The Ability to Deal Gently

He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since He Himself is also subject to weakness. - Hebrews 5:2

The writer of Hebrews, in his explanation of the Messiah as the superior high priest, wrote about the weakness of the earthly high priest. Unlike Jesus (the Messiah), the earthly high priest sinned. On the other hand, the Son of God, though tempted in every way as we are, never sinned. The earthly high priest should have been compassionate concerning the struggles of those who wrestled with issues of faith because he himself would have experienced those same difficulties. One would not normally expect a holy God to have the same compassion, but this is what we see in Jesus Christ.

All spiritual leaders should heed these words. Harsh judgment should never come from imperfection. Only the perfect may speak with judgmental authority over the sins of another. Jesus, however, is once again our example, because though He is perfect and sinless, though He will indeed stand in judgment of the entire world, He understands and cares. These are the marks of true divinity and evidence of His divine presence in us.

Compassion costs. It is easy enough to argue, criticize, and condemn, but redemption is costly, and comfort draws from the deep. Brains can argue, but it takes heart to comfort. - Samuel Chadwick