Jesus the Perfect High Priest • 02.19.23

Jack Flaherty   -   February 21, 2023

Hebrews 4:14-5:10

Jesus the Perfect High Priest

Why should we trust the unique priesthood of Jesus Christ?

1. Jesus has been in our shoes
2. Jesus is our perfect mediator
3. Jesus offers eternal salvation to those who follow him

Good morning! My name is Jack Flaherty and I serve as one of the Pastors here at Harvest. I am excited to open up God’s Word with you all this morning. Before we do, 4^th-5^th graders dismissed. The rest of us as we continue our “Jesus is Better” series in the study of Hebrews go ahead and turn again to Hebrews 4. Ushers and Bibles. 

Picture the scene. It’s a beautiful day — starts out great! But as soon as you sit down to get stuff down, chaos ensues in your house. Outside of your house. Then in your heart. What is the outcome you are looking for in that moment? And more importantly to whom or what do you turn to achieve that desired end goal? And when we botch it, like we do, where do we turn to then? That’s when this text hit home for me!

Could be any number of similar scenarios:

• Alone or in a crowd when temptations and trials and unholy desires arise
• Drama at work or at school or with family members
• Hungry. Physically sore. Mentally and emotionally drained.
• Medical diagnosis is worse than you thought. Loss of a loved one.
• Rolling along with daily grind and things going well and tempted to fly solo

In each of these, we are seeking something! From whatever, whoever, OR wherever we turn to.

The entire book of Hebrews is speaking to a group of people confronted daily with the decision of what am I looking for and to who/what do I turn? The text before us today is one of the more comforting in the entire book as it seeks to give us not just an answer, but a great answer–the only perfect answer. If our goal is to deal with trial and temptation by seeking help in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come, then we ought to look no further than Jesus Christ. In him we have hope of mercy and grace, we have help with the hardships of life in a sinful world as sinful human beings. Jesus holds a few titles in the Bible, but what we are talking about today is that of the Great High Priest. In fact, he alone is uniquely and perfectly equipped to play this role. On top of that, not only can he help, but he wants to help.

Let’s read our text. Hebrews 4:14-5:10. This section starts with “HAVING therefore” in order to connect to all that was said about faith and obedience previously. We are to battle disobedience through faith in Jesus. This even stretches back to Hebrews 2 where God’s Son is introduced as the one who helps us battle disobedience through his own example of faithfulness in the role of High Priest. After some time expositing Psalm 95 on faithful obedience, the author returns to the idea of God the Son as the High Priest who is ready to help in our trials and temptations.

But I know plenty of people who have been ready to help me with stuff that have no business helping! Also there are sources of help that align with my desires better than others. So why Jesus? Why should I trust him to help me handle my business? What’s he know about what I need right now!? The author of Hebrews seeks to help us answer that question today.

Why should we trust the unique priesthood of Jesus Christ? A good list of ‘whys’ should make all the difference. If persuasive, we ought never look anywhere else! Three ‘whys’ is in this text…

• Jesus has been in our shoes.
• Jesus is our perfect mediator
• Jesus offers eternal salvation

Not exactly linear flow through the text but will hit it all. First reason to trust Jesus’ priesthood…

1. Jesus has been in our shoes

It’s helpful in a hard spot to have someone who you know knows the drill. Freshman look to upper classmen. New gal looks to the vet at work. Comradery in waiting room or assembly line. Even Facebook groups. We’ve been through something similar so there is a natural trust. Jesus fits this description for us as one who walked this earth. Two spots to highlight that reality.

First in v14-16 we see for the first time in the whole book the name of Jesus. There is a great high priest, who passed through the heavens, he is the Son of God…he is Jesus of Nazareth. This humble carpenter is also the great high priest and the Son of God. And because of his humanity, this high priest can sympathize with our weakness as v15 says! He has been tempted in every way as we have but sin-free!

There is tension here about what does this temptation even mean. Jesus was a man and never reached old age and didn’t have technology, etc. BUT I also affirm what the Bible says. Do we trust he was fully man and “suffered temptation in every way we have”? This isn’t just the grotesque stuff. But this man was hungry. He had disgruntled co-workers. He had family who didn’t always agree with him. He was tired. IDK about you but those are temptations to sin just like anything else. Sympathize here, as highlighted by Dane Ortlund in his Gentle and Lowly chapter on Hebrews 4:15, means “co-suffering.” Jesus is co-suffering with us! In every way! The author wants you to know Jesus knows what you’re going through! There are actually three prepositions modifying. ‘Every way’, ‘like us’, ‘without sin.’ Coming back to without sin in our next point, but know he is like us faced the realities of living in fallen world.

A second place to look is 5:7-8 “in the days of his flesh.” In case we forget he was fully man, Jesus also shows he’s been in our shoes through his prayers. He cried out to and depended upon God the Father to meet his needs and sustain him. Not only in flesh with daily needs but uniquely through suffering. Jesus cried out with great emotion! He suffered in the flesh. He learned obedience in flesh. He has been in our shoes as God in the flesh.

I know our tendency is to swing one way or the other. Our church tends to highly value and focus on the divinity of Jesus. We should! He is God, and that is glorious! Let us not forget that God has revealed himself to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son Incarnate. Spent all of December speaking on this! Jesus isn’t some different god to make us polytheists. He is the One true God with same character and nature. Divine! However, Jesus is unique expression of God’s desire to dwell with his creation. God has been and is always loving, but this is uniquely demonstrated to us through Jesus’ humanity. Through him humbly coming to earth, taking on flesh, walking in our shoes. In fact, if he wanted to be our Great High Priest, he had to!

Hebrews 2:17-18 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  Jesus stepped into our shoes so that he could be the merciful and faithful high priest. Jesus doesn’t make God merciful he shows that He is and always was merciful.

This reality should bring some results in our lives. Two specific ones here in v14 and v16 both which flow from the v15 fact that Jesus is able to sympathize with us in our weakness. Trusting Jesus as the high priest who has been in our shoes looks like drawing near and holding fast.

First response “holding fast the confession of our faith.” We look to Jesus as the source of our endurance. Don’t waiver from the faith! We’ve been learning Israel’s track record was poor. So don’t be like them. Rather hold fast to faith! Cling to it like me to my wife’s arm in turbulence or like Patrick Mahomes to the Lombardi. Hold what? The confession of our faith. Borrowing two categories from Al Mohler. First, we hold fast to the historical Jesus.  He was a real person who really did what we read in the Bible. Second, to the historical confession of Christian faith. Like 1 Cor 15 or Romans 10:9-10 say. Jesus is Lord, was crucified, buried, & was raised from the dead! Since he was in our shoes, we trust by holding fast the confession of our faith.

Second response “draw near the throne of grace with confidence.” Draw near to Jesus as our source of hope and help. He has been in our shoes and is the GREAT HIGH PRIEST. If we trust him, we can come with confidence! This counteracts the fear piece we talked about last week in 4:1. We draw near the throne to find “help in time of need.” The type of help that involves mercy and grace. He knows the mercy and grace we need in our time of need because he too has experienced need. Trust because he has been in our shoes.

His co-suffering as a man should increase our trust, & it also uniquely qualifies him to represent us to God! Specifically, because he suffered without sin! He not only helps us BUT is the perfect representative for us to God. Which is our second reason to trust the unique priesthood of Jesus.

2. Jesus is our perfect mediator

There are some incredible tie-ins to the Day of Atonement and Leviticus 16 which is the Pinnacle of Pentateuch. This was the one day once a year that the High Priest entered into the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelt on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, in order to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. As with much of Hebrews, there is some incredibly rich OT biblical theology here. Don’t sleep on the OT! Though much of this is stuff that would have been well known to the original audience, the apparent goal of the author is to stack up mediator qualifications of the traditional high priest with the GREAT High Priest. Let’s compare & contrast.

Starts with HP function in v1. They act on behalf of men before God, by offering gifts and sacrifices for sin. Their job was to represent the people to God. They were a go-between, a mediator. We see this throughout the OT that Moses and Aaron could draw near but not the people. And even Aaron not just whenever OR however. Their function of obediently offering gifts and sacrifices was for the whole people of God as prescribed by God.

How does one qualify for this special high priest job? There are two qualifications in the text.

#1 sympathize–“from among men” v1 These people were able to represent the people because they were people. Yet  v2-3 since they were people they are themselves sinful. They first have to offer for themselves and then for the others. This gave a unique ability to resonate with the people because he is a tempted/sinful person! And this representation is complete. The categories of wayward and ignorant is meant to be inclusive. High priest deals with all the people.

#2 sovereign appointment—“called by God like Aaron”  v4 Though throughout the history of Israel they were from the Aaronic line, BUT ultimately they are chosen by God. Humanly exalted man but a divinely appointed servant!

Does Jesus meet the job description? Well v5-10 argue yes, but in an incredible way!

#2 sovereign appointment–see in v5-6 he too is not exalting himself but appointed by God! And this is remarkable because he is one who fulfills the Psalm 2 prophecy of the Son of God AND he is the Psalm 110 priest after Melchizedek. This comes up again in v10. How does this fit together? Why does the author include this?  Who is Melchizedek?!?

Thankfully we got Hebrews 7 (and Pastor Nick) to straighten out all the Melchizedek stuff. But in brief, he was one who met with Abraham in Genesis 14:18-20. He was the King of Salem (Jerusalem) who also was a high priest appointed by God. He was a king and a priest! Why did David talk about him in Psalm 110? And Hebrews author here? Well both these Psalms have been referred to earlier and fit as neat puzzle pieces. Jesus was from Judah so no descendent of Aaron nor a Levitical priest. Rather from an older non-hereditary priesthood. Also, like David and Melchizedek ruled from Jerusalem, so did the slain and resurrected Jesus. Jesus is the promised king & Messiah of the line of David from Psalm 2 AND he is the perpetual priest of Melchizedekian order from Psalm 110. God appointed him sovereignly as a unique king & priest, Lord & savior.

So he has been sovereignly appointed, but what about the ability to sympathize?

#2 Sympathize–I said we would come back to “without sin” and v7-8. Jesus isn’t placed into the role of seeking God without having sought God himself. He did! He depended on the father! This is certainly the many times in Scripture, but most especially seen in the Garden of Gethsemane. He “learned obedience” not by going from disobedience to obedience, but in the experience of having to obey. Watching the Super Bowl as fan vs. holding the Lombardi as a player. Mark Dever as PhD on Puritans vs living a day in the 1600/1700s. Jesus prayed not my will but yours be done! He taught it (Matt 6) and lived it (Matt 26:38-39) and thus learned it.

5:7-8 and are elaborating on 4:15 that he faced all temptation without sin! We may question was that a legit temptation? Can Jesus really know and sympathize and represent and offer hope and help if he didn’t sin? Yes! Sympathizing is not about the experience of sinning but rather experiencing the strength of the temptation! Who feels the weight more, the one who stands under the bar the whole time or who fails the rep? CS Lewis asks ‘the man who stands in the wind or he who lays down?” Jesus faced the best the enemy had, and he exhausted it! He rejected sin and obeyed the Father perfectly, to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2). And this experience as v9 says made him perfect. Again, not because he was imperfect. Rather we are imperfect, so he had to walk that path to perfectly mediate for us as the Great High Priest.

His function wasn’t to continually offer sacrifices like v1 but to offer a one-time sacrifice that opened the curtain to God continually. He blazed the trail, marked the path, and comes back to carry every sinner who comes to him back up it, that is the dwelling place of God.

This is right now! Not past tense or future tense! See v14. “we HAVE a Great High Priest.” He is our help and advocate with the father NOW! He is the one who grants us access to the throne of grace! Again, Day of Atonement vibes as “throne of grace” likely refers to the mercy seat on the Ark of the covenant in holy of holiness. WE have access to heavenly holy of holies through Christ! When we get there, we find mercy and grace. This is withholding punishment we do deserve while give us the gifts we don’t deserve. Not because of the merit we’ve done but faith in finished work of the perfected, resurrected, Great High priest. Jesus! Who “passed through the heavens.” Aaron got through the curtain one day once a year. Jesus passed through once for all and now the veil is torn. Heavenly tabernacle has been accessed and there’s no need for more sacrifices OR a more perfect obedience. Jesus has been there done that without sin. He now invites us to draw near through him as the perfect go-between. Draw near is such a loaded term! Suffice it to say we got no business going near a holy God BUT for the perfect mediator, Jesus.

