Priestly Sympathy—There is an analogy between Jesus and the Jewish priests as to the sympathy, but not as to the ground (Heb. 5). One who is perfectly free from sin, if there is love in the heart, is at full liberty to sympathize with the sorrows of others. On the other hand, it is true that there must be a nature capable of understanding what sorrow is. But scripture never says that Christ was subject to infirmities, much less that being in infirmities is necessary to sympathy with those who are in them, but rather being out of them, while possessing a nature that apprehends in itself the suffering it brings into. The mother sympathizes with the babe in the pain she does not feel. But it is important to remark that Christ is contrasted in His priestly sympathies with men who have infirmity. The law made such priests; but the word of the oath, the Son consecrated for evermore (Heb. 7:28). The high priest, taken from among men, had compassion, for that (while priest, note well) he was compassed with infirmity. That was mere man's way of sympathy; for he had to offer for his own sins. Instead of this, Christ, in the days of His flesh, when He was not a priest, cried to Him who was able to save Him from death—took the place of lowly, subject, sorrowful man—received the weight of it in His soul; and then, being made perfect, acts as priest. He is never said to have been infirm like us, but in all points tempted. He suffered, being tempted, and is able to succor those who are tempted.
When God visits Israel in Egypt, He says nothing about wandering in the wilderness: only that He will bring them out of Egypt and into Canaan. The circumstances of the wilderness are used by grace to make us know Christ better, but they are not necessary to God's plan—i.e., salvation and glory. Priesthood comes in to supply the need of a wilderness; it maintains the link between us and the heavenly places, redemption having set us so high, and we being actually so low. We have no need of priesthood to sit in heavenly places. Christ is there, and therefore we are there in Him Being what we are, priesthood is requisite to sustain us in accordance with our heavenly position. Christ must fill all the distance between the throne and me as a poor failing saint.
Fighting is not the characteristic of the wilderness, but patience. It is in Canaan (i. e., the heavenly places now) that we get conflict.