Day 355: The Hand that Holds the Scalpel (Hebrews 4:12-16)

¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13

Through the Bible: Hebrews 1-6

Hebrews 4:12-13 would be terrifying if you took it by itself. God’s word pierces us like a double-edged sword. It slices through fat and flab and muscle and sinew, laying bare the intentions of the heart. Under God’s word, we are as naked and exposed as a patient on an operating table. And if all you had was Hebrews 4:12-13, there would be no comfort in God’s word at all. Only the terror and shame of exposure.

But we don’t have to stop with verse 13. Because verse 14 follows it:

¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I can approach the throne of grace with confidence because I know Jesus has been there. There is nothing—no rejection, no temptation, no anxiety—that I can bring to Jesus that he is unable to sympathize with. The only difference is that He found His way out of every valley without sinning.

So verses 14-16 redeem the terror of verses 12-13. Because of my great high priest, I can submit to the the double-edged sword of God’s Word, knowing that the surgery the Great Physician is performing is for my healing.

There was a season of my life where I met for breakfast once a week with a member of my church who was a former Marine. He was also a recovering alcoholic, who had been diagnosed with PTSD. He was struggling with how to love his wife well, coping with anxiety and depression, learning how to daily avoid the temptations of alcohol and porn, and desiring to be the best father and Christ-follower he can be.

We met once a week because he was discipling me.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Isn’t it the other way around? You are the pastor. You’re the one who’s been to seminary. Aren’t you discipling him?”

I said what I said. Because he was the guy I could talk with easier than anyone else. I could ask him about how to cope with my own anxiety and depression, and my own closet full of temptations. I could confess to him my failures in loving my wife well and leading my children. And he listened to me. He loved me with tears in his eyes. And occasionally, he would kick me in the butt and tell me what I needed to do.

He could do this because he had already been in the hole where I was. Just as I can trust my Jesus with the darkest parts of my heart because I know he’s been there, I could trust the guy who was discipling me. Sure, there were some days when I was the guy on the rim of the hole, reaching my hand down to help him out. But just as often, he jumped into the hole with me. And on those days, I could follow him out of the hole with confidence. He had been there before, and he knew the way out.

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