Jesus is a High Priest like no other!
The writer of Hebrews continued to turn the focus of the Jewish believers to the reality of the New Covenant and away from the futile rituals of the Old Covenant – “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.” (Hebrews 4: 14-16)
What do we know about Jesus as High Priest? We learn from Hebrews – “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” (Hebrews 7: 26-27)
Under the Old Covenant, priests served in an actual place – a temple – but the temple was only a ‘shadow’ (symbolic) of better things to come. After His death and resurrection, Jesus would literally serve as our mediator in heaven making intercession for us. Hebrews further teaches – “Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.” (Hebrews 8: 1-2)
The sanctuary and sacrifice of the New Covenant are spiritual realities. We further learn from Hebrews – “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9: 11-12)
At the point of Jesus’ death, the veil of the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom – “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27: 50-53)
From the Scofield Study Bible – “The veil that was torn divided the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, into which only the high priest might enter on the Day of Atonement. The tearing of that veil, which was a type of the human body of Christ, signified that a ‘new and living way’ was opened for all believers into the very presence of God, with no other sacrifice or priesthood except Christ’s.”
If we have trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior, and repented or turned from our rebellion towards God, we are born of His Spirit and spiritually ‘put on’ His righteousness. This allows us to spiritually enter God’s presence (His throne of grace) and make our requests known.
There is no need to go to a physical place to enter God’s presence, because under the New Covenant, God’s Spirit dwells in the hearts of believers. Each believer becomes a ‘temple’ of God and can enter the very throne room of God through prayer. As it reads above, as we come boldly to the throne of grace we ‘may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.’
