Our Great High Priest is Jesus. It’s difficult to describe the intense meaning behind that description without going into the Old Testament. On a Sunday morning I share God’s grace with all who will listen. The people who are watching online or present for a worship service don’t NEED me to approach God’s throne with their prayers and hymns of praise. God’s hears and accepts our worship for Jesus’ sake.
That is completely different from the system of worship that God set up in the Old Testament. Through Aaron and the rest of the Levites God made a tribe of priests that went before God. They were go-betweens for God’s people. The people learned that 1) God was holy and they weren’t. 2) Since they had sinned something had to die for that sin. 3) It wouldn’t be them – normally an animal gave it’s life as symbol of the ultimate sacrifice who would one day come to die for the sins of the whole world.
This is where Jesus comes in. As our Great High Priest Jesus didn’t have pay for his own sins. Even in the Old Testament the priest would have to offer a sacrifice for his own sins first before ministering before God’s people. Jesus was holy – tempted in every way, just as we are, yet his is without sin. The Old Testament priests offered a never-ending train of sacrifices for the never-end list of sins for God’s people. Jesus offered himself once for all – the righteous for the unrighteous.
This has enormous implications for our lives. For example, when we pray, not only don’t we need to end every petition “in Jesus’ name we pray,” we don’t need to mention God. He knows when we’re talking to him. God hears our prayer for Jesus sake. Have you ever had someone ask you to do something that you normally wouldn’t do? BUT if a dear friend of yours requested this, you would do it in a heart beat. This is the picture we have when it comes to prayer. Because of Jesus God will listen and he will answer according to his gracious will, in his perfect time.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s message taken from Hebrews 5.
Topic(s): Lent
Book(s): Hebrews
Tag(s): Lent
Speaker(s): Fred Guldberg