“The Christ of Jerusalem,” from the lesson series Christ of Our Christmas, December 2020
our Scripture
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV).
Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB
Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV
Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT
Hebrews 4:14-16 MESSAGE
our Lesson
The work of Jesus in securing our salvation is seen through the analogies of the Old Testament as the prophet, the priest and the king. As the prophet Jesus is the one who can reveal what God has been teaching and how He has been working in history to bring about salvation for the sinner. Indeed it is through the Messiah the Prophet that all of the meaning of Scripture can be understood (Romans 16:25-26).
The Role of the High Priest
The role of the priest in the Old Testament was to serve as the mediator between God and humans. Priests offered sacrifices on behalf of people. Once a year the high priest offered a sacrifice to God to pardon the sins of the people. But alas, even with all of the structure and symbolism, the people understood the sacrifice had to be made each year. They understood that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). They longed for the day when a sacrifice could be made once and for all.
The priest in Jesus’ day also served as a mediator between the people and God. The priest would pray on their behalf, as well as teach and instruct the faithful.
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, quite possibly the Apostle Paul, compared Jesus to Melchizedek. This man was a mysterious priest in the Old Testament who encounters Abraham and offers a blessing to the man of faith. Hebrews argues that Jesus is a better high priest than even Melchizedek because Jesus is both divine and human.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV).
| Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB | Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV |
Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT | Hebrews 4:14-16 MESSAGE |
The Hebrew argument is profound. Since our high priest, Jesus, ascended into heaven – the permanent residence of God, not just the tabernacle made with hands – then several things can easily happen. We can hold firmly to the faith we profess. The soundness of the doctrine of our faith firmly stands when compared to other doctrines. Our beliefs do not waver because of our uncertainty of their truth. We do not need to look for other answers.
Because of our high priest, we can also approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. The throne of God is the center of His existence. Many assume approaching this throne room is a picture of prayer. The picture is much bigger than just prayer.
In the context, Hebrews is speaking about the duties of the earthly high priest and specifically the priest’s role in offering sacrifices. Tying the throne to the grace of God helps our understanding.
Since the Garden of Eden, we hide when God is around. Our sin makes us stained and guilty. We stand before God naked – exposed. The nakedness is more than just standing with the absence of clothes, although that is the physical reality that ignites the feelings. The presence of sin in our lives is exposed before God. Sin breaks our relationship to Him. It stains the “goodness” of His creation. Sin immerses our conscience in guilt.
God and His Word pierce through our thoughts and behaviors like a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Being laid bare like that is uncomfortable. It is ungodly painful. We have disappointed our Father. It is easier – safer – to hide.
The earthly high priests tried to convince us it was safe to approach God. Sacrifices were made to appease the devastation of sin. But the priest had to first make sacrifices for his own sin, which made us wonder how he could take away our sin. Somehow we knew that the blood of animals wouldn’t really eliminate sin. We were going through the motions that God commanded, but still felt exposed and vulnerable.
Do you make your bed? Pull up and straighten the sheets. Spread the blankets and covers. Fluff the pillows. The bed looks very nice, but the next morning, it needs to be straightened again. Sleeping in it messed it all up. Did you ever think, “Why in the world do I make the bed every day – it is just going to be messed up again tonight!” Making the bed seems frustrating and useless.
But what if you never changed and washed the sheets? Even if you made the bed every morning, the sheets would still feel dirty. They would still be dirty, no matter how much you tried to get the wrinkles out.
Sin is that way. No matter how many sacrifices we make, no matter how many laws we keep, no matter many things we do to iron out the wrinkles, the sheets are still dirty. Our conscience is blistered by the stains and guilt of sin.
It is why we needed a priest who didn’t go to an earthly tabernacle to make sacrifices. We needed a priest who didn’t have to make sacrifices first for himself. We needed a priest who didn’t serve a term and go away. We needed a priest who would be a savior.
With Jesus as our high priest, we do not need to hide from God’s presence. We don’t stand before him naked and exposed, instead we stand before Him clothed in Christ’s righteousness. We approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. There is no need to cower away from it. We receive mercy and grace at the time of our greatest need.
The Christmas story helps us understand this truth. Luke tells us that on the night Jesus was born, shepherds were out in the fields outside of the city gates, tending their sheep. Angels appeared to them and told them that inside Bethlehem had been born a Savior, the Messiah, the Lord God Himself (Luke 2:8-11). Faithful Jews had been looking for the Messiah for centuries. They didn’t know exactly what to expect, but they knew that the Messiah meant God was visiting His people.
They wanted to see. When they arrived, they worshiped Him. They glorified and praised God for what He was doing. God was with His people. Even as a child, the shepherds were not afraid to be in His presence.
As powerful as sin is, the blood of Christ is all the more powerful. “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14 NIV).
| [maxbutton id=”2″] | [maxbutton id=”1″] |