The Great High Priest

Today’s Text:              Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Introduction

Continuing on from vv. 12-13, we are arriving at the very heart of the book of Hebrews.  In this overall context, three powerful forces are revealed: The power of the Word in 12-13, the power of the Lord in 14-15, and the power of prayer in v. 16.

Points of Interest

4:14-15:            In these verses, we see Jesus as our “great high priest” a turn of phrase that is not common in Scripture.  By adding the word “great” to “high priest” we can see that Jesus is superior to all who have come before.  We also see several things that distinguish His priesthood from all others, beginning with His having ‘gone through the heavens’. The OT priests entered the Holy of holies through the veil once per year with a sin offering.  Jesus did not enter through any earthly veil into God’s presence on earth.  Instead, He went through the very heavens into the actual and literal presence of God, and this entry into the real presence of God as contrasted with the man made representation of the earthly Temple is the point.  What the OT priests did in symbol, Jesus did in “spirit and in truth.” Next, it was Jesus who did this.  Jesus is the name given to the God-man here on earth, and it was the “man” part that makes His role in rescuing us from sin and death possible.  Third, Jesus was the Son of God; He is qualified to rule over God’s house, and He is qualified to intervene in history to rescue Mankind.  Fourth, He is perfect, having been tempted in every way that you and I have been, only Jesus has endured without succumbing to sin.  Next, He is able to sympathize with all of us who have been tempted.  He is not a great high priest who has no conception of what our lot is like; He is quite familiar with our struggles, and yet He demonstrated His faithfulness by holding firm and not sinning.

4:16:                 Because of the foregoing, we may approach the throne of grace with confidence.  For us who are in Christ to approach the throne of grace is not like it may have been in our younger days going to the principal’s office.  Rather than being afraid of the one in such lofty authority as the principal, we approach the throne of grace where the great high priest sits, a high priest who has sympathy for us, not condemnation.  We may go there in prayer to ask for mercy and help in all that we face full in the knowledge that He is there waiting to minister to us.  Why do fear paying Him a visit?

5:1-4:                Here we are looking at an earthy high priest. The high priest represents the interests of man before God; he is an intercessor much like an attorney intercedes for his client.  The earthly high priest can deal with men with compassion for our weaknesses because he has the same weaknesses and can understand the struggles everyone has in life.  In fact, since the high priest has the same weaknesses that the rest of us have, he must make offerings for his own sins as well as for ours.  In order to hold this position, the high priest must be called by God.  Here, the author uses the example of Aaron, who was called to the priesthood by God, and through whom the succeeding high priests were born into the office. (The Levitical priesthood) These are the qualifications of a high priest; what follows are the reasons why Jesus is a great high priest.

5:5-6:                Jesus was also called to the priesthood, but there is a major difference as compared to Aaron.  Jesus was first called to be God’s Son; Aaron was God’s humble servant. Jesus did not take up this position, but instead it was conferred upon Him by God.  Quoting again from the second Psalm, used earlier in the book to demonstrate Jesus’ superiority to the angels, now it is used to show the superiority of His call to the priesthood.  This is paired with Psalm 110:4 wherein Jesus has been declared a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.  Here, this is used as further evidence of the superiority of His call to the priesthood, but in the next section the order of Melchizedek will become a major theme.

5:7-10:              In these verses, the author documents how Jesus endured His earthly life with temptation, suffering and pain; making Him able to sympathize with us.  He then goes on to point out that in spite of His earthly affliction, He remained faithful and obedient to God and never succumbed to sin.  The result of this faithfulness was that He and He alone could rescue Man by offering His once for all sacrifice as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.