Jesus Christ as High Priest
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Hebrews 4:14–15
Hebrews 4:14–15
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
Jesus Christ, being a truly human high priest, perfectly represents humanity before God. He made atonement for sins by his own sacrificial death. Being a truly divine high priest, this act of Christ’s was perfect, once for all and of eternal value.
The ministry of Jesus Christ as high priest
He made atonement for sin
17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.
7 But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.
12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
He represents human beings before God
1 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins.
1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.
2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
He entered the Most Holy Place
On the Day of Atonement the high priest entered the Most Holy Place (the sanctuary) which represented the presence of God. Jesus Christ fulfilled this ritual by entering heaven.
24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.
19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
He makes believers perfect
14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
He brings believers close to God
19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house,
22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
He intercedes continually
24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.
25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
Jesus Christ, the human high priest
As a man he is able to represent human beings
17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.
He is divinely appointed
5 That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”
6 And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus Christ, the divine high priest
He is sinless
Jesus Christ is strongly contrasted with other high priests because he did not have to offer sacrifices for his own sins.
26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.
27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.
Jesus Christ’s high priesthood was of the order of Melchizedek
The priesthood of Melchizedek resembles that of Jesus Christ because he too was king and had neither beginning nor end.
20 Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.
4 The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.
2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.”
3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.
4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.
In Conclusion:
Responses to Jesus Christ’s high priesthood
Heb 4:14–15 a call to keep to the faith; Heb 4:16 an invitation to seek God’s help in times of need; Heb 10:19–22 an invitation to draw near to God; Heb 12:1–3 a call to run the race of faith; Heb 12:28–29 a call to offer thanksgiving and worship
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.
15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.
20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.
21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house,
22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
Have A Blessed Week!