Hebrews 4:12-16 + Luke 4:1-13—Scripture Study
By Pastor Chris Simmons – Trinity Lutheran Church, Paso Robles CA
A reinforcement/supplement study to our Sunday service meant for “Building up the body of Christ… the manifold Wisdom of God made known” (Ephesians 4+3)
For the Week of February 2, 2025
We pick up where we left off at the beginning of Jesus Ministry, the Start of Something new. From Baptism to 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. It doesn’t really sound like a natural transition at first glance... Jesus went to be baptized, standing in our place at His baptism, so we could stand in His place for ours. His success is our success, even here as He faces temptation. Where Adam and Eve ultimately failed, and we fall short constantly, Jesus succeeds. By Jesus' power, we are given that same Spirit that filled Him, giving Him strength to resist temptation. Not only does Jesus truly understand what we face, He has given us the power to overcome, and the forgiveness for when we do fall short and repent. Blessings on your studies.
—Pastor Chris Simmons
Hebrews 4:12-16
12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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. 16 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.
Discuss: What is something that you’ve done or experienced that few others have? Eaten a spicy pepper, visited/moved from another country, Michael Jordan?
Have you ever told a story to someone and they jumped in saying “oh I know exactly how you feel, I had the same exact thing happen to me.” Well… I don’t think they understand EXACTLY how I feel… even if we’ve had a similar experience, no one really can know “exactly” how you feel in the moment.
12 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. 13 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.
Discuss: “Nothing is hidden from God’s sight.” Do you find that intimidating? Comforting? Possibly both? Why?
Knowing that nothing is hidden from God, even from the depths of our heart as we read in Romans 8:27 “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” on one hand is a scary thought. The things we’ve thought of, motivations, judgements of others, they are all privy to God’s eyes. That is the Law working to convict our hearts… yet where there is Law, there is also Gospel… because here is also an incredible relationship. Where no one on Earth can truly understand how we feel or what we’re going though, here we are assured that God does know.
14 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. 15 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.
Therefore—always an important word throughout Scripture and it appears often in the book of Hebrews. Therefore is the cause or call to action of everything read up to that moment. Since we have a God who knows the depths of our heart, who truly understands how we feel, both good and bad, let us hold firmly to the faith we possess. Hold firmly to God who truly understands and knows what you’re feeling and what you're going through, like no one else on Earth can.
5 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.
Interesting here… the word “empathize”... Yet in other translations of this section. We read “sympathize”:
ESV (English Standard Version) NASB (New American Standard Bible) - “sympathize”
So… which is it? Empathize or sympathize?
Sympathy involves understanding someone's emotions from our perspective and empathy involves feeling their emotions from their perspective.
Discuss: What are some examples of empathy and sympathy? If you need an example… say Little Janey just lost her goldfish… How would you approach it with sympathy? How would you try to empathize with Little Janey?
To make it a bit more complicated… the Greek Word is συμπαθέω- sumpatheó- which looks alot like… sympathy…. It’s meaning - to sympathize, to have compassion, to suffer with. Is it possible. That God can do both sympathy and empathy simultaneously?
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Discussion: Why do you think the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted immediately after his baptism?
God’s wisdom is something we can only seek to understand and never know for certain till we ask Him face to face. There is something to be said of this order though. As we studied with Baptism, Jesus stood in our place at His baptism, so we could be called Children of God; “This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased.”. We now hear those words as Children of God, baptized into Christ. Jesus faces these temptations: “5 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.”
He is tempted in every way as we are… yet without sin.
Each of these temptations through Luke 4 have major ties to Old Testament failure of mankind. A quick overview:
Turn stone into bread—man shall not live on bread alone
Adam and Eve did not trust in the Word of God, the Israelites in the wilderness, people lacked faith in God’s Word when he said He would provide for them and tried to horde manna from heaven Exodus 16:20 “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours. - “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
Adam and Eve lost the authority and glory of being God’s children, when they sought to “be like God” themselves. The Israelites immediately upon leaving Egypt in the Exodus, made themselves an idol, worship things other than God to justify their actions. This occurs time and time again throughout history Ezekiel 33:31 And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain.“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”. - “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, reflecting of the rejection of God’s promises and a misuse of Scripture… Exodus 17:2-3 “Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”... and Numbers 20:11-12 ”Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
What we see overall with these temptations is this… Jesus succeeded where we failed. He felt the same temptations we did and still do today… who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”... relating it directly to Baptism. Where we stand in His place at His Baptism, so He stands in our place at our Baptism. We share in His victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil. We live in this victory of Jesus.
Hebrews 4:16
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.
Discuss: What encouragement does this provide in conjunction with the study on Luke 4? Why should you approach God’s throne of grace with confidence when “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)?
Prayer
Are there things you are ashamed of that you have not brought before God?
Do you hesitate before approaching God at His throne of Grace?
What temptations do you keep falling into that you can’t seem to overcome? Do you carry conviction for them? Guilt? Trying to justify why they are ok?
Do you feel like God understands you? Why or why not?
Lord God, we come before you as sinners in need of your saving grace. We thank you that Jesus has gone before us, as fully man and fully God He overcame where we have failed. Thank you, for knowing even our deepest sin and heaviest burdens, and that you would not leave us to be crushed by them. Instead, you lift our burdens, forgive our sins, and encourage us to come before your throne. You seek a relationship with us, and for that we will be forever grateful. We pray this all in your name Jesus. Amen.