Jesus: the Greater High Priest
Hebrews 4:14-5:14
SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 4:14-16
INTRODUCTION:
Up to this point we have seen in Hebrews, the message that Jesus is GREATER…
· Chapter 1 – Greater than Angels and Prophets
· Chapter 2 – The Greater Man
· Chapter 3 – Greater than Moses, and provides us a Greater Rest than the Israelites had in the Promised Land.
· Chapter 4 & 5 – The Greater High Priest
What do you picture when you think of a Priest? Chances are you picture a certain kind of clothing. There’s probably some truth in the expression, “clothes make the man.” If you think of a police officer, a fireman, a soldier --- or even a ball-player, you picture a certain uniform. When you think of a Priest you probably picture a long black robe with vestments and a stiff white collar.
That’s not what the Jewish Christians pictured when they heard the word Priest. They pictured a man dressed in a white linen robe with a robe of deep blue over it. He would have a breastplate with 12 stones on it, and a golden frontlet. They would picture the High Priest, entering the Holy of Holies in the Temple.
Only the High Priest was allowed to pass through that Curtain and make sacrifices for the sins of the nation on the Day of Atonement. Only the High Priest could go before God as the people’s Representative. Only the High Priest could offer sacrifices as payment for the nation’s sins. If you were a Jew, you looked to the High Priest as your one and only hope of salvation.
The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus Christ is now the one and only High Priest for all the world. Let’s look in Hebrews 4 and 5 to see why Jesus is the GREATER High Priest. For one thing, Jesus is a SYMPATHETIC PRIEST.
1. A Sympathetic Priest Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 4:15 says 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.
The Jewish people wanted to have a Sympathetic Priest --- but they didn’t always get it. In fact, the High Priest in Jesus’ day was an embarrassment. Annas had been the High Priest, but the position had devolved to his son-in-law, Caiaphas.
· We know about Caiaphas because he played a central part in plotting Jesus’ death.
· But Annas was no sweetie-pie either. Annas got his power by compromising with Rome. He got his wealth by turning the Temple into a Shopping Mall --- full of tables that sold merchandise to worshipers. (These were the same tables that Jesus overturned in the Temple saying, My Father’s house is a House of Prayer, but you have made it a Den of Thieves!)
The point is that neither Annas, nor Caiaphas had any Sympathy for the people. All they really cared about was their own power and wealth. What a contrast we have in Jesus Christ! He put aside the power and wealth of Heaven to come and live on earth as a human.
Hebrews 5:1-4 describes the qualities of this new High Priest. Verse 2 says, 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.
The original Greek word for gentle is “metriopathein.” It literally means taking a middle course between apathy and anger. Think about how we tend to react when some ignorant person does something wrong. It’s very common to get ANGRY with them. Or if we don’t get angry it’s often because we just don’t care at all, and we’re completely APATHETIC.
But Jesus, our “true High Priest is not indifferent to moral lapses; neither is he harsh. He is able to take the position only because he shares himself in the same ‘weakness’ as the sinner on whom he has compassion.” Leon Morris, Expositor’s B.C. p.47
2. An Appointed Priest Hebrews 5:5
Hebrews 5:4 says that Jesus is not only a SYMPATHETIC Priest; He is an APPOINTED Priest. 4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.
Now, this may not mean much to us, but remember … Hebrews is called Hebrews because it was written to Hebrews. And all Hebrews knew that no one could claim to be a Priest unless they were duly appointed descendents of Aaron.
Anyone who attempted to be some kind of “self-appointed” High Priest was going to be in serious trouble. The Hebrew Christians were familiar with Old Testament examples of people who tried to usurp Priestly Authority. Every one of them met a bad end.
--- like the 250 princes of Korah’s family who decided they had the right to be Prophets and Priests just like Moses and Aaron. The earth opened up and swallowed them! (Numbers 16)
--- or like Aaron’s wicked sons, Nadab and Abihu. They took it on themselves to offer Sacrifices in their own way. When they offered unauthorized fire on the Altar, they ended up being consumed by authorized fire from God. (Leviticus 10)
The Hebrews knew that the High Priest had to be APPOINTED by God. Why? Because God said so! Hebrews 5:5 explains, 5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”
3. An Eternal Priest Hebrews 5:6
Why is Jesus our High Priest? Because God said so! Hebrews 5:6 tells us he will be our Priest FOREVER. 6 He says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
We’ll hear more about Melchizedek later when we look at Chapter 7 of Hebrews. For now, but let me simply say that Melchizedek was the Prince and Priest of Salem. He was a mysterious Priest whose beginning and end are unknown. There is no record of Melchizedek dying or being succeeded by another Priest. In the same way, Jesus will be a priest forever.
