Written ~ 11-28-2023
Hebrews 4:14-16
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 testing 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.”
Jesus Christ the Son of God is the ultimate High Priest. But what is a High Priest? From my research, here is a simplified definition…
- The High Priest played a key role in the religious system of the Israelites. He was the intercessor (arbitrator, mediator) between God and His people, acting as their representative before God. The priest offered sacrifices and gifts on behalf of the people to reconcile (unite, harmonize) them to God.
So why is Jesus the ultimate High Priest? Because He is the perfect Son of God. He is the sinless sacrifice. When Jesus intercedes for us it’s because He knows exactly what we are going through, because He went through it Himself. When a man is chosen to be High Priest he would take on the responsibility as intercessor for the Israelites, but he brought with him all of his own sin and presented sacrifices of repentance so they all could be reconciled to God. So the main difference between that High Priest and Jesus Christ as High Priest, is sin. The Israelites High Priest would have to bring sacrifices over and over again for the repentance of sin. Jesus does not, He is the final Sacrifice. This is who we have standing as our mediator before the Almighty God. To further understand this position, let’s look at Hebrews 5:1-5a,
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. 2 And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. 3 That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.
4 And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. 5 That is why Christ did not honor Himself by assuming He could become High Priest. No, He was chosen by God…”
Now that we have established why Jesus Christ is the ultimate High Priest, when we look at verse 4:14b and it says,
“…let us hold firmly to what we believe…”
What is it that we believe?
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God
- He came down from Heaven
- He sacrificed His life for ours
- Sinlessly died on a cross for our sins
- Raised from the dead
- Lives in Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God
- Jesus is our mediator, He is our High Priest
As belief turns into acceptance and we repent of our sins and become a child of God we hold firmly to those beliefs and do not waver. We have come to understand that Jesus went through every testing and temptation we do, Jesus however, never sinned, He never fell victim to temptation (verse 4:15). And because of that we now have the best representative in Christ Jesus. A human mediator comes with their own agenda, their own sin. But when Jesus stands between our sin and the Almighty God we can come boldly to His throne. Verse 14:16,
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.”
Look how the Amplified Version puts this verse (love it),
16 “Therefore let us with privilege, approach the throne of grace that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor, with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy for our failures and find His amazing grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].”
Because of what Christ has done for us we can come boldly to the throne of God.
I don’t think our minds can comprehend what the throne of God would look like, but let’s look at what it says about the throne of God in Revelation 4:2b-5a,
2b “…I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. 3 The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled His throne like a rainbow. 4 Twenty-four thrones surrounded Him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. 5a From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames…”
Can you imagine that scene? To me, it seems quite intimidating! But the Bible says when we believe in the Son of God and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior we can come to the throne of God boldly, confidently, without fear. Wow!
At this throne, we receive mercy, we receive grace. Why? Because we have Jesus standing in the gap, He is holding out His hand because we belong to Him. He is ushering us up to His Father and proudly announcing us as brother, as sister and because of the His mediation we are given the ultimate gift of unity and reconciliation with the Almighty God.
Awesome. I think I’m speechless. LOL. To think about what Jesus did for us on that cross 2,000 years ago, He did that so we can “walk” up to the throne of God with confidence… I don’t know about you but, I am exceedingly grateful. I am greatly humbled that as a sinner, I get to serve a wonderful Savior, who sees me cleansed and white as snow.
Thank you Father for allowing me, through Your Son, to come to your throne of grace and receive mercy. I am thankful that though I am a sinner, I can come boldly and confidently to You because Jesus vouches for me!
~AMEN~