Jesus Christ: The Great High Priest of Our Confession
Christians confess that we have a great high priest — our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb 4:14). When Yahweh appointed the temple cult in Israel, it was the high priest who would serve as the mediator between God and His chosen people.
The purpose of Yom Kippur was for an atoning sacrifice to be brought into the holiest place in the tabernacle/temple. This one day was set apart from other days each year. The high priest was set apart from everyone else, in order to bring the blood of the unblemished sacrifice into the one place set apart from every other place. God is holy and for something to be set apart by God was to make that thing be holy.
In the holiest of holies was the ark of the covenant that symbolized Yahweh’s presence in the midst of His holy people, who were set apart from all the other nations, as God’s own possession. Upon the ark was the mercy seat, where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrificed for the sins of the whole nation of Israel. Yahweh would accept the blood of the substitute, as Israel's confession of sin and repentance, an acknowledgment that every one of them deserved death for the sins committed against Yahweh.
The wrath of God was turned away from Israel (propitiation) by this action performed by the high priest that year. The high priest offered sacrifice for his own sins, too, so that everyone in Israel was covered by the blood. This, of course, was foreshadowed in the Exodus, when each family slaughtered a lamb and placed the blood upon the door mantel and lintel. The angel of death passed over where he saw the blood.
Our Passover sacrifice is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God slain for the people of God from every nation throughout the world and across history. Jesus Christ became like us when He was enfleshed (Jn 1:14; Heb 2:17). Thus, in His death upon the cross, He was both the high priest and the unblemished sacrificial Lamb (Jn 1:29; Rev 5:6, 12).
Jesus was without sin, however (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15). This despite His being tempted in every way as we are tempted. Being fully God, He was impeccable and could not sin. Being fully man, He became our sin bearer. In other words, He bore our sin in His body on the cross (1 Pet 2:24).
As the Son of God, we recognize His infinite worth — being the source of eternal salvation (Heb 5:9). Through His active obedience in life and His passive obedience in dying for our sins, we know His work was acceptable to Yahweh because He was later raised from the dead and exalted as King and Judge over all (Acts 10:42; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Tim 6:15; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5; Rev 19:11).
As with all things in the history of Israel, the types and shadows pointed to the reality fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Jesus was of the bloodline of Kings from Judah, which means He was not a priest in the order of Aaron of the tribe of Levi. His priesthood was according to that of Melchizedek in Abraham’s generation (Gen 14:18; Ps 110:4: Heb 6:20). The characteristics of this person and his priestly work pointed God’s people to a mysterious priesthood that carried elements of eternity.
The priesthood of Jesus Christ is forever…eternal. He is a priest who sits on the throne of Majesty in the heavens (Ps 110; Heb 8:1). In this place, having offered Himself to God on behalf of His elect people, He never again will offer another sacrifice. His one-time act in the more perfect tabernacle above has secured full redemption and full forgiveness for all of those who trust and obey Him by God’s grace (Heb 7:27; 9:26).
The writer of Hebrews captures some descriptive terms meant for our understanding this unique person and His unique work. Jesus is holy, innocent, undefiled, merciful, faithful, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens (Heb 2:17; 7:26). The Apostle Paul adds that Jesus’ name is exalted above every other one, in part, because of the things stated here (Phil 2:9–10; Eph 1:21).
In summary, Christian, you have one high priest — Jesus Christ. Every Christian is a believer priest offering praise and thanksgiving for the one-time sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God slain, by the priesthood of Jesus Christ (Ps 27:6; Heb 13:15). He has brought His own precious blood behind the veil of separation, in the house of God in heaven, in an act never to be repeated. God appointed His only begotten Son and designated Him to be the great high priest of our confession…perfect…forever.
Today, our high priest ever lives to make intercession with the Father (Yahweh) on our behalf (Heb 7:25). He is positioned as the one and only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). He represents God and He represents the Israel of God at the perfect place of permanent reconciliation, having secured peace with God for us, by His death by crucifixion on Calvary’s tree (Rom 5:1).
In conclusion, Christians have such a great high priest in Jesus Christ that our lives are centered on Him who bought us with His blood — an utterly secure purchase by Him who is our surety and guarantor of better things, eternal things (Heb 7:22). It is the Spirit of Christ, sent to us from the throne of God, who illumines these things from the Word of God. Here again is foolishness according to the world, which is void of the Spirit (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9).
Still, our Advocate with the Father gives His elect, redeemed, regenerate, believing people the blessed assurance that these things are true — including the life given to us that is new, abundant, and eternal (Jn 6:63; 1 Jn 2:1). All the promises of God, which have been included in God’s covenant of grace, are “yes” and “amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 1:20). We, too, are in Christ by God’s doing and there is nothing that can separate us from the righteous position of holy and blameless before God (Eph 1:4; 5:27; Col 1:22).
When the righteous Judge of the living and the dead appears on the last day, we will recognize our Savior, our Deliverer has come for us. He has prepared a place for His people and this new heavens and earth we will call our eternal home. Our God and Savior, Jesus Christ has done great things for us and just meditating on His role as our high priest should make us glad. He has gone where we could not go, and He has accomplished what we could not do. He is our exalted merciful and faithful high priest.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
September 4, 2022
