Jesus Our Great High Priest

In exploring who Jesus is, a good place to start is in His mediatory role in connecting God with humanity. As we reflect on the significance of Jesus as the Great High Priest, may our understanding deepen, and our gratitude for the salvation He provides grow ever stronger.

Understanding the Mediating Roles in the Scripture

The concept of a mediator is deeply rooted in the Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, where individuals played the crucial role of intermediaries between God and His people. In various situations, a mediator is needed to settle disputes or convey messages from one party to another. 

Throughout the Old Testament, three distinct offices were developed:

• The Prophets: They serve as mediators, representing the messages of God to the people. They face the community, conveying divine guidance and prophecies.
• The Priests: They represent the people before God. Their responsibilities included seeking forgiveness for the sins of the people and maintaining a connection with the divine.
• The Kings: In the role of mediators, kings represented the rule of God over His people. Their leadership aimed to align with God's will, guiding the people in the desired direction.

Despite their crucial roles, the mediators in the Old Testament were imperfect. False prophets emerged priests were sinners who had to offer sacrifices for themselves, and some kings succumbed to idol worship. These imperfections highlighted the need for a perfect mediator who could fulfill these roles flawlessly.

In the New Testament, Jesus emerged as the perfect mediator, fulfilling the roles of the three offices flawlessly. As the perfect Prophet, He preached only what the Father revealed, being the embodiment of the Word. As the perfect King, He led the people in alignment with God's will, fulfilling the role of the Messiah.

Jesus as the Great High Priest Offered Himself to Reconcile us to God 

The Great High Priest is a vital office of Christ. Understanding Jesus in this role is fundamental for Christians, as it enhances our comprehension of salvation and brings greater glory to Christ. The Great High Priest mediates between humanity and God, ensuring reconciliation and eternal salvation for those who believe in Him.

Jesus, as the Great High Priest, offered a unique and unparalleled sacrifice—His blood. This sacrifice expiates sins in full and propitiates believers to the Father. The eternal impact of His sacrifice stands in contrast to the repetitive and temporary offerings under the Old Covenant. As Hebrews 10:4 says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” 

The Perfect Scapegoat 

Annually, the nation of Israel observed the Day of Atonement, offering sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins as a nation. The High Priest played a crucial role as the mediator between God and the Israelites, acting as the intermediary who sought reconciliation on behalf of the people.

A pivotal aspect of the Day of Atonement involved the selection of two goats through the casting of lots. One goat would be sacrificed in the tabernacle or temple, symbolizing the atonement for sins, while the other, known as the "scapegoat," would be released into the wilderness. This symbolic act served a profound purpose in the context of blessings and curses under the Old Covenant.

In the encounter between John the Baptist and Jesus, an astonishing proclamation is made, setting the stage for understanding Christ's role as the perfect "scