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Introduction
We have been going through the New Testament book of Hebrews for the past few weeks. Hebrews is all about staying anchored in our faith that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
God’s promises go all the way back to the beginning of the Old Testament. God made everything good, including humans. He created us to enjoy complete peace and fulfillment in fellowship with him and with one another. Humans rebelled against God, and ever since then, God has been taking steps to restore everything to the way it’s supposed to be.
Over the first four messages of this series, we have seen how Jesus is God, how he knows the temptations and challenges we face, that he is greater than any other person, and that through Jesus, we can experience complete rest from the battle against our former oppressor, which is our own rebellious and sinful nature.
Now, we come to the theme of Jesus as high priest, which is carried through the following chapters of Hebrews, so it will come up more throughout the upcoming messages.
Today, we will focus on what a priest is, why we need priests, and what it means that Jesus is our High Priest. Let’s read Hebrews 4:14-5:10.
What is a priest?
Let’s first look at what a priest was in the Old Testament, how they are described in the New Testament, and finally, how priests function today.
My short definition of a priest in the Old Testament is that they helped Israel embody holiness through intercession and ritual.
They facilitated offering sacrifices to God in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Many priests served in these ways, but there was only one high priest.
The first high priest was Aaron, and the role was passed down from father to son, which was normally a lifelong role. The high priest oversaw the ritual worship of God and functioned as the main representative between the nation and Yahweh.
Although he shared a number of duties with the other priests, the high priest was the only one allowed to enter the Most Holy Place on the annual Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement was the day on which the Most Holy Place was purified so that God, who is perfectly holy and pure, could continue to live among people who were impure.
I like how Tim Keller describes a priest in the Old Testament in comparison to a prophet or a preacher. He says, In the Old Testament, a priest was not someone who spoke to people, but someone who spoke for them. His job was to get into their shoes, feel their pain, bear their burdens, and besiege heaven for them, pray for them, offer sacrifices for them. That’s what a priest is and was.1
A Priest had to be able to empathize with the frailty of those he served, and he must be called by God. He must be able to identify with the people yet be distinct because of his position and role. A good priest would intercede and offer sacrifices out of compassion and love for the people.
But the priests were still only human and themselves impure. They had to make sacrifices first for themselves and then for the people. In this way, human priests were always limited in how well they could perform their duties.
Thus, the need for a perfect High Priest who could offer himself as a perfect sacrifice once and for all time for all those who desire to be in God’s presence.
In the New Testament, the role of priest was still prominent in Israel. Jesus would send people to the priests after he healed them so that they could be declared clean.
The chief priests were among the strongest opposers of Jesus. In Matthew 26:57-66 we read about the high priest and chief priest’s involvement in condemning Jesus to death:
Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled… The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ” Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.
In the book of Acts, we read about continued pressure from the priests against the followers of Jesus. The Apostle Paul, before he became a Christian, was commissioned by the chief priests to persecute Christians.
Then, after Paul was called by Jesus and began spreading the gospel, the priests brought charges against him and condemned him to prison, which eventually led Paul to his death in Rome.
The chief priests were the primary or main priests from the priestly family, and it seems they had a role more of gatekeepers of their religion or political rulers than the compassionate intercessors that they were meant to be.
If we look at the Christian church today, perhaps we might find similar leaders who believe it is their duty to protect the Christian religion through political force.
This is not the way God intends for his people to represent him. Rather, we are meant to represent God in the compassionate way of Jesus, exercising the power of God through humble service of others.
This brings us to today. There are some church traditions that still have priests, and although they do not perform the same duties as the Jewish priests, they are still seen as those who facilitate the religious practices and provide mediation between people and God.
In our own tradition, we believe that all Christians are priests, and therefore we do not have roles or positions of priests.
The idea that Christians are priests comes across clearly in 1 Peter 2:9, which says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
And in Revelation we read two instances of Christians being called priests. In 1:6, John, the author of Revelation, refers to Christian believers as priests to serve God. In 5:10, John describes a vision of elders surrounding the throne of God, singing: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
What does it mean for Christians to be called priests? As we will see in a moment, it means we represent God to one another and intercede for each other in times of need. But, it is important to know why we need priests in the first place.
Why do we need priests?
A primary role of priests is mediation, or intercession. The priest functions as a representative on your behalf. For Israel, they were not allowed to approach God’s presence because they first needed to be called by God, and they needed to be purified.
The way God set things up, the Levites were the ones who could be called by God to be priests. Once a priest was called, he had to be purified each and every time he made intercession for others.