In fact, Jesus is the one “constant” in a life full of changes. These days, it is unusual to have a Pastor stay with any Congregation for very long. From age 10 to 18, I attended Scottsdale Christian Church in Arizona. During those 8 years, 3 different Ministers came and went. I liked all of them, and every time it was sad to have to say goodbye --- and get used to another spiritual leader.
Which reminds me of a story I heard about a lady who was devastated to hear her Preacher was leaving for another church. As she said goodbye, she started to cry. The Preacher comforted her: “Don’t be sad, dear sister. God will send you a new preacher, and he will be even better than the last one.”
“That’s what they told me before YOU came,” she wailed. “But it just keeps getting worse and worse.”
--- Well, that’s one way to keep a preacher humble…
But the truth is, just about everybody has trouble with change. And we have to realize that --- in this life --- there is no guarantee that anyone will be with you Forever. The time comes when we have to say goodbye to close friends --- to Pastors or Youth Ministers --- to teachers and mentors --- to co-workers and church members.
· As parents, we have to let our children go.
· As children we have to learn to live without our parents.
· Even loving husbands and wives can only make vows till death do us part.
But Jesus is with us forever --- from birth to death … and beyond. Just before his death, Jesus made this vow: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18 He is your ETERNAL High Priest. Jesus will never leave you.
4. An Obedient Priest Hebrews 5:7-8
And Hebrews 5:7-8 tells us that Jesus was also an OBEDIENT Priest. 7During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.
These verses probably refer to Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is a supreme example of One who learned obedience from what he suffered. If you think about it, obedience is never harder than when we are already suffering. And the temptation to disobey is never greater than when obedience will only bring us more pain.
That’s the situation Jesus faced in the Garden when he prayed, If it is possible, let this cup pass from me, but Your will be done. Never make the mistake of thinking Jesus did not WANT to obey. He was determined to obey his Father. But it’s one thing to decide to obey and quite another to physically walk into torture and death. Jesus was not only willing to obey … he obeyed all the way to the Cross.
5. A Perfect Priest Hebrews 5:9
Verse 9 goes on to explain: 9…and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
When it says Jesus was made perfect, this doesn’t mean Jesus had any character flaws that needed to be fixed. Jesus lived a perfect life, and he is a Perfect Priest. Jesus was Perfect before He ever came to earth. Life on earth did not make him more perfect than he already was.
The word perfect is a translation of the Greek word teleiou. The word means carrying something to completion, or fulfilling a task completely. The way “made perfect” is used here it is not talking about perfected character. It refers to Jesus being perfected in completion of His supreme task. When Jesus offered himself as the Perfect Sacrifice, he completed God’s Plan of Salvation. Jesus accomplished what no other High Priest could ever do. The Perfect Priest offered Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice.
CONCLUSION:
So Hebrews 5 shows us Jesus: our duly Appointed, Sympathetic, Obedient, Eternal, and Perfect High Priest.
But what does that mean for you and me today? Look at Hebrews 4:16. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Because Jesus is your High Priest, you don’t have to come before God all alone. You can approach the throne of God with confidence BECAUSE your High Priest is with you.
I tried to think of a modern-day experience that would be similar to this. We don’t have a King in the USA. And our President doesn’t sit on a Throne. The closest thing to this is probably when we go before a Judge in Court.
No one wants to go before a Judge without legal representation. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a trial where the Defendant decided to serve has his own Lawyer, but it’s not a pretty picture! In court you need an expert to Mediate for you. If you’re really lucky, you’ll get a Representative who is experienced, who takes genuine interest in your case, and who knows the Judge.
In Jesus you have a Representative who offers all of that and more. Jesus has experienced human life. He cares deeply about your case. He not only knows the Judge; He is the Judge’s one and only beloved son. --- And He offers His service is FREE of charge!
But it gets even better than that. Jesus will do more than represent you before God. God has declared that Jesus will also be the Judge. Look at John 5:27: 27And God has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
Imagine being a Defendant in a criminal case. You approach the Judge to get the final verdict. He looks down from the bench and says, “I’ll tell you what. I think I’ll let your Defense Lawyer make the judgment in your case.”
That’s what Jesus does as your High Priest. He is your Representative, your Counsel, your Helper and Friend. And in the end He will be your Judge.
