Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
— Hebrews 5:2
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
— Isaiah 53:4-5
Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
— Hebrews 2:17-18
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
— Hebrews 7:26-27
Christ’s Heart is Touched with the Feeling of Our Infirmities, by Thomas Goodwin. The following contains the third chapter of Part Two of his work, “The Heart of Christ in Heaven Towards Sinners on Earth.”
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
— Hebrews 4:15
To clarify how this should be understood, namely that Christ’s heart is moved by the experience of our weaknesses, and how our weaknesses find their way into his heart.
I. After providing extensive evidence and demonstrations of the compassion and similarity of Christ’s heart towards us, both in his present state in heaven and during his time on earth, through external (in the first part) and internal (in the second part) factors, I now turn to the final point that I introduced at the beginning of these discussions. This pertains to the manner in which Christ is affected with pity towards us—how we are to comprehend it and how such emotions find their way into his heart, leading to these compassionate sentiments towards us. I indicated at the start of the second part that this needed to be addressed, as it is essential for understanding and clarifying the words of the text, which primarily convey this idea, and for elucidating the matter at hand. As I previously explained, these words anticipate and address an objection that may arise, suggesting that Christ’s heavenly state may not be capable of such affections that would tenderly move him to pity and compassion, given his glorified state in both soul and body. Because this thought could naturally arise in the minds of many, the apostle preempts it by affirming the opposite: “We have not a high priest who is unable to sympathise,” meaning that he is both able and capable of such empathy, and moreover, he is indeed moved by it despite his glory. The apostle supports this affirmation by explaining the reason behind it, namely, that “he was tempted in every way as we are,” as stated in Hebrews 4:15.
Now, in the process of addressing and elucidating these matters, which present considerable challenges, I will cautiously proceed to uncover the nature of Christ’s affection in this regard, taking careful steps to gradually unveil it.
1. This feeling of compassion, or his being “touched with the feeling of our infirmities,” is not to be completely understood in a metaphorical or figurative sense, as the expressions used for God in the Old Testament are to be understood when bowels of compassion are attributed to Him, or when it is said that His bowels are “rolled together,” or when it is stated that God repented and was afflicted in all His people’s afflictions. These expressions were used for God (as we all know) merely in the manner of men, to convey and represent to our understanding the affections that parents or friends typically have in certain cases (which provoke them to specific actions), and to show that similar effects proceed from God towards us when He sees us in distress. So, these expressions are spoken more in terms of effect rather than actual emotions in God’s heart, as He is not capable of such passions. Now, to properly understand this, the first thing I affirm is that what is being spoken of Christ here is not to be understood merely in that sense, and my reason for this is based on two considerations.
First, this affection towards us that is mentioned here is clearly referring to His human nature and not His divinity alone, as it is spoken of the nature in which He was once tempted as we are now. This is expressly stated in the following words, which can only refer to His human nature.
Secondly, those kinds of expressions that were used for God before the assumption of our nature, which were only metaphorical and figurative,”after the manner of men,” should not be spoken of Christ and His assumed human nature in any further or more real and proper sense. When He is as truly and properly a man as we are, I cannot imagine why this should be the case, especially when considering the previous point that one of the purposes of Christ taking on human nature was “that he might be a merciful high priest forever” in a way that He, being solely God, could not have been. I confess that I have often wondered at the expression used there,”He took the seed of Abraham, that he might be made a merciful high priest” (Hebrews 2:16-17), which initially sounded as if God had become more merciful by taking on our nature. However, this wonder is resolved by understanding that this assumption added a new way for God to be merciful, through which it can now be said, for the comfort and assurance of our faith, that God is truly and genuinely merciful, just like a man. Considering this contributes to the clarification of the matter at hand. Whereas God, in His inherent blessedness and perfection, could not have been moved by the slightest feeling of our weaknesses, and He was not capable of the affection of pity or compassion Himself (“He is not like a man, that he should pity or repent” – 1 Samuel 15:29), He can indeed do for us in our distress what a compassionate person would do. However, He is not capable of experiencing those affections and emotions Himself. Therefore, among other reasons for assuming human nature, this purpose emerged before God: that God might become loving and merciful towards human beings, just as one person is to another. As a result, what was previously expressed in an improper and figurative manner in the Old Testament to convey it to our understanding can now be truly attributed to Him in reality. God can forever be said to be compassionate as a man and to be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses as a man. Through this blessed union of both natures, the language of the Old Testament, previously expressed only in symbolic terms, becomes confirmed and fulfilled in its truth, just as all other shadows were fulfilled in Christ. This is the initial step towards understanding what is said of Christ here, based on this comparison with similar attributes ascribed to God Himself.
