Heb 7:20-28 Jesus Holy, Innocent, Unstained High Priest
Notes
Transcript
Almost 7 years ago Leanna and I got married. I married her because I love her, and I love just being with her. These past seven years feel like a short time, at the same time it’s hard to think of a time when we were not together. If I say I love her, but I don’t like spending time with her, then I’m a liar. In the same manner, if we say we love God, but we don’t spend time with Him, then we cannot say we have fellowship with God.
What we will learn today is going to be powerless if it doesn’t result in the practical worship of Jesus. Through Jesus we have full access to God, we can draw near to God anytime, any moment, but we must do it, it has to be a habit in our lives, each day we need to draw near to God.
Today we continue our journey through chapter 7 of Hebrews my prayer is that we will not only increase in knowledge about Jesus but our hearts will be filled with a renewed love for Jesus as our High Priest, that our dedication and commitment to Him would be like when we first came to faith. That we will leave here today with a desire to be Jesus, to be in His presence, because we love Him and to share this love, the gospel with others around us.
In our study of this chapter of Hebrews, we already have seen how the author is developing his argument about Jesus' priestly order from Melchizedek. Two weeks ago, when we first started our study on chapter 7 we looked at the description of Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and the interpretation of that text here in Heb 7:1-10, then last week we studied v11-19 as we reviewed how the Levitical priesthood was only a shadow of what Jesus brings as the great and eternal high priest. Then today we will study the last section of chapter 7 where Jesus is exalted as our high priest.
20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath,
21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ”
Allen says here the author “introduces an explanation of the superiority of Christ’s priesthood, a confirmation that it was confirmed by an oath, and a contrast with the Levitical priesthood, which did not involve such an oath…the author’s intent to compare and contrast the Levitical priesthood with Jesus is not meant to be a comparison between lesser and greater but of kind. Jesus is not said to become a priest by a “better oath” than the Levites. Using the argument from silence, the author observes that nowhere are any of the Levitical priests said to be priests by any oath from God. The distinction that he draws is thus not of degree, but of kind: between priests with no oath and Jesus, a priest by means of God’s oath recorded in Ps 110”
So, when you put side by side the Levitical priesthood and Jesus’ priesthood, Jesus is not just superior He is of another level. It is like tasting mud pies and then real homemade apple pie, they are both pies, but the mud pie is just a shadow of the real thing, it is only meant to point to the real thing, Jesus is on another level, He is delightful and life-giving. With Jesus there is freedom and full access to God, complete forgiveness of sins, through Jesus there is God’s love and acceptance and adoption.
22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
It is so much better with Jesus, in Him, there is life, eternal life, and hope now in this life. For those who were in the Old Covenant, the new covenant was radically different, but also radically better. Imagine that you are in the covenant of marriage with someone you were told to marry however you don’t love this person and you don’t know this person and the only reason you do, it is because you were told to do so. Now contrast that with entering the marriage covenant because you know your future spouse and you love your spouse.
Doesn’t love make the marriage covenant much better? How much more it is with Christ, who loved us while we were still sinners, who rescued and redeemed us, who gave us life at the cost of His blood. Isn’t it a much better covenant just by the fact that He loves us and we love Him?
But, it says Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant. When it says guarantor it means if you believe Him and follow Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength then you are in His hands, it depends on Him on His work and His faithfulness.
Riggans said that the term guarantor is a “Greek term used only here in the New Testament. It is one used of a person who offers himself as security for the repayment of a loan, or for the appearance of someone who is on bail at the court.”
In Greek v 22 is written in a way that the last word of this verse is Jesus, thus making Jesus the focal point of the argument, He is the mediator and the guarantor of the new covenant. Jesus is our hope, our life, our Lord, our confidence, and our assurance. Jesus is our sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.
As the author has Jesus as the climax of the discussion he continues focusing on Jesus until the end of chapter 7.
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,
24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
The original readers of this letter might have assumed that the Levitical priests were better because they were more in number than a single priest. We might say that is quite silly, but the question remains, why?
First, tradition can have a pull in our hearts more than we want to admit. For the first readers, it was the tradition of the Levitical priesthood, what about us? Is there any tradition that we might be holding that is keeping us from seeing and loving Christ the way we should? What is the thing that you might be saying to yourself… if I just had …(fill the blank) I would be happier, what is it that you daily are desiring or wanting, it might be sleep, a better relationship, or better health, or better job... What is the desire that has a strong pull in your heart? Have you submitted this desire under the lordship of Jesus?
Back to our question, why someone would trust in tradition or the higher numbers instead of Christ? When our eyes don’t see the spiritual reality, we are often more impressed with the numbers of what we see. Remember the prophet Elisha and when the king of Syria sent a great army with horses and chariots to seize Elisha. Then Elisha’s servant saw the great army and he was dismayed and told Elisha “Alas, my master, what shall we do?” then Elisha prayed that his servant's eyes would be open then the young man saw the mountain full of horses, and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
It is very unlikely that any of us will have an army coming to seize us, however, we might go for a regular medical check-up and find out that we have cancer, or there is trouble in the life of your kids that is so disturbing that you can’t even digest and process the information. What are we seeing in these moments? We are seeing only the physical reality, only the great numbers, and we are not seeing the one high priest, we are not seeing the spiritual reality that Jesus is going to hold us through whatever circumstances we might find ourselves. We are not seeing our great High Priest interceding for us, in what we are going through to the Father.
It is not a surprise for God, everything is still in His hands under His reign, and somehow as we trust and rely on Christ it is going to be for our good and for His glory. We are loved by God, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Going back to the text, to v 23, 24. The author’s response to original readers was that the higher number of priests through the Levitical order just points out their inferiority because they were mere mortal men. While the singularity of Christ’s priesthood points out the power, eternality, and superiority of Jesus as the singular full, and final provision of God to mankind.