Jesus fits the job description but better. There is more we could say. But what we didn’t add in here is the less than perfect mediators we go to. Functionally, we often look for mercy and grace elsewhere. We look for sympathy from elsewhere. For help elsewhere. Why?! Author compared & contrasted, so we will too. Stealing chart idea from Brent Minter at Keystone in Ankeny but content is my own.

What am I tempted to replace Christ with? We have the perfect high priest to trust in and turn to! If a sinful high priest can be gentle as 5:2 says how much more the Great High Priest who offers mercy and grace in time of need! He doesn’t shame us because he endured, and we didn’t. He didn’t go through the process of being made perfect to look down on us, but rather to lift us if we would come to him in faith. And right now he is in heaven advocating for his children, carrying them along the process of their sanctification. Hebrews 7:25. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. He lives to speak up for us, to help us, to be the one we trust in. Saving to the uttermost those who draw near. Sounds like 5:9! Which brings us to our third and final reason to trust the unique priesthood of Jesus…

3. Jesus offers eternal salvation to those who follow him

What was his function? To be the source of eternal salvation! We are looking for 5-star reviews. Well rated uber drives, restaurants, barbers, books. Why not eternal saviors!?! Jesus is the perfect mediator! Why would we look to anything else! He is our perfect High Priest because “he became, to all the obeying him ones, the source of eternal salvation” Eternal salvation to the glory of God is what he came to do! He is the perfect and only one. This is affirmed in many places:

• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
• Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

Jesus is the only one! And the call is to follow him. Hebrews 7:25 said salvation for all who come near to God through Jesus. Hebrews 5:9 says he is the source of salvation to all who obey him. Again, this salvation is not earned by obedience but rather salvation is the thing which produces obedience. Those who are saved will obey and those who obey are saved. And we already know it’s not perfect obedience because Jesus did that for us! Simple formula! Like all of Hebrews has been challenging us, our High Priest wants us to follow him in faithful obedience.

Are you willing to deal with that daily? This exhortation is to battle unbelief and trust the high priest, no matter the cost. Which might mean we take up our cross too.  Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means_________? Will we substitute temporary salvation so we can compromise on obedience? Start looking for other mediators with more sympathy to our feelings? How can we when we have gazed on the glorious cross of Christ! He bids us come, he made the way, he knows what we are going through and offers not shame and condemnation but mercy and grace it we would follow him! Fight sin, run to the one whose been tempted in every way. He offers you and I escape in the moment ADN for eternity! Thank you Jesus! Obey and run to him!

Part of this obedience and following is doing our job of representing Jesus not to the world around us. I wrestled with here is how much do we talk about our own priesthood but I think it does fits with obedience. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. This mirrors Exodus 19:5-6 and a bigger BT path we could trace. To save time I will just say we are called to be the ones who represent the great high priest who called us out of darkness, who offered and secured eternal salvation! Is that what your life looks like? Are you sharing of this salvation? In word and deed would people say you look like one trusting the eternal offer of Jesus?

I think even specifically about the idea of dealing gentle with other sinners. Jesus obedient perfect to offer us mercy and grace and calls us to do the same. Even the sinful high priest shows gentleness! So do I display that for others? Are we dealing gently with one another?

Eternal salvation isn’t just a get out of hell free card. Nor is it a promise that all temptations are gone. No, this is a response of following the one who said, “God your will be done to the point of death on a cross” and us doing the same.  Why? Because we have a high priest who paved the way, empowers us along the way, and brings us into eternity with him.

Jesus is the source and mediator of our salvation. Trust him above all others because he has been in your shoes, he mediates perfectly, he offers what no other priest offers. WE can trust him! He’s been in our shoes. HE is still our perfect mediator, offering what no other high priest can–that is eternal salvation. What a perfect high priest we have!

We are going to close today be celebrating this eternal salvation through the Lord’s Supper. This is a time of remembering what our Perfect High Priest did for us of the cross through the breaking of his body and shedding of his blood. But before we do that a couple of important notes. Open communion for all believers with Biblical warnings of being a believer, no unconfessed sin, and no disunity in the body. So we look in at our hearts to deal with sin, around at our neighbors to remember we are bought into a community, we look back to what he did on the cross, and we look forward to eating the meal with him in eternity. Ushers forward and worship team up as we take some time to reflect then I will come up, pray, and then we take it all together.