2. Another step to help us understand this is through a further comparison with angels and their affections of love and pity, which are certainly present in them. In comparison to them, the affections in Christ’s glorified human nature must necessarily be even more similar to ours, even more tender and human. In Hebrews 2:16, it is explicitly stated,”For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.” Part of the purpose of these words is to show and provide the reason not only for why he took on our nature in frail flesh, as the apostle mentioned in Hebrews 2:14, but also why he took on a human nature in substance, and not the nature of angels. The reason is that in his affections of mercy, he wanted to be forever closer to us and have such affections of the same kind as ours. In other aspects, an angel would have been a higher and more glorious high priest than a man.
Now, while angels are fellow servants with us, as an angel referred to himself in Revelation 22:9, their affections towards us are more akin to ours than God’s, and they are more capable of being moved by our miseries. Although they are spirits, they possess something analogous or resembling the affections of pity and grief that we have. In fact, to the extent that these affections reside in our souls and are not overwhelmed by bodily passions, to which our souls are connected, they are the very same kind of affections that exist in angels. That’s why the same desires that are in humans are said to be in devils (John 8:44), and the devils are also said to fear and tremble. Conversely, the same affections that are in humans, in their spiritual aspect where the spirit or soul is the seat of these affections, must necessarily be found in the good angels. However, since Christ has a human nature that is of the same substance as ours, consisting of both soul and body, although made spiritual through glory, yet not becoming a spirit (“A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have,” said Christ of himself after his resurrection – Luke 24:39), he must inevitably have affections towards us that are even more similar to ours than those of the angels. Therefore, through these two steps, we establish two things: that even in Christ’s glorified human nature, affections of pity and compassion are genuine and not metaphorical attributions to him as they are to God, and that these affections are closer and more akin to ours than those in angels. They are affections proper to human nature, truly human. And he would have had these affections even if this human nature had been as glorious from the very moment of its assumption as it is now in heaven.
3. Now, thirdly, consider this: God ordained that before Christ adorned his human nature with the glory he possesses in heaven and bestowed that glory upon it, he should take on that nature already burdened with all our infirmities, even the very same that afflict us, and live in this world just as we do for many years. Throughout that time, God arranged for him to endure all sorts of afflictions and miseries that we ourselves encounter. During that period, he experienced and became accustomed to the same sorrows that we do, and God allowed him to bear the vulnerability and sensitivity of spirit that enables him to empathise deeply with all our distresses (without sin) and to exhibit the very same emotions under such distresses that we often feel in our own hearts. God orchestrated this on purpose, in order to prepare and shape his heart, when he would be in glory, to possess the kind of affections described in the text. This is suggested by both this text and the previously mentioned passage in Hebrews 2:14, which states,”Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood,” a phrase that always denotes the frailties of human nature, as in 1 Corinthians 15:50, “He himself shared in the same…that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest” (Hebrews 2:17). The apostle then provides the reason for this in Hebrews 2:18,”For in that he himself has suffered, being tempted, he is able”—this ability, as previously explained, means having a heart that is equipped and enabled, through personal experience, to show compassion—”to aid those who are tempted.” What this means is that it is not merely the act of assuming a human nature, even if it were glorious from the beginning, that would fully equip him to be genuinely compassionate through personal experience. Although, as mentioned earlier, his knowledge of our miseries acquired through taking on our nature would indeed make him truly and genuinely compassionate towards us, with affections that are human and befitting a man, much closer and similar to ours than those of the angels themselves, or even those ascribed to God when he is said to pity us. However, what truly completes this preparation of his heart is his initial assumption of our nature, already clothed in frailties, and his living in this world just as we do. This experience forever enables him to intimately understand our hearts and innermost beings. It goes beyond mere knowledge of our distress and the ability to feel a human affection towards someone of his own kind; it is a personal, experiential recollection of similar afflictions within himself.
