5. He Can Deal Gently

Chapter 5 starts from a phrase in Hebrews 5:2. A high priest "can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness." The verse simply pairs two groups, the ignorant and the wayward. Ortlund asks what sort of sinner draws gentleness from Christ, and he argues that what draws his tenderness is need.

To sharpen the question, the book sets sins of ignorance or weakness beside sin done "with a high hand," a phrase from Numbers 15:27-31. In that passage, sin committed unintentionally can be atoned for with a sacrifice. But the person who sins defiantly, with a raised fist toward the Lord, "shall be cut off." That is a sobering line, and it is meant to be. Sin is not a small thing to God.

If you tend toward anxiety, though, you may be reading that and thinking, "That might be me." So hear this plainly. Even a defiant sinner who turns back finds mercy. Look at Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33. He was one of Judah's worst kings, and the chapter does not soften his evil. But when he was in distress and humbled himself before God, the text says God "was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea." A sinner who had gone about as far as a person can go was heard. The path back is not closed to someone who turns. Peter is another picture: after denying Jesus, he was not discarded. The Gospels show him restored.

Why does Christ deal gently? Ortlund's answer is character, not leniency. The book is clear that Christ is not casual about sin. He deals gently because that is who he is. Hebrews 5:3 shows the human priest offering sacrifices for his own sins too, so he is gentle partly because he knows his own weakness. Christ is without sin (Hebrews 4:15), so his gentleness is not borrowed from shared failure. It flows from his own heart. The human priest in these verses is a faint picture, and Christ is the real thing.

The takeaway: need pulls tenderness out of him. The more honestly you come with your weakness, the more at home you are.

Then turn the question toward ourselves. How do we treat people who are struggling? Do we move toward them with gentleness, or do we wait for them to clean up first?

A word of care: if you are caught in constant fear that you have crossed an unforgivable line, that kind of scrupulosity is exhausting and can be painful to carry alone. Please talk with a pastor, counselor or trusted friend. They can help you hear what Scripture promises to those who turn to Christ.