Jesus as the Great High Priest is a theme that comes up in the letter to the Hebrews.
It builds upon the other two themes we’ve discussed previously:
As you study the letter to the Hebrews, keep in mind that this epistle was originally intended for Christian Jews. The author is arguing who Jesus is and that He is greater than Moses.
In this reflection, he continues, but now talking about a new theme, which he discusses in chapters 4 and 5. He will come back to the concept of Jesus as our High Priest in chapters 7 through 10.
In this article, let’s focus on Hebrews 4: 14-16 and Hebrews 5: 5-10.
There are two things that come up, and which I discuss in the following lines.
We have a great High Priest
If you read Hebrews 4: 14-15, here’s what you find about Jesus Christ as our High Priest:
- Jesus is able to sympathize with all our weaknesses.
- Jesus is without sin (see Hebrews 4: 15) and He bore all our sins.
- Jesus gives us access to the throne of grace.
- Jesus enables us to receive mercy and find grace during our times of need (see Hebrews 4: 16).
Again, Jesus Christ didn’t come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. Read Matthew 5: 17-20. Jesus came to fulfill everything about what we read in Scripture.
Jesus is our High Priest not chosen by humans
Read Hebrews 5: 5-10. Here’s what you come across as a result of reading that Scripture:
God appointed Jesus as our High Priest.
You also read that Jesus is “God’s begotten Son.” In other words, He did not happen, by accident, to be our High Priest. God anointed Him to be it on our behalf. See Hebrews 5: 5.
God made Him Priest forever. In the letter to the Hebrews, you hear the name “Melchizedek.”
This has reference to Genesis 14: 18-20. In this story, Abraham meets with a man, kind and priest by the name of Melchizedek who is King of Salem. Later, Salem, meaning “peace,” will have reference to Jerusalem.
The name Salem refers to Jerusalem based on Psalm 76:2 where Zion is a parallel for Salem, the place of worship (temple) or city of Jerusalem.
Reference to Melchizedek also has to do with righteousness. This understanding comes out of the meaning of the name, Melchizedek.
We should mention another very important thing here. To do so, we have to fast forward, which means we need to look at the life of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob.
Jacob would have twelve sons, who would represent later the twelve tribes of Israel. Among these tribes, there’s one that would become a lineage of the priest according to God’s instructions given to Moses. See Numbers 8.
However, Melchizedek didn’t fall under this group of priests God would select later among the people of Israel to serve in that role.
The author of Hebrews, based on the above, states that Jesus is our High Priest to the order of Melchizedek. See Hebrews 7: 1-3.
As a result, Jesus is the Priest of the Most High forever.
What this all means for us today
It means three things for us all.
- Jesus is the source of Eternal Salvation.
- Jesus stands between you and God.
- Jesus stands between you and anything you’re facing right now.
Now your turn
First, pray to invite Jesus to literally stand between you and God, and between you and any issue your struggle you’re having right now.
Second, as you study this epistle (Hebrews), I want to hear what you learn. Please share it in the comment box below.