And the text itself also suggests how our miseries penetrate his heart more deeply now that he is in heaven. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). To provide further comfort in this matter, note how comprehensively the apostle speaks of Christ’s temptations during his time on earth. First, in terms of the variety of temptations, he says he was tempted “in all points,” encompassing every kind of trial and challenge that we experience. Second, he emphasises the manner of his temptations by stating that they were “like as we are.” His heart was affected, wounded, pierced, and distressed in the very same way as ours is in such trials, yet he remained without sin. God purposely allowed all his affections to remain tender and acutely sensitive to evil. Christ, therefore, took to heart everything that happened to him with utmost intensity; he did not disregard any cross, whether it came from God or from people, but fully experienced the weight of it. His heart was even more tender in all aspects of affection than any of ours, particularly in love and compassion. This is why he is described as “a man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3) more than any other person ever was or will be.
Now, to explain how our miseries reach his heart and elicit such genuine affections of pity and compassion in him, it is not difficult to comprehend based on what has been discussed thus far and what the text hints at.
(1.) His understanding and knowledge, as part of his human nature, are aware of all the experiences that befall his followers here on earth. The text makes this clear, for the apostle states it to encourage us, affirming that “Christ is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” This would not provide relief if it did not imply that he has a specific and comprehensive knowledge of them. If he did not know all our experiences, we would lack solace since we would not know which ones he knows and which ones he does not. The apostle affirms this concerning his human nature, as mentioned before, as he speaks of the nature that was tempted during his earthly sojourn. Therefore, in Revelation 5:6, he is referred to as the “Lamb who had been slain” and as “the man Christ Jesus,” having “seven eyes” alongside “seven horns.” These seven eyes represent the “seven spirits sent out into all the earth.” Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, his eyes of providence are present throughout the world, observing all that occurs under the sun. Similarly, he is depicted with seven horns denoting power and seven eyes representing knowledge. Both qualities are described as seven to signify their perfection and all-encompassing scope. Just as “all power in heaven and earth” is entrusted to him as the Son of Man, as stated in Scripture (Matthew 28:18), so he possesses complete knowledge of all things in heaven and earth, also as the Son of Man. His knowledge and power extend equally. He is the sun, not only in terms of righteousness but also in terms of knowledge, and nothing is hidden from his penetrating light and beams, which illuminate the darkest recesses of human hearts. He knows the wounds and distresses within their hearts. Just as a round mirror placed in the center of a room reflects all that occurs within it simultaneously, the expanded understanding of Christ’s human nature encompasses the affairs of the world he governs, particularly the sufferings of his followers, all at once.
(2.) His human nature possesses knowledge of all things—”I know your deeds, your toil, and your patient endurance” (Revelation 2:2)—and along with that, an act of memory. He recalls how he himself was once affected and distressed under the same or similar miseries while on earth. The memory of earthly things remains with him, as it does with all spirits in either heaven or hell. In hell, Abraham says to the soul of Dives,”Son, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things” (Luke 16:25). The good thief said to Christ,”Remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42). In Revelation 1:18, Christ declares, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever.” He still remembers his death and the sufferings associated with it. Just as he remembers it to remind his Father, he also remembers it to deeply affect his own heart with what we experience. His memory brings the impression of similar experiences fresh to his mind, reminding him of how it once was with him. Consequently, he comes to know empathetically and experientially how it currently is with us, and he deeply identifies with it. It is akin to the sentiment expressed by Dido in Virgil’s Aeneid: “Not ignorant of suffering myself, I learn to relieve the suffering of others.” Having experienced similar miseries, even though he is now a king, he knows how to help those who are in them.
Just as God said to the Israelites when they would possess the land of Canaan,”You yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (Exodus 23:9), and therefore commanded them to show compassion and treat strangers well based on that understanding, the same can be said of Christ. He knows the hearts of his children in distress, for he himself was once in a similar state. Similarly, the apostle exhorts the Hebrews, “Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3), so that before their own deaths, they may come tocexperience similar sufferings. Likewise, Christ, the head of the body, which is the source of all senses and feelings in the body, remembers those who are bound and in adversity, having once been in a human body himself. Thus, he compassionately identifies with them based on his own experience. This goes beyond the previous point. We have gained the understanding that Christ not only possesses affections that are genuine and appropriate to human nature, but also affections that are stirred up in him based on his own past experience of similar struggles in a frail nature like ours. This sheds light on how all our miseries are allowed to enter Christ’s heart now and deeply impact and move him.
A more detailed exploration is required to understand the nature of this affection, including its seat within Christ’s human nature and some important cautions.
II. Regarding this affection itself of pity, compassion, fellow-feeling, and sympathy, which is produced in his heart, there is still another aspect that needs to be examined: what kind of affection is it? It is evident from the text that such an affection is stirred up in him, beyond mere knowledge or remembrance of his own experiences. The apostle tells us that he is not only aware of how he was tempted with similar weaknesses as we are, though that is necessarily assumed, but he is also struck and touched with the feeling of our infirmities. His act of remembrance serves to produce this affection. Moreover, the apostle states that Christ is able and his heart is capable of being so moved. The word “συμπαθῆσαι” signifies to suffer with us until we find relief. It is this affection, once stirred up, that deeply motivates him to help us.
Now, when it comes to understanding the extent and depth of this affection as expressed here, I believe that no person in this life can fully comprehend it. If the heart of a king is inscrutable, as Solomon says, then the heart of the King of kings, now in glory, is even more so. I will not presume to delve into unseen matters, as warned in Colossians 2:18, but I will cautiously and safely speak within the bounds of Scripture and sound reason.
I will present it in three ways: 1. Negatively; 2. Positively; 3. Privatively.
1. Negatively. It is certain that the affection of sympathy or fellow feeling in Christ is not the same in every aspect as it was during his earthly life. This is evident from what the apostle says about him and his affections during that time. In Hebrews 5:7, it is mentioned,”Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong cryings and tears, was heard in that which he feared.” Here, we see that his earthly existence and state of life are distinguished from his current state in heaven as “the days of his flesh.” By “flesh,” it does not refer to the substance of his human nature, as he still retains that, but rather to the frail quality of being subject to mortality or vulnerability. The term “flesh” is often used in reference to human nature, indicating its susceptibility to fading, wear and decay due to external circumstances or internal emotions. Similarly, in Hebrews 2:14, it is stated,”Forasmuch as the children,” referring to us as his brethren,”partake of flesh and blood,” meaning the frailties of human nature,”he himself also took part of the same.” The apostle further highlights aspects of Christ’s earthly life, such as experiencing death and enduring frail passions and affections that caused suffering and exhaustion of his spirit. Examples include passionate sorrow, accompanied by strong cries and tears, as well as fear, as mentioned in the phrase “He was heard in that which he feared.” However, since those days of his earthly existence have passed, as the apostle clarifies by stating it was only in the days of his flesh, such overwhelming and passionate sorrow and fear have ceased. He is no longer capable of experiencing them or being subjected to them. Yet,
2. Positively. Why can’t it be affirmed that the same kind of affection of pity and compassion, which was present in his entire being, both body and soul, when he was on earth, still operates in him now that he is in heaven? This position, however, should be tempered with the appropriate cautions and considerations that I will address shortly. If, in essence, the same flesh, blood, and animal spirits remain and serve their purpose, for although Christ, in Luke 24:39, specifically mentioned having flesh and bones after his resurrection when speaking to Thomas and the other disciples, as they were the ones who could physically touch him, it is understood that blood and spirits are also present in that flesh, for it is living flesh,”caro vitalis,” and thus contains flowing and moving blood and spirits. Then why not the same affections as well? And not merely stirring in the soul, but also operating in the body, to which the soul is connected, thereby retaining genuinely human affections. The function of blood and spirits is not only to nourish (which is no longer necessary), but also to affect the heart and bowels through their movement back and forth when the soul is affected. And I know not why this function would cease to exist (if not this, then what else?). Similarly, I do not understand why this affection should be limited to his spirit or soul alone, with his corporeal faculties not participating in them. As he is a true human being and the same person he was before, both in body and soul, for otherwise it would not have been a true resurrection, he still possesses the very same genuine human affections in both. These affections manifest themselves in the body as well as the soul, as the body serves as the seat and instrument for them. Since this entire being, encompassing both body and soul, experienced temptation, and as the text states, he is “touched with a feeling” in that nature which is tempted, it must necessarily involve the entire person, body and soul. Therefore, when we come across references to the “wrath of the Lamb,” as in Revelation 6:16, directed against his enemies, just as we encounter mentions of his pity and compassion towards his friends and followers, why should this be attributed solely to his deity, which is incapable of wrath, or solely to his soul and spirit? Couldn’t it be considered that he is genuinely angry as a human being, in his entirety, and therefore experiences wrath in his body as well? After all, he has assumed our entire nature precisely to fulfil his divine nature in all its manifestations.
However, the difficulty lies in determining the extent to which we should eliminate the weakness and frailty that characterized such affections during his earthly life, and in distinguishing precisely between the affections Christ had then and those he has in heaven. I can offer little insight into this matter.