Because he continues forever the author says in v25
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Because Jesus lives forever as our high priest, He is always interceding for us to the Father. Jesus is the mediator between God and man, through Him we have full access to the Father. Because Jesus lives forever as our high priest he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him.
Guthrie says “That is, since Christ’s priesthood lasts forever, there are no limitations on the mediation he offers between us and God. His priestly ministry brings a complete salvation in that it not only offers temporary deliverance from sin, but perfects those who come to God through him for all time. We could not hope to draw near eternally to the eternal God through a dead priest. In Jesus we have a priest who provides salvation for us perpetually and completely.”
Rom 8:31-34 “31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”
Thus, Jesus as our eternal high priest can save us permanently and completely as He is perfectly interceding for us. Our job is to draw near to God through Jesus, we will get back to this later on today, for now, let’s continue in v26.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
The last time the author of Hebrews said it is fitting was in chapter 2 verse 10 when God says that it was fitting for Christ to be made perfect through suffering, that is for Christ to be our perfect high priest He had to die so we could live. Now we are told that it was fitting that we should have such an absolutely pure and holy high priest, that is, it is necessary for us to have a such perfect and holy intermediary because God’s holiness has not changed in order to accept us.
It is only through Christ that we can draw near to God, we have full access, and we can boldly approach the throne of grace because of Christ. We cannot approach God apart from Christ. The most prideful human being should be able to recognize at a minimum that we are not perfect at all times. When we compare ourselves to God’s standard it should cause all of us to recognize that what we truly deserve is eternal condemnation in hell.
However, through faith in Jesus alone, we can have our sins completely forgiven, “ as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103)
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Rom 5:8-11 “8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
“For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”
This is our savior, our Lord, our high priest. Here in v, 26 Jesus is described in five terms: holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. These five descriptions are close in meaning, they all point to Jesus’ absolute purity and holiness. The first four describe Jesus’ nature and the last one describes his position.
Allen says “Jesus is one who is “holy,” a word describing his inner character and in the immediate context suggests sinlessness. The word in Greek connotes the idea of piety and inner purity. This high priest Jesus is also “blameless,” that is, “free from evil.” He is also “pure,” that is, untainted by sin. The word indicates the absence of any legal or moral pollution. The point is that Jesus is free from anything that would in any way defile, prohibit, or disqualify him from priestly service. He is also “set apart from sinners,” Jesus is spatially separated from “sinners” in that he is not on the earth but is in heaven. The fifth descriptive clause, “exalted above the heavens,” affirms the exalted dignity that Jesus now enjoys in heaven.”
Furthermore, v27
27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
Jesus is not only absolutely pure and holy, but His sacrifice is also perfect. Remember Jesus is not only superior, but He is on another level than the Levitical priests. The former priests were not holy, so they have to offer sacrifices for their sins and then for the people, as Lev 16:6-7 says “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting”
Bruce said “But Jesus has no need to present a daily sacrifice—or, for that matter, a yearly sacrifice—for his people’s sins. He presented a permanently valid sin offering on their behalf when he offered up his own life—an offering so perfect and efficacious that it needs no repetition. Still less has he any need to present such a sacrifice for himself; he is “holy, innocent, unstained.” We have already been told that he “made purification for sins” (1:3), that he was appointed “to make atonement for the people’s sins” (2:17), since it is the function of every high priest to “offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” (5:1). But now we are told expressly the nature of the sacrifice which our Lord offered: “he offered up himself.”
Later in chapters 9 and 10, the author of Hebrews will develop more on Christ’s sacrifice, that it is because of Jesus’ blood that we have great confidence to enter the holy place; that it is the blood of Jesus who cleanses us and purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
After telling us all these amazing truths about Jesus as our high priest, the author of Hebrews ends this chapter with v28
28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
The author of Hebrews concludes with a summary contrasting the Levitical priesthood with the priesthood of Jesus. The first contrast is that the former priests were appointed by the law, while Jesus was appointed by God’s word of oath. On one side there are men in their weakness, morally imperfect and mortal, while Jesus is absolutely holy, innocent, and unstained and lives forever, who offered himself once and for all on our behalf.
Because we have such a High Priest we can draw near to God confidently through Jesus. But you might ask how can we draw near to God.
In my opinion, Piper gives the best practical answer.
“Do you go west, east, north, south, altar, on your knees? The answer is you don’t move a muscle. You don’t move the muscle of your tongue. This is a spiritual act, not a physical one. … it is something you can do standing rock solid. It is something you can do flat on your back in a hospital bed, and it is something that you can do sitting in a church on a Sunday morning listening to a sermon. And I plead with you right now, in the name of Jesus, to do it. You do not have to wait until this service is over — to go home and get on your knees, or to get in a quiet place somewhere after this church service — to do this. This is something that I commend for the doing of right now.
By saying in your heart, mind, will, with eyes open or eyes closed, “God, I come. I draw near. I want a hand on my shoulder. I want a hand of blessing on my head. I want support under my back. I want the priest at your right hand cleansing my heart. I don’t want to go through the rest of this service right now distant from you like I felt when I walked into this room.” You don’t need to bow one millimeter to do that. It is a spiritual act of the heart, without a motion of a muscle”
As we draw near we should approach God with stupendous gratitude for Jesus, our High Priest. We should tell Him how great a High Priest He is to us, all that we learned here today we should use as we praise Him and thank Him for Who He is.
Furthermore, this is something we can do it now, but anytime, any moment through Christ’s priesthood we have full access to the very presence of God. We can’t be reminded enough of our privilege to just be in God’s presence and have fellowship with Him.
Pray