Now, because of the eternally purifying sacrifice of Jesus, anyone can approach God’s presence. If you think about the Tabernacle, you have the Most Holy Place, which is the dwelling place of God. No one was able to enter except the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest entered on behalf of the nation of Israel. He provided the intercession required so that a holy and pure God and an impure and sinful Israel could be reconciled.
This was why a priest was needed. He brought the nation of Israel near to God by way of intercession. This is what Jesus does for us as our High Priest.
We can call on Jesus, who is not only the sacrifice that reconciles us to God but is also our high priest who understands our weakness.
But how do you call on Jesus? Sometimes, things are so dark, so difficult, it feels impossible to call upon someone who isn’t physically present with you. This is where the church comes in.
The church is described in the Bible as the Body of Christ. We are the physical presence of Christ. The role and responsibilities of a priest are given to us by Jesus our High Priest, so that we can help one another draw near to God to receive his mercy and grace.
This is where our prayer time on Sundays is so valuable. But it’s not enough. We need more time with one another. Unhurried time to extend God’s mercy and grace, his compassionate kindness to one another.
It is difficult to find the words to communicate the importance of this for us as a church. Let us not be a church made up of the sort of priests that condemned Jesus and Paul and the Apostles to death. Let us not be the sort of priests who think we have to defend our religion against one another.
Let us be priests who offer the compassionate kindness of Jesus, the mercy and grace of God, and the forgiveness and love demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus.
We need priests because of our limited capacity to help ourselves. The author of Hebrews says, since we have Jesus who is our great high priest… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. This is possible because Jesus knows our weakness in the face of temptation.
We will be good priests for each other and for those searching for God when we demonstrate his forgiveness. The world has enough people pointing fingers and condemning the behaviour of others. Let’s be people who wrap our arms around one another and point each other to a compassionate God.
How Jesus is Our High Priest
He empathizes with our weakness (4:15). Having had the full human experience, he knows the difficulties we face.
He was tempted just like us (4:15). Having gone all the way through temptation and never giving in, he knows the full power of temptation. He knows how to overcome it and can help us.
He is how we can approach God (4:16). As our High Priest, he invites us into God’s presence.
He is a priest of a different order – more on this in part 7 (5:5-6). We will look in detail at who Melchizedek is and what it means that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. In short, it has to do with the fact that he was a royal priest, or a priest-king without a beginning or end.
Jesus is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (5:9). Jesus shows us the way to salvation, which is himself. As our High Priest, he will not fail to lead us into the very presence of God for all eternity.
Jesus being our high priest is significant because he is uniquely able to represent God to us because he is the Son of God, and he is able to represent us to God because he is human and has faced every possible temptation we could ever experience.
He fulfilled all the requirements of the law regarding the priestly duties so that those he is representing could be purified and welcomed into God’s presence.
There is no need to make further sacrifices because Jesus is the sacrifice. There is no need to wait for a special day of Atonement because Jesus is the eternal sacrifice of Atonement. There is no need to go to a temple because the presence of God now dwells within and among those who believe in and identify with Jesus.
The calling of a priest is a calling to minister to others on behalf of God, to pray for others, and to help carry one another’s burdens. In a kingdom of priests, which is what the church is, there should be no sick who are not cared for, no poor who are not given what they need, no child abandoned, no sins unforgiven.
A kingdom of priests, which we are, serve the high priest, Jesus, for the purpose of lifting up the name of God and helping others draw near to him. If you have decided to identify with Jesus, if you have called on his name, you are a priest. You have a high calling.
There is a very practical way we can express our commitment to priesthood. It is through a covenant that we make to one another when we become members of this church.
Next Sunday will be our membership Sunday. We plan to do this each year around this time to welcome new members and renew our covenant with one another. You can see the covenant on the back of the sermon notes in the bulletin. This is from our church bylaw and summarizes what we commit to when we become members here.
In response to this message and in preparation for next Sunday, I encourage you to reflect on this covenant. If you are not yet a member, please contact me today if you are interested in becoming a member next Sunday. If you are a member and are unable to be here next Sunday, please commit to reading this covenant this week and recommitting to it for the coming year.
For all of us who follow Jesus, our commitment is to be a priest with Jesus as our High Priest, to be a vessel for the compassionate kindness of God. May we represent our High Priest well and call upon him whenever we are in need.
1 Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).
Hebrews Series Bibliography
Allen, David L. Hebrews. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010.
Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Rev. ed. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.
Guthrie, George. Hebrews. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998.
Lane, William L. Hebrews 1-8, vol. 47A, Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Inc., 1991.
New International Version Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.
Wright, Tom. Hebrews for Everyone. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004.