Yet, first, we can establish an unquestionable principle, that to the extent and in the sense that his body itself is made spiritual (as it is described in 1 Corinthians 15:44), to that extent, and in that sense, all such affections that work in his body are made spiritual. This is in contrast to the fleshly and frail manner in which they operate here.
However, it should be noted that his body is made spiritual, not a spirit (spiritual in terms of power and resemblance to a spirit, not in terms of substance or nature). Likewise, these affections of pity and compassion do not merely operate in his spirit or soul, but in his body as well, as it serves as their seat and instrument. However, their manner of operation is more spiritual, resembling that of spirits, compared to how they function in a frail, physical body. They are not entirely spiritual in the sense that the soul is their sole subject and draws all their workings into itself. Thus, the difference between his affections now and in the days of his flesh may not lie in that aspect. It should not be understood as if his body has been transformed into a substance similar to that of the sun, allowing the soul to shine gloriously through it like a glass case. Rather, his body remains united to the soul, to be animated by it, although in an immediate manner, enabling the soul to produce operations within it. The body is called spiritual not because it ceases to be a body, but because it is not the same kind of body. It is structured in such a way that it is completely subject to the soul’s arbitrary rule and dominion, functioning according to the soul’s pleasure and under its control, just as nimbly and without any hindrance as an angel moves itself or as the soul acts upon itself. One possible difference is that these affections, insofar as they pertain to Christ’s body, do not affect his soul as they did here, although they were then under the command of grace and reason to prevent their motions from becoming disorderly or sinful. Furthermore, as the soul is now stronger than these affections, it raises them at its own discretion and stirs them as completely and immediately as it does itself.
Secondly, these affections of pity and sympathy, though they move his bowels and affect his physical heart as they did here, do not distress or disturb him in the least, nor do they burden or weigh down his spirit, causing him sorrow or heaviness as they did in his earthly life, such as his pity for Lazarus or his distress that made him sorrowful unto death. Thus, in their origin and effect, they are entirely different from what they were in his earthly existence. The reason for this is that his body and its blood and spirits, which are the instruments of affecting him, are now completely impassible. In this sense, they are not capable of any alteration that could cause harm in any way. Therefore, his body does not experience any grief, and his spirits do not undergo waste, decay, or depletion. They may and do serve the soul in its affections, as they did while he was here, but only through local motion, flowing through the veins and arteries to affect the heart and bowels, without the slightest diminishment or harm to themselves or detriment to him. As a result, although this blood and these spirits stir up the same affections in his heart and bowels as they did here, they do so without causing any disturbance or inconvenience to himself. While in his earthly life he was troubled and grieved “without sin” or disorder, now in heaven, when he shows pity and compassion, there is no mixture or hint of disturbance and perturbation that was necessarily present in his affections before due to the frailty of his body and spirits. His perfection does not eliminate his affections, but rather corrects and perfects their imperfections. The best theologians recognize that “perfective passions” still exist in him.
Thirdly, both theologians and other divines acknowledge that all natural affections which do not contain anything inappropriate to the state and condition of glory in which Christ now exists, are present in him. These are human affections that are natural, not tainted with reproach or sin, but completely subject to reason. Furthermore, they are freed from any conditions that may hinder or obstruct either the mind or the body. There is no reason to believe that such affections cannot coexist with the state of souls in bliss, as Justinian remarks on this matter.
If we consider it, the very state of Christ in glory is such that it is fitting for him to possess human affections of pity and compassion in his entire being, to prompt and inspire him to come to our aid and succor. However, these affections do not make him a man of sorrows in himself again (that would be unbecoming and even incompatible with his nature), but rather a man of succor to us, which is his role. It is important to remember that Christ in heaven should be viewed not only in his personal capacity, as being made happy in his relationship with the Father, but also in his relationships and offices as a head to us. In this relational aspect, he sits there as stated in Ephesians 1:21- 22 (and the head is the seat of all senses for the benefit of the body), and thus he is most sensitive in that regard. Therefore, because his members, to whom he bears this relationship, are still under sin and misery, it is not inappropriate for him to have affections that correspond to this relationship in his present state. If his state of glory had been solely intended for his personal happiness, then indeed there would be no need for such affections to remain in him. However, since his relation to us is an integral part of his glory, it is most suitable for him to possess such affections, and it would be unseemly if he did not have them. Moreover, these affections are not a weakness in him when considered in this context, but rather a source of strength, as the apostle refers to them as “dunamis” (power). While these affections might be seen as an imperfection in one respect, namely in relation to his personal state, they are perfection in another respect, particularly in relation to his relationship to us and his role on our behalf. As our head, which he is as a man, it is his glory to genuinely and truly, even as a man, empathize with all our miseries. In fact, it would be an imperfection if he did not possess such affections.
And fourthly, let me offer this additional comfort: although all the burdensome and harmful affections that weighed on his spirit and affected his body are no longer compatible with him, and though that passionate frailty and weakness that enabled him to pity and provide relief to those in misery, at the cost of suffering himself, has been eliminated, in the current workings of his affections and compassion, which are essentially the same, there is now a greater capacity, vastness, and swiftness. These affections in heaven compensate for the absence of that passionate frailty and effectively spur and motivate him to provide relief for us, just as the previous affections did. It is certain that as his knowledge expanded upon entering into glory, his human affections of love and compassion have also expanded in solidity, strength, and reality, akin to the enduring love of a committed relationship, though perhaps less passionate at first. They are not diminished now, but rather more spiritual. Just as Solomon’s heart was as generous and regal in bounty as it was in knowledge, Christ’s affections of love are as extensive as his knowledge or power. They share the same breadth and measure. As far as God’s intention to show mercy extends (and who can fathom the depths of His riches?), so does Christ’s inclination to bestow it. Ephesians 3:19 states,”The love of Christ,” both God and man, “surpasses knowledge.” His love has not been lost or diminished by his ascension to heaven. Although God, in His nature, may be more merciful than Christ’s human nature, the expression and exercise of Christ’s affections are as vast as God’s purposes and decrees of mercy. All those immense affections and mercies become human mercies, the mercies of a man towards other men.
Regarding the privative aspect, if we say that these affections of Christ’s heart are not suffering and afflictive affections, we can still express this of them in terms of lacking a complete fullness of joy and comfort in Christ’s heart while he observes us in misery and under infirmities, in comparison to what it will be when we are presented to him free from all such afflictions.
To clarify this, I must bring back, and I will only bring back, the distinction I made (in the fourth demonstration, section 2, part II) of a twofold capacity of glory or a twofold fullness of joy that Christ is destined to have: one that is natural and thus owed to his person as considered in himself alone, and the other additional, arising from the complete happiness and glory of his entire church, of which he is mystically a part. Therefore, in Ephesians 1:23, although he is said to “fill all in all” by virtue of his personal fullness, when he is referred to as the head in relation to his church as his body, as mentioned in the preceding verses, the perfection of the beatitude of this body is reciprocally referred to as his fullness. Thus, until he has filled them with all happiness and freed them from all misery, he himself remains in a state of imperfection, and consequently his affections, which are aligned with this relationship, also possess some degree of imperfection as long as his body endures misery, in comparison to what his heart will experience when they attain this fullness.
We can confidently say that Christ will be more joyful then, and is now, as his children grow beyond their infirmities and as they become more obedient and content in their spirits, as stated in John 15:10-11. I will provide some illustration through this analogy (which, although it may not hold true in all aspects, will give a semblance of it). The spirits of righteous people who have passed away are said to be perfect, as mentioned in Hebrews 12. However, because they have bodies to which they are related and with which they are destined to be united, they can be considered imperfect in this respect until these bodies are reunited with them and glorified, which will add further fullness to their state. In a similar analogy, this applies to Christ personally and Christ mystically considered. Although Christ in his own person is complete in happiness, in relation to his members he is imperfect, and thus he possesses affections suited to this relationship, which in no way detracts from him. Therefore, the Scripture attributes certain affections to him that carry an inherent imperfection, and these are said to be in him until the day of judgment. Expectation and desire, which are imperfect affections in comparison to the joy found in the complete fulfillment of what was expected or desired, are attributed to him as a man until the day of judgment.
Therefore, in Hebrews 10:12-13, he is said to be seated in heaven, “waiting until his enemies are made his footstool,” and the destruction of these enemies will contribute to the evident glory of his kingdom. Just as this will enhance the fullness of his greatness, the complete salvation of his members will add to the completeness of his glory. And just as the expectation of his enemies’ downfall can be seen as an imperfect affection in comparison to the triumph he will one day achieve over them, his joy that he currently experiences in his spouse is also imperfect when compared to the joy that will fill his heart on the great day of their union. Accordingly, the Scripture refers to the fulfillment of these desires as satisfaction, as stated in Isaiah 53:11,”He shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied,” which implies that there are desires in him that lack the attainment of their ultimate goal. However, we must further consider that Jesus Christ indeed knows and sees the exact time when his fullness, through the exaltation of his members to himself, will be completed, and when he will triumph over all his enemies and their enemies. He sees their day approaching, as the Psalmist puts it, which mitigates and diminishes to some extent this imperfection of his expectation or delay.
