A Different Kind of Priest!
Usually when we think of a priest, we think of a priest in the Catholic Church who wears a cleric collar and can't get married. In the Old Testament, the Great High Priest was chosen by God, and once a year would go into the Most Holy Place and offer sacrifices to God. This included offering the innocent lamb, who was slain for the sins of the people. So the author of Hebrews, who is writing mainly to Jewish Christians, wants to use this analogy to explain why Jesus was and is the great high priest.
Here is how Jesus is a different kind of Great High Priest.
1. Jesus was born a man and went through all the temptations we did. We sometimes miss that He was tempted in every way. You can imagine what that means for you?
2. Though He was tempted in every way, he did not sin like the Most High Priest did. Therefore, the high priest had to make sacrifices for his own sins, not just the people.
3. Jesus was both the high priest and the innocent lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world.
4. Since Jesus was tempted in all the ways we are, he is gentle and merciful with us because he understands the human condition. I.e. We don't have to hide from Him!
5. We can approach God's throne with confidence that we may receive mercy in times of need. Did you hear that? We can approach God with confidence when we have sinned and need forgiveness. This is not confidence in ourselves, but in Jesus who lavished His grace upon us on the cross, because of His great love for you and I.
Is that Good News for you? I'm not sure God could have made it any clearer how we can approach him and have a relationship with Him through Jesus. I guess the only question for us is do we believe it???
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
Here is how Jesus is a different kind of Great High Priest.
1. Jesus was born a man and went through all the temptations we did. We sometimes miss that He was tempted in every way. You can imagine what that means for you?
2. Though He was tempted in every way, he did not sin like the Most High Priest did. Therefore, the high priest had to make sacrifices for his own sins, not just the people.
3. Jesus was both the high priest and the innocent lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world.
4. Since Jesus was tempted in all the ways we are, he is gentle and merciful with us because he understands the human condition. I.e. We don't have to hide from Him!
5. We can approach God's throne with confidence that we may receive mercy in times of need. Did you hear that? We can approach God with confidence when we have sinned and need forgiveness. This is not confidence in ourselves, but in Jesus who lavished His grace upon us on the cross, because of His great love for you and I.
Is that Good News for you? I'm not sure God could have made it any clearer how we can approach him and have a relationship with Him through Jesus. I guess the only question for us is do we believe it???
Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
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