Christ Tempted: Our Sufficient Succour in Trial

Hebrews 2:18 declares that Christ "himself hath suffered, being tempted." This truth establishes Him as our High Priest of incomparable compassion.

Temptation brings suffering to the regenerate soul in distinct ways. First, it strikes the renewed nature with terrible force. A man armoured against thorns walks unharmed; stripped bare, he bleeds. The child of God, quickened by the Spirit, shudders at sin's very shadow—where the hardened sinner finds pleasure. Second, anticipatory dread often surpasses the trial itself. We experience a thousand temptations in fearing one. Christ endured this in Gethsemane's black night, when the shadow of coming trial fell upon Him. Third, temptation's source compounds its sting. When betrayed by a beloved friend—as our Lord was by one of the chosen twelve—the wound cuts deeper than the test itself. Fourth, God's honour becomes entangled in our struggle.

Yet here stands Christ, the Christos (anointed One), our High Priest, able to succour those tempted. His temptation was not weakness but credential. Having Himself been tempted without yielding to sin, He comprehends our struggle with absolute authority. The very fact of His temptation qualifies Him as Saviour. He did not theorize about human frailty from heaven's distance; He entered our trial, felt its weight, overcame it—and now extends His hand to sustain us.