With this doubt resolved, we come to the question of how his heart can be genuinely touched by our sins (our greatest infirmities) since he was tempted without sin.
III. There remains a significant concern to be addressed, which naturally arises in every good-hearted individual. You have mentioned, they may say, that by “infirmities” sins are meant, and that the apostle’s intention was to encourage us against them as well, for they are indeed the greatest sources of discomfort and discouragement. However, in regard to these sins, what the apostle states here provides us with little consolation, as Christ cannot truly empathise with us in that regard, for “he knew no sin.” Yes, the apostle himself makes an exception here, saying,”He was tempted in all things, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). It may indeed bring comfort to us that Christ does and will have compassion for us in all other weaknesses, since he himself was subjected to similar experiences. However, he never knew what it was like to be under the power of sin and tormented by lust, as I am. How then can I find solace in what the apostle says about him here? I will endeavour to provide some satisfaction and relief in this matter through the following considerations.
Firstly, as the apostle has stated,”he was tempted, yet without sin.” It was essential for him to be without sin in order to be a suitable priest to save us. As Hebrews 7:26 says,”Such a High Priest was fitting for us, holy and separate from sinners.” However, for your further comfort, consider that he came as close as possible in that aspect. The text says,”He was tempted in all things,” although he remained “without sin” on his part. Yet he was tempted to every kind of sin to the extent of experiencing affliction in those temptations, understanding the misery of those who are tempted, and knowing how to have compassion for them in all such temptations. Just as in taking on our nature through his birth, he came as close as possible without being tainted by original sin, namely, by taking the very same matter to form his body as that from which all of ours are made, he also allowed himself to be tempted as far as possible in terms of actual sin, while keeping himself pure. He permitted all sorts of experiments to be conducted on him by Satan, similar to how a person who has taken a strong antidote allows a mountebank to try different treatments on them. And indeed, because he was tempted by Satan in relation to sin, it is explicitly added,”yet without sin,” as if to say that sin never stained him, even though he was outwardly tempted by it. He was tempted with all kinds of sins by Satan, as those three temptations in the wilderness encompassed various types of temptations, as explained by interpreters of the Gospels.
Secondly, in order to be able to empathise with us in the face of sin, he was more distressed by the filth and power of sin in others with whom he interacted than any of us are by sin within ourselves. His “righteous soul was vexed” by it, just as Lot’s righteous soul was troubled by the impure conduct of the people of Sodom. He “endured the contradiction of sinners against himself” (Hebrews 12:3). As it is written,”The insults of those who insult you,” referring to his God, “have fallen on me” (Romans 15:3). This passage from the Psalms speaks of Christ and is quoted by the apostle, signifying that every sin pained his heart. The only difference between him and us in this regard is that the regenerate part within us is troubled by sin in ourselves, as our own sin, whereas his heart was troubled by sin in others only. However, his distress was greater because his soul was more righteous than ours, which compensates for this difference. Moreover, as he represented the elect, the sins he witnessed them commit troubled him as if they were his own. Some interpreters read the word translated as “tempted” here as “vexed.”
Moreover, thirdly, to further address this issue, it can be said of Christ while he was on earth that in the same sense or manner in which he “bore our sickness” (Matthew 8:17), even though he was never personally afflicted with any disease, he may also be said to have borne our sins. This means that when Christ came to one of his chosen children who was sick and whom he healed, his approach was characterized by sympathy and compassion, as if he himself were afflicted with their sickness. For example, when he raised Lazarus, it is mentioned that he “groaned in spirit.” By taking upon himself the disease and experiencing a fellow-feeling with it, he removed it from them, enduring affliction on their behalf as if he himself had been sick. This interpretation appears to be the most fitting explanation for the challenging passage in Matthew 8:16-17, where it states that “he healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying,’He himself took our infirmities and bore our sickness.’”
Likewise, in a similar manner, he could bear our sins too, for he was united with us and accountable for all our sins. Therefore, when he witnessed any of his own committing sin, he was affected by it as if it were his own. This completes and satisfies the concept of the power of sin.
