WHAT a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. So opens the familiar hymn, and it expresses the truth of this last verse of Hebrews chapter 2. This chapter has been opening to us the wonderful friendship of Jesus for his believing people. He is our God. He is our Lord. He is high above us, and he reigns on the throne of the Universe. In spite of all this greatness, he is not ashamed of us in spite of all our sin, and he was and is ready to accept us as his brothers and sisters. There is another hymn in which we sing - there’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus; no! not one, no, not one.

This last verse sums up for me this friendship of Jesus - this wonderful love of Jesus for his believing people. Satan is constantly engaged, I find in my experience, to undermine my understanding of this love of Jesus, and to take away the peace and joy of it if he can. With my mind I can think of all the clear and powerful evidence of this love of Jesus which I know from the Bible, but the application to my heart is much more difficult. Satan is so clever in making us feel we can’t expect such love, because we don’t deserve it. It is true we don’t deserve it, but the whole of this chapter speaks of Jesus giving his love in salvation in mercy to sinners, and being unashamed to accept us as his own in spite of our sin.

This last verse expresses how competent Jesus is to be the best friend we can ever need. We often say, and it is so true, that the people who are most able to help others, are the ones who have gone through the same experience or trouble as the one they seek to help, and so understand more than most the feelings and difficulties the one they are seeking to help is experiencing. Under this criterion Jesus is the most competent one to help us, because he has suffered more than anyone, and been tempted more than anyone.

Whereas in the help we often offer, though based on real experience of the problem, - our help will always fall short of the best, because none of us can say we have been wholly successful in dealing with the problem ourselves. This is not the case with Jesus. Jesus has suffered everything we fallen human beings suffer. He has suffered them more extensively than we have done. Much more he has suffered them and been victorious over them. The help of Jesus is good, perfect and sufficient.

When we help people we often find a reluctance in some way in our offer of help. This is because we find that in every case we are taken beyond our abilities. Our love is tested to the limit. Our wisdom is shown to be inadequate. We know ourselves to be inadequate so we often tend to hold back a little. The wonder of the help Jesus offers is that he wants to help us without any reserve. We can’t overstay our welcome with him, or test his love beyond the limit.

The special human suffering which is mentioned here is the suffering of temptation. This could mean times of testing, where we find our resources to cope with what life may bring is tested to the limit. It can also mean the particular suffering which comes when we are tempted by Satan to do wrong. This temptation covers a wide area. Satan tempts us to do actual wrong. Satan tempts us to neglect duties, specially spiritual duties. Satan wars against the soul by seeking to keep us from spiritual activity which nourishes our souls. If we are a true believer we identify straight away with the reluctance that seems to rise in our minds when we seek to spend a quiet moment with the Lord in prayer and seeking him in the Bible. Satan places in our way all sorts of distractions to keep us from this blessed occupation. In these ways and so many others, Satan tempts us in order to destroy our relationship with the Lord and drag our spiritual lives down. Then there are the temptations to give in when the Christian life becomes difficult. We keep from sharing the blessing of Christ for fear of others, and what they will say. There is also the temptation to doubt - to doubt God’s love and to doubt our salvation through faith in Christ.

Whether the temptation is testing or tempting, Jesus is able to help us, and is the best friend. He is the best helper because he was tested to the limit, and tempted more severely than any other. Jesus knows intimately all the wiles of the devil because the devil used all the resources he had in order to bring Jesus down, and to defeat him. In all these testings and temptations Jesus won the day. Also Jesus knows more deeply than ever we can know the sufferings involved in times of temptation, and how painful it is to keep fighting. Jesus also knows all the best ways to combat the testing or temptation.

Far more than this, Jesus is the best friend and helper because he not only gives wise direction, and shows the way to victory, Jesus also gives strength when we go to him and accept his help. Jesus empowers us by his Spirit. Further Jesus is the best helper, because he has the infallible remedy when we fail. He does not cast us off when we are defeated so often and overcome, but raises us up in love. John in his first letter says - if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins.

What this verse gives me and is telling me is the close love Jesus has for his people. In all the temptations of life, he does not come close to condemn, but to bless and raise up and to make strong, and above all to love us. Jesus is the lover of my soul. Jesus is my best friend, and the greatest help he gives me in temptation is that he is there for me, and always by my side, and in me by his Spirit.