Help in temptation?

"Because [Jesus] himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." (Hebrews 2:18).
I've always thought that this verse was saying that Jesus will help Christians in the midst of temptation. But reading it again today, I think it's saying much, much more than this.
The previous verses are about how Jesus shared our humanity in order that he could:

• 'by the grace of God taste death for everyone' (Heb 2:9)
• 'through death [...] destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through the fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.' (Heb 2:14-15). 
• and, 'make propitiation for the sins of the people.' (Heb 2:18).

So the context of verse 18 is not our ability to resist temptation but our inability to deal with the consequences of succumbing to temptation*. This is about Jesus paying the penalty for our sin (tasting death for us, being a propitiation) and destroying the one who has the power to enslave us in fear of the consequences of sin. This is how Jesus helps us who are being tempted. The one who was tempted and did not succumb even when suffering death (Heb 2:10 and Heb 3:1-6) provides the answer to the fear of death which enslaves those who do succumb to temptation.




*In the NIV v18 begins, 'because' and that is naturally and rightly taken with what follows - 'because Jesus himself has suffered [the consequence is] he is able to help...' But that misses an important word which the ESV includes, 'For, because...' this links the verse back to what has gone before and shows that it is indeed about dealing with the penalty of sin, not the current experience of temptation.