Fourthly, in terms of the guilt of sin and the temptations that arise from it, he possesses a deeper understanding than any one of us. He tasted the bitterness of sin through its imputation more profoundly than we can comprehend, as well as the cup of his Father’s wrath for it. Thus, he is able to empathise experientially with a heart wounded by guilt and struggling under such temptations. He truly understands the anguish of feeling forsaken by God, for he himself experienced it when he cried out,”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
Uses of all.
Use 1. Thus, what has been said can provide us with the strongest consolation and encouragement against our sins, surpassing any other consideration. It assures us with the utmost certainty that our sins will be removed from us. This is because:
Firstly, Christ himself suffers, or at least is affected by them, as his enemies, which is why he will undoubtedly remove them for the sake of his own peace. His heart would not be at peace if he did not know that they would be eradicated. As God says in the prophet, Christ can say even more,”My heart is troubled for him, I will surely remember him” (Jeremiah 31:20).
Secondly, there is comfort in the fact that your very sins move him to pity more than to anger. This text clearly supports it, as he suffers with us under our weaknesses, and by weaknesses, it means sins as well as other miseries, as has been demonstrated. Therefore, when you view them as weaknesses, just as God here views and speaks of them in his own, and when you consider them as your affliction, and you complain to Christ about them, crying out,”O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me?” (Romans 7:24), then do not fear for] long. Christ stands by your side, and instead of being provoked against you, all his anger is directed towards your sin to destroy it. Indeed, his compassion towards you increases even more. It is akin to the heart of a father towards a child who has a loathsome disease, or as one feels towards a limb of their body afflicted with leprosy. He does not hate the limb, for it is a part of his own flesh, but he despises the disease, and that provokes him to show even more pity towards the affected part. How could it not be in our favour when our sins, which are against both Christ and ourselves, become reasons for him to show even greater compassion? The object of pity is someone in misery whom we love, and the greater the misery, the more intense the pity, especially when the person is beloved. Now, of all miseries, sin is the greatest, and as long as you see it as such, Christ will only view it as such within you. He loves you as individuals and hates only the sin. Thus, his hatred will be directed solely towards the sin, to free you from it through its destruction, while his compassion will be extended towards you even more. This applies to when you are under the grip of sin just as it does under any other affliction. Therefore, do not fear, for “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35).
Use 2. Regardless of the trials, temptations, or miseries we face, we can find comfort in the fact that Christ was once in the same situation or something similar. This brings comfort in three different ways:
Firstly, it means that we are simply following his example, for he was tempted in every way, and this can be a significant source of comfort for us.
Secondly, we can look to those specific instances where Christ experienced similar situations as a meritorious cause for obtaining assistance and support from him now. In this regard, we can find further comfort.
Thirdly, his past experience of bearing similar hardships can bring relief, as it means he truly understands the misery and distress of such conditions. This understanding further motivates and encourages him to help us.
Use 3. As the teachings provided bring comfort, they also serve as the greatest motivation against sin and as a persuasive force towards obedience. We must consider that if our hearts afflict Christ—and we cannot fully comprehend the extent of his suffering—it is certain that he will find less joy in us when we are more sinful or disobedient. You are unaware of the impact your sins have on the heart of Christ. Even if the only consequence is a decrease in his joy towards you, it should move you, as it does those who possess genuine integrity. Let this serve as an incentive for obedience: if he continues to hold the same heart and disposition of mercy towards you as he did on earth, then in response to his love, strive to have the same heart towards him on earth as you hope to have in heaven. As you pray daily,”Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), let this be a reminder.
Use 4. In all your miseries and distresses, you can be certain that you have a friend in heaven who will help and pity you – Christ. His nature, role, interests, and relationship all compel him to come to your aid. You may find that even friends, at times, are unreasonable and closed off to your needs. In those moments, remember that there is one who will show you compassion – someone in heaven whose heart is moved by your every weakness. Go and pour out your sorrows to him. Say to them all, if you refuse to show me pity, I know someone who will. I have a friend in heaven whose heart is touched by all my infirmities, and I will go and share my troubles with him. Approach him boldly, as the text says, with open expression, laying bare your complaints. In doing so, you will find grace and mercy to help you in your time of need. People appreciate being pitied by friends, even if those friends cannot offer assistance. But Christ can and will do both – he will extend his pity and provide the help you require.
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