. If Satan wants to derail God's plans for our lives, how much more must he have wanted to derail God's plan for Jesus' life? Everything past, present, and future hinged on whether or not Jesus perfectly fulfilled His purpose in life. This was the devil's one shot at destroying the plans of the One he hates most. If he could entice Jesus to vary in any way from the task set for Him, God's plan of salvation would fall apart. Mankind would be without hope. Satan had to go big or go home, so he threw everything he had at Jesus. We will never be able to imagine the enormous strain our Lord was under while He walked this earth as a man. I can't even get through the day without sinning, but Jesus withstood an attack of all the powers of hell. So yes, He sympathizes with us. He sympathizes with us in a way no one else can, and because of this He is a perfect great high priest for us. No one can intercede for us with the Father like He can. Because He is standing at our side to put on a defense for us, we can confidently approach God's throne with our regrets, with our needs, and with our pleas for help.
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