Let me be clear about where we left off in our last session. You and I are eternally secure in this life and the next—as long as we stay faithfully attached to Yeshua, the Son, who brings us to YHWH, the Father. There is no controversy here because remaining connected to Jesus is our heart’s desire, thanks to the work of his Spirit. Hallelujah!
That is why the author wants to turn our attention to his central theme, presenting Jesus as the great high priest (6:13-10:25). Our faith and assurance are built upon his identity and character. Our confidence and faithfulness grow as we experience him functioning in this role.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is a merciful high priest precisely because, as a man, he was tempted.
The author is making a remarkable claim. Jesus suffered every temptation you and I have suffered, but he did not sin. Remember, to be tempted is not the same as to sin. The New Testament is quite clear on this point. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, was spotless—without sin or blemish.
And yet, he was tested in every way, even by the devil himself. He faced all the temptations any man or woman faces in this broken world. But he did not sin. It is hard to think of Jesus this way because he is so grand and glorious in his resurrected condition, seated at the right hand of the Almighty. The fact is he is continually interceding for you with enormous empathy. And that should give you real hope and confidence.
If I had to come before the throne of the Holy God and had the opportunity to have someone intercede on my behalf, I would not have a moment’s doubt that I would ask for my wife. Why? She knows me like no other and loves me like no other. (Except Jesus!) I would experience undaunted hope, knowing that someone like her was in there, bending their Father’s ear on my behalf.
Interceding is what Jesus is doing for you and me.
He knows you intimately, more than any other. He understands and empathizes with your struggles. He accepts you unconditionally and loves you everlastingly. He is not only a faithful high priest; he is a merciful one.
So we are beckoned to draw near, confidently, to the throne characterized by grace. Hear me. It is not just a throne of judgment. With Messiah as your high priest, it is a place where you will find help in your time of need. What is your situation? Where do you need mercy and grace?
We often misunderstand the word grace by reducing it to only mean God’s unmerited favor; he has a favorable disposition toward you. But it also means being effectively equivalent to God’s power. The grace to overcome is the power to overcome. Draw near to Jesus as he draws near to the throne on your behalf and intercedes for you.
Paul was struggling physically with a continual, as he called it, thorn in his flesh. Three times, he pleaded with the Lord to remove the burden from him. What was God’s answer? My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Notice the Hebrew parallelism here—my grace and my power.
The answer so inspired confidence in the apostle that he went on to say, Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. In Jesus, we not only experience a divine disposition of kindness, graciousness, and mercy toward us, but we also receive empowerment to move ahead confidently.
For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins (Heb 5:1). Notice the language of offering gifts as well as sacrifices for sins. Many of the offerings at the Temple were not sin offerings. There were gratitude, thanksgiving, praise, and relational offerings for fellowship and priestly support.
God’s ideal for the high priest was that of mature understanding and compassionate service.
He wanted the high priest to model how to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward. Why? Since he himself is beset with weakness (5:2). Sadly, both the history of Israel and the Church are tainted with a top-down accumulation of power among an elitist hierarchy ruling over rather than serving God’s people as his representatives.
The high priest was supposed to show mercy because he knew what it was to receive it! Because he is beset with weakness, he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people (5:3). Do you see the point?
The allusion here is to the Day of Atonement. Before the high priest can enter the Holy of Holies, he must be cleansed and purified. In other words, there are sacrifices specifically for him. Only then can he confidently enter and offer sacrifice on behalf of others.
No one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was (5:4). The high priesthood is not something to which you can aggrandize yourself. It is a divine calling. God appointed it to Aaron, and to Aaron’s offspring, the tribe of Levi, and specifically Aaron’s offspring, the priests (Kohanim).
Messiah did not exalt himself or take to himself the high priesthood.
This idea is crucial to the author’s line of reasoning. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob selected him. Let’s pause here. Can you think of a Scripture where the Father appoints his Son to be high priest? It is not found in the Gospels. There, he becomes the great king of God’s kingdom. It is not found anywhere else in the New Testament, only in Hebrews.
It is another startling revelation of what Jesus’ faithfulness unto death has accomplished for the people he is saving. The author of Hebrews says the calling of Jesus as high priest can be prophetically traced back to Psalm 2 and Psalm 110.
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek” (5:5-6).
These are the proof texts for the author of Hebrews. They inspire the acknowledgment that God has appointed and anointed Jesus as high priest. We will expand on this as we proceed. For now, let’s continue our study of this passage by reading verses 7 through 9.
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.
What a Savior! What a King!
Here is another crucial place to remember that Hebrews, with all of its warnings, is—according to the author—a word of exhortation, of encouragement (13:22). This revealed role and function of Messiah Jesus is the cornerstone of his entire message. We heard it first in 2:17. Mentioned again in 3:1, it has now surfaced as the dominant theme and the key to understanding this unique book, which I think has particular relevance in our day and age.
