JESUS CHRIST is our ‘compassionate’ HIGH PRIEST today!
December
14 Bible Reading: Hebrews Chapters 4-6
JESUS CHRIST is our ‘compassionate’ HIGH PRIEST today!
"Seeing
then that 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 cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb
4:14-16)
The writer
of Hebrews has already introduced Jesus Christ as our great High Priest earlier
as follows: "Therefore, holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus" (Heb 3:1). He is our great High
Priest who is seated in His heavenly throne on the right hand of God the Father
(Rom. 8:34). He was both human (Jesus) and divine (Christ), who can truly
sympathize and empathize with us even though He was the sinless perfection who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21), who committed no sin (1 Pet. 2:22), and no sin was seen in Him (1 John 3:5).
Our state of
total transparency before a sinless and sympathetic God ought to encourage us
to come boldly before Him, seeking mercy
and grace. Mercy refers to the remission and removal of our sins the
punishment of which we do deserve,
while grace refers to us receiving
spiritual gifts the blessings we don’t
deserve.
God's throne
has now become to us a ‘throne of grace’
through the mediation of our High Priest at God's right hand (Heb 8:1; 12:2).
We approach this throne of grace, not of judgment, obtaining mercy for the past and grace for the present and future. Our
confidence to approach Him boldly is based on the knowledge that He died to save us and that He lives to keep us. He will welcome us
with open arms when we go to Him in prayer.
Only
Christianity provides such boldness for sinful men before a holy God, and that
boldness is possible only because of our High Priest, Jesus Christ. The
sobering thought of our complete exposure before God draws us to the merciful
High Priest who, having been tempted can help us in our weakness. He lives to intercede for us (7:25) and to help us to do His will (13:20–21).
