Hebrews 4:15 -- Unable to Sympathize

Hebrews 4:15–16
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. 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. (ESV)

Introduction

Have you ever thought about why the author of Hebrews indicated that temple priests were unable to sympathize with their flock? They were human. The Levitical priests sinned. They had the same weaknesses and foibles as the rest of us. Why could they not sympathize with their people? How and why did Jesus provide a better way? How did the priests' emotional state stopped them from ministering to their flock?

I have pondered these questions concerning the passage over years. This answer was provided to me by a book on the history of theology. I came across a passage discussing the historical views of God's impassabilty.

Observations

The book pointed out that we misunderstand the phrase "unable to sympathize" in the verse because it has been poorly translated from the Greek. We tend to interpret that somehow the temple priests referenced are emotionally stunted and thus, unable to sympathize with our pain and suffering. However, Bray points out the phrase means something different.

Gerald Bray
Did Jesus suffer on our behalf because of his compassion for us? Hebrews 4:15 says that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize we our weaknesses," but this is a mistranslation. The Greek word is sympathêsai, which implies physical suffering in a way that the English word that derives from it does not. The Jewish high priest could not be "sympathetic," not because he was emotionally challenged, but because he did not suffer for the sins of the people. The modern reader is liable to think primarily in terms of an emotional bond and wonder how the high priest could have been so hard-hearted. Perhaps he was not. Given that he was sacrificing for his own sins as well as for those of the people , he may been extremely sympathetic to them in our sense of the word, but because he could not be their substitute, the writer to the Hebrews argued that he could not feel their pain. That is what Hebrews 4:15 means, not that the temple priest lacked normal human feelings.
(p. 1212, God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology)

I decided to do a small word study on "sympathize". My linguistic key states that the Greek word συμπαθῆσαι that we translate as "sympathize" is not a word for an emotion, "The word is not to be understood in a psychological sense, but rather in an existential sense. The enabled one suffers together w. the weakness of the one tempted (Michel)." (p. 331, A Linguistic Key to the New Testament Volume 2, Rienecker and Rodgers)

Conclusion

The Old Testament priests may have been able to sympathize with our weaknesses in the modern sense. The English word "sympathize" means to "understand or feel sorry for". It is a word that describes an emotion, but the Greek word means much more than an emotion. It means to somehow suffer for and with someone else. Priests in the Old Testament could not suffer for their flock. The best they could do is offer animal sacrifices for our sins. Christ in his life and crucifixion suffered with us and for us. He, being the Great High Priest, is the only one who has been fully tempted without ever sinning. He alone could suffer for our sins to redeem and free us from our sins. God through Christ has entered into our world of suffering to bring us eventually out of suffering into eternal life. This is why we can draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. Jesus has already saved His elect and He is effecting our salvation within us. Therefore, we know we can find grace and mercy when we need it.