What It Means That Jesus Is Our High Priest (Hebrews 3-7)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Why does Hebrews talk so much about our great high priest, and what does this mean for us today?

For many Christians today, high priest terminology can be confusing. So when they get to chapters in the Bible like Hebrews 3-8, they don't know what to do. But keep in mind the author of Hebrews original intention. The goal was to help a small group of Jewish believers understand that Jesus was better in every way—better than the angels, better than Moses, and a better High Priest.

Here is why that last one is important. The role of a high priest under the Old Covenant, as portrayed in the Old Testament, was to mediate between humanity and God. But this was always an imperfect structure that pointed towards the day Jesus would come to earth and suffer as a perfect sacrifice and atone for the sins of humanity—past, present, and future—in a way that no earthly high priest could. This title underscores the unique and superior nature of Jesus' role in reconciling humanity with God.

As our great high priest, Jesus is our mediator. As Robert Peterson writes,

"There were three qualifications for the position of Mediator between God and humanity: candidates must be God (only the three persons of the Godhead qualify!), they must have become human (only one qualifies), and they need "on the job" experience. Christ met the third qualification by learning obedience to God's will through suffering."^[1]

In Christ, we find perfect rest. Apart from him, all the repentance and sacrifices made in the Old Testament would have been for nothing. And apart from him, all our striving to live a better life and be a better person is meaningless. Only when we place our complete trust in him can we rest confidently in the arms of the very one who created us.   

But like the Jewish believers in the first century, we struggle to embrace the hope that Christ offers. Perhaps we have grown up in a church community, but our faith has stagnated. As a result, we feel the weight of the words of Hebrews 5:12, which says, "Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God's revelation again. You need milk, not solid food."

But if this is where you're at today, there is hope. The Word of God is powerful and transformative. As Gareth Cockerill writes, "Exposure to the word of God exposes us to God's own standard, His own holy character and, therefore, as 4:13 makes clear, to God himself."^[2]

Only as we read the Old Testament through the filter of Hebrews and all Christ has done does it begin to make sense. We realize it's not just a collection of ancient books that inspires us to slay our giants, march around our Jericho's, or stand tall in our fiery furnaces. Instead, it's all about Jesus. He is the focal point, and everything points to him.

This reality should transform the way we pray. As N.T. Wright says, "When we come to pray to the heavenly father, we are not shouting across a great gulf. We are not trying to catch the attention of someone who has little or no concern for us."^[3] Because of who Christ is, we can do as Hebrews 4:16 instructs and "approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need."

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Thank you, Jesus, for being my great high priest.

Release | I confess my sins to you and acknowledge my need.

Ask | Cleanse me as only you can.

Yield | In you, I find perfect rest.

A Challenge to Act Like Christ  

The first humans were created to be royal priests, but they rejected God. The great sin of ancient Israel was that they did not fully trust in God and enter the rest he offered. Thus, when Jesus did come, they were not anticipating him because he looked and sounded entirely different than they envisioned. This should serve as a warning to us.

But as Leon Morris notes, the author of Hebrews "argues that the purposes of God are not frustrated because Israel of old disobeyed him and failed to enter the rest he had promised his people. The promise remains. If the ancient Israel did not enter God's rest, then someone else will; namely, the Christians."^[4]

Simply put, we have today an opportunity that many rejected. We can place our complete trust in Jesus, our great high priest.

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^[1]Bryan Chapell, eds. Gospel Transformation Study Bible Notes. Accordance electronic ed. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), paragraph 5996.

[2] Cockerill, Gareth L.. Hebrews: A Commentary for Bible Students (Wesleyan Bible Study Commentary) . Wesleyan Publishing House. Kindle Edition. Location 2248.

^[3]N. T. Wright, Hebrews for Everyone, vol. 16 of Accordance electronic ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 45.

[4] Leon Morris, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Hebrews Through Revelation, 39.