JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST
The Book of Hebrews makes many pertinent and important points about Jesus Christ and our relationship to Him. The constant theme of the writer is that Jesus is better than anything else. He is the one, He is the way, He is what it is all about. Everything. And the doctrine of Christ as our High Priest is one of the most important doctrines in the Bible, most thoroughly dealt with in said Book of Hebrews.
We do not approach God in the same way that people who lived under the Levitical priests of the Old Testament did. We go through the new and living way of Jesus Christ our Savior, our Advocate and our High Priest. The priests of the Old Testament system were sinners who had to offer sacrifices in a physical, earthly sanctuary to atone for their own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
Jesus is radically different from them. He has no sins of His own for which to atone. He is absolutely perfect in every way. The Levitical priests also had to keep offering sacrifices over and over in the Old Testament. Jesus offered His own body on the cross and entered the heavenly sanctuary, making full and complete and eternal atonement for the sins of His people.
This once-for-all offering of a perfect man in our stead and on our behalf means that there is no need for any more sacrifices. So the sacrifices that had to be repeated in the Old Testament are done away with by the new covenant of Jesus (Hebrews 9:11–12, 14, 24, 26).
Jesus has an eternal priesthood after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 7:17), because He is eternal, and He is perfect. Therefore, His covenant is better than anything that preceded it (Hebrews 7:11–12, 22, 24). The work that He did as our High Priest was completely sufficient and only had to happen one time (Hebrews 10:10-14).
We must consider the humanity of Jesus when thinking about his role as our High Priest. He could not have sacrificed Himself for our sins if He had not first lived perfectly in obedience to God as a man in a physical body. The second chapter of Hebrews points out that Jesus had to become flesh and blood—He had to be “made like His brothers and sisters”—in order to free us from sin and to be able to sympathize and help with our weaknesses (Hebrews 2:17). He was really tempted in the flesh exactly like we are. The difference? He resisted temptation and never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).
This means that Christ, as our High Priest, has firsthand knowledge of what it needs to be human. He understands our struggles and temptations and problems, not on a theoretical basis, but from personal experience from the life that He lived on this earth (Hebrews 2:18, 5:2).
Think of the things that He experienced: frustration, anxiety, betrayal, sadness, sickness. We better believe that He knows what it’s like to be human and that He can help us in our humanity. Knowing that He sits at the right hand of God, representing a finished salvation, as well His first hand knowledge of what it is like to live on this earth, brings great joy and comfort to our hearts. Focus on the fact that Jesus “knows how it feels.”
Nothing will embolden you more or give you greater confidence than knowing that Jesus is your High Priest. The work that Jesus did for you as your representative, and on your behalf, means that you receive the grace of God and look forward to an eternal home in heaven. This priest offered Himself rather than the blood of animals like the old covenant priests did. The blood of animals cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:4), but the blood of Jesus can (Ephesians 1:7).
We do not have to go through a human priest in order to get to God. Because Jesus is our High Priest, we have immediate and direct access into God’s very presence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19–22). So the Bible tells us to draw near to God in full assurance of faith, knowing that we can boldly receive what we ask for and receive the things that we need to live for our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:16).
Even in the midst of trials and temptations, we have the confidence and the faith that we need to hold on to Jesus and serve Him for the rest of our lives (Hebrews 4:14). Nothing brings greater confidence and joy to the heart of humanity than knowing that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34). You do not have to understand everything about His intercession to know that it is real and it is good news. We have an advocate with the Father of Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1-2).
The fact that Jesus is our High Priest, whether you understand everything about it or not, is a reason to be happy. Trust the word of God on that. He has done things for you that you could never do for yourself. It is tremendous joy to know that Jesus lives in us, and we live in Him. Jesus saves us and remains in our corner, on our behalf, forever (1 John 2:1–2).
There are simply no words to describe how wonderful Jesus is. But studying and learning about Him and what He has done for us in so many different ways will help us to grow in our love and appreciation for Him.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
