Jesus, we are told, is our Great High Priest (Hebrews 2:17, 4:14) and we, as His followers, are His royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Have you ever wondered what it truly means for Jesus to be called our Great High Priest? For centuries, priests stood between God and humanity, offering sacrifices for sins. But in Jesus, something revolutionary happened.
The Old Testament Priesthood and Sacrifices
In the Old Testament, priests were ordained from the tribe of Levi. They had many responsibilities, but chief among them was to offer sacrifices for the atonement of the sins of the people, as well as their own. Only the High Priest was allowed once a year, on Yom Kippur, to enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple. This day, known as the Day of Atonement, was when the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull for his own atonement, and the blood of a goat for the sins of the people. He would also burn incense, which symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God.
What does the word atonement actually mean? Atonement refers to the need for reconciliation between sinful humans and a holy God. An atonement would offer the sacrifice of one thing for the sins of another. It was a substitution. In Old Testament times the bull and the goat were the sacrificial substitutions. At Passover, the sacrifice was a lamb.
The Failures and Imperfections of the Old Testament Priesthood
The priests of the Old Testament had a spotty record in being faithful to God. They were accused in many places of failing in their duties to teach the people and offer proper sacrifice. They were flawed, fallible people with a critically important job to perform for the people. They were the intercessors, the go-between, between man and God. Israel's lack of faithfulness many times was directly related to their failures.
Prophecies of a New Priesthood
The Old Testament contains many prophecies of a time when a new priesthood would come. Beginning in 1 Samuel 2:35, and continuing in Psalm 110, and Zechariah 3:1-10 and 6:9-15, we read that Israel will one day be under a new covenant with a priest-king. When Jesus arrives He is not of the tribe of Levi but the tribe of Judah and with that He begins a new priesthood, a New Covenant between God and man. As God's Son He is the perfect High Priest.
Jesus: The Perfect and Eternal High Priest
Under the Old Covenant, there were many priests, priests who were mortal men, stained with sin, who had to offer sacrifices not just for the people but for themselves as well. Jesus is the eternal, sinless high priest, who became the once and for all sacrifice for others. Jesus's blood is offered up as our sacrifice instead of bulls and goats. His sacrifice was "once for all", not daily (Hebrews 10:11-14).
Where the Levitical priests entered a Holy of Holies made with human hands, Jesus enters the true most Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12). For this reason, Jesus is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15) so that we may receive eternal life. A mediator intervenes between two parties—God and man in this case— bringing them together in restored relationship. He is our atonement, our perfect and ultimate substitution, as we discussed above.
Jesus: Mediator of the New Covenant
When we say that Jesus is the Mediator, we mean that His death and resurrection allowed God and man to come into direct contact and reconcile us with God. He is our perfect atonement. This New Covenant that Christ mediates, is God's promise of redemption offered to the whole world, and applied to each of us as individuals, when we believe. It is based on His gift of unearned grace and not obedience to the law.
At Jesus's baptism, John the Baptist recognized who Jesus was and announced:
"Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29
Jesus was the spotless lamb offered up to redeem us from sin and death. He is our Redeemer from everlasting.
The New Covenant: Redemption and Reconciliation
The New Covenant was necessary because the Law was given to show man that they could never measure up to God's standards. No amount of animal sacrifice could cleanse man of his sin. What God desired was a change of heart, as spoken of in Ezekiel 36:26:
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Old and New Covenants: Sacrifices Compared
The sacrifices that the priests of the Old Testament offered were representative of the seriousness of sin and they foreshadowed the death of Jesus. They demonstrated the people's sorrow for their sins and their desire to be obedient to God. However, their sins were "covered" by the blood of their sacrifices, not completely removed.
Hebrews 10:10-12 explains that those sacrifices could never take away or completely remove sin. In Matthew 12:7 Jesus quotes Hosea, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." Jesus wanted them to realize that God desires mercy and a change of heart more than ritual sacrifice.
Our Role as a Royal Priesthood
Not only is Jesus our High Priest, but we as His people, are called a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5-9). This thought is echoed in Revelation 1:6, when John tells us that the church is a kingdom of priests. The Spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism and empowered Him to begin His priestly ministry. In a similar way, Jesus baptizes us with His Holy Spirit which gives us the power to go out and proclaim God's mercy to the world (1 Peter 2:1-12).
The sacrifices we, as priestly people, offer are those of praise (Hebrews 13:15). In good times and bad our praise goes up to God for the blessings we have received. We are not to neglect doing good and sharing with others. These are pleasing sacrifices to God (Hebrews 13:16).
Living as Priests Without an Earthly Home
In the same way that the Old Testament Levitical priests had no land of their own, but went about serving where they were needed, so we today, have no earthly home in this world. We are strangers in a strange land going about serving others. Our royal priesthood exists because we have become heirs to God's kingdom.
Sanctified and Set Apart for God's Work
We are called to be holy just as the Old Testament priests were. Old Testament priests were sanctified, set apart as holy. Jesus prayed for us in John 17:17, asking His Father to sanctify us in the truth and telling us God's word is truth. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul says:
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Titus 2:14 tells us that we should be zealous for good works. We have been given all we need to be successful Christians, in living out God's will and growing in sanctification. (2 Peter 1:3-4). Peter says in 1 Peter 2:5, that we are a spiritual house being built by living stones. Why? To be a holy priesthood that can offer acceptable sacrifices through Jesus to God.
Jesus: Our Mediator and Advocate
Because Jesus is our High Priest, we do not need an earthly mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 reminds us that there is one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus. We have become His brothers and sisters by adoption. Because of this we can go boldly before the throne of God and find mercy and grace as God's beloved children (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus Understands Our Weaknesses
We have a High Priest in Jesus who sympathizes with us in our weakness. He knew what it was like to be tempted, yet He did not sin. Hebrews 2:18 says that, "Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted." What a blessing to know that our advocate before the Father, our blessed High Priest, has complete understanding of our weaknesses.
A Call to Be Sanctified
In Hebrews 10:14, we are told the single offering made by Jesus has forever perfected those who are being sanctified. 1 Corinthians 6:11 says we are washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Jesus by the Spirit of God. Are you being sanctified? Are you set apart? Are you washed by the blood of the Lamb? Are you justified, freely, forever? Praise be to God if you are. If you aren't and you're reading this, it's not too late. Call on Him who is our Great High Priest.
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