We have a great High Priest.

The word “priest”, I think, for most people, brings to mind images of the Catholic clergy.  People hear “priest”, and they almost instantly start thinking about clerical collars, Gregorian chants, and forced celibacy.  Which is a shame because, for the past 500 years or so the Catholic clergy has been plagued with scandal, abuse, and corruption.   I mention this at the start, not to disparage the Catholic clergy (for they do that well enough on their own), but because today we are celebrating the fact that in Jesus we have a GREAT High Priest, and I don’t want you to be confused.  The GREAT High Priest that we are celebrating this morning is most definitely not a member of the Catholic clergy.

To get a better understanding of what I mean when I say Jesus is our GREAT High Priest we need to look, not to the Catholic clergy, but to religious leaders of ancient Israel.  3,000 years ago, the LORD instructed Moses to anoint Aaron and his sons as priest over Israel.  The primary purpose of these priest was to serve as a representative and mediator between the people and the LORD.  In this way the priest was different than the prophet.  Whereas the prophet represented God before the people, the priest represented the people before God.  The function of the priest is most easily understood by the sacrifices they offered on behalf of the people.  The sacrifice the priest offered on the great Day of Atonement[1] is probably the best example. 

On the great Day of Atonement, and only on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and the Glory of the Lord dwelled.  But before the high priest entered the holy of holies, he first needed to sacrifice a bull for his own sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household.  Additionally, the high priest was to select one goat to be sacrificed to the Lord as the people’s sin offering and another goat to be the people’s scapegoat.  The high priest was to lay his hands on the head of the scapegoat and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sin of the people.  The high priest would then send the scapegoat, which bore the sins of the people, into the wilderness.  The great Day of Atonement was observed year after year for thousands of years.  Through sacrifices like the great Day of Atonement God was teaching His people that sin was removed from them through the sacrifice of an innocent substitute as facilitated by the high priest. 

3,000 years have passed since the LORD established the office of the high priest and yet we are just as much in need of a high priest today as the Israelites of old.  We, like they, have built our golden calves.  We, like they, have allowed ourselves to be influenced by the pagans around us.  We, like they, have failed to keep the LORD’ commands, laws, and decrees.  We, like they, are guilty of sin which makes it impossible for us to come into the presence of the LORD’s glory.  We, like they, are in desperate need of a high priest. 

Thankfully, today, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews doesn’t just tell us that we have a high priest, but he tells us that we have a GREAT High Priest.  As I see it, there are four things in Hebrews 4:14-16 that explain what makes Jesus such a GREAT High Priest. 

The first thing that makes Jesus a GREAT High Priest is Jesus is the highest of High Priests.  In verse 14 we read, “14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”  Whereas ancient Israel’s high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies once a year, Jesus is allowed to enter heaven itself, and not only is He admitted temporary entrance into heaven, but Jesus is a permanent resident of heaven.  Whereas ancient Israel’s high priest anxiously entered the presence of the Lord’s glory, Jesus makes Himself comfortable in the presence of the LORD’s glory.  As saint Paul told the Ephesians, Jesus takes a seat right beside God the Father and props His feet up.  I don’t mean to suggest that Jesus spends His days reclining in a heavenly lazy boy, I just mean to say He is comfortable there.  Jesus is much more comfortable in the heavens than any of ancient Israel’s high priest were in the holy of holies because ancient Israel’s high priests were sinful sons of Adam and Jesus is the sinless Son of God.  

As the Son of God Jesus is the highest of High Priest and yet Jesus is not an aloof representative and mediator.  The second thing that makes Jesus a GREAT High Priest is Jesus is a sympathetic High Priest.  In the first half of verse 15 we read, “15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -” The difference between empathy and sympathy is personal experience.  To empathize with someone, you imagine what it is like to walk in their shoes.  To sympathize with someone, you recognize their shoes have the same wear and tear as your own.  When it comes to temptation Jesus does not empathize with you, rather, He sympathizes with you.  You don’t have to look any further than our gospel lesson for today for an example of what I am talking about.  Luke tells us Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where for forty days Jesus was tempted by the devil.  In our Gospel lesson Luke highlights three of those temptations but those were not the only temptations that Jesus faced.  We just read that Jesus was tempted “in every way, just as we are”.  That means as a little boy Jesus was tempted to sass His momma and daddy, as a young man Jesus was tempted to lust after a pretty girl, as a grown man Jesus was tempted to be jealous of those more fortunate than Himself.  Whatever temptation you have faced Jesus has faced it.  That means Jesus knows from personal experience what it is like to struggle with temptation, which makes Jesus the ideal person to talk to when you are being tempted.  If you are struggling with a sin, talk to Jesus about it and then listen and learn from Him how to deal with that temptation.

Jesus not only knows what you are going through but Jesus is the only one to overcome temptation.  The third thing that makes Jesus a GREAT High Priest is Jesus is a perfect High Priest.  Verse 15 concludes with these words, “15… -yet was without sin.” There are two ways we can understand these words, and both of them are beneficial for the people Jesu represents and offers mediation.  The first way to understand “without sin” is to say that Jesus perfectly resisted temptation; He never missed the mark, He never crossed the line, He never fell short.  The second way to understand “without sin” is to say that Jesus did not and does not possess a sinful nature.  Unlike every other man woman and child born of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, Jesus was neither conceived nor born sinful.  All the temptations that Jesus faced did not come from inside of Him, rather, His temptation came from forces outside of Him, forces like the devil and the sinful world.  Either way we understand the words “without sin” is, as I said, a blessing for us because either understanding reassures us that Jesus is that perfect substitute that God required to save sinners like you and me.  If Jesus were not the perfect High priest than He would have to shed His blood again and again to make atonement for our sins, just as ancient Israel’s high priests were constantly offering sacrifices to atone for the sins of their people.  However, Jesus is the perfect High Priest, which is why latter in Hebrews 10 the author tells us “by one sacrifice he [Jesus] has made perfect those who are being made holy.”[2] 

Having a High Priest who has made a perfect sacrifice for our sins fills us with confidence.  That brings me to the fourth thing that makes Jesus a GREAT High Priest, which is Jesus is an approachable High Priest.  In verse 16 we read, “16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Typically, heaven’s throne makes us think of the Ancient of Days sitting on the judgement seat and separating believers from unbelievers.  Before such a throne, sinners, such as ourselves, ought to shrink back in terror.  However, we are able to approach the Heaven’s throne with confidence because Jesus the High Priest sits on that throne.  Seeing Jesus sitting on heaven’s throne fills us with confidence for two reasons.  First, we approach heaven’s throne with confidence because Jesus is merciful, meaning Jesus does not give us what we deserve.  We are not punished for our sins because Jesus has already been punished in our place.  As the first half of one of my favorite verses says, “God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us.”[3]  Second, we approach heaven’s throne with confidence because Jesus is gracious, meaning Jesus give us what we do not deserve.  We are declared righteous because Jesus wraps His robe of righteousness around us.  As the second half of one of my favorite verses says, “in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”[4]  We are able to approach heaven’s throne because Jesus extends His mercy and grace to us. 

As I see it there are four things in Hebrews 4:14-16 that explain why Jesus is a GREAT High Priest.  1- Jesus is the highest of High Priest, 2 – Jesus is a sympathetic High Priest, 3 - Jesus is a perfect High Priest, and 4 – Jesus is an approachable High Priest.   But, today, the main reason we are celebrating Jesus as the GREAT High Priest is because Jesus is our High Priest.  Take another look at verse 14.  There we are told that “14… we have a great high priest.”  We have Him.  He is ours.  We are His.  Jesus is our High Priest; we are His people.  Jesus represents us before God.  Jesus mediates for us before God.  Jesus stands between sinners like you and me and the Holy God.  As our High Priest Jesus has atoned for all the golden calves we have built, He has atoned for our failure to keep the pagans from influencing us, He has atoned for the commands, laws, and decrees we have broken.  Jesus, our High Priest has atoned for our every sin and made it possible for us to stand before the LORD’s glory not just in the holy of holies but in the highest heavens.  Over the years the ancient Israelites had some good high priests, but they were all shadows of the GREAT High Priest who was to come.  Jesus, our High Priest is no mere shadow of things to come.  Jesus our High Priest is the GREAT High Priest.  

Rejoice with me my fellow believers!  We have a GREAT High Priest.  Amen

[1] Leviticus 16

[2] Hebrews 10:14

[3] 2 Corinthians 5:21a

[4] 2 Corinthians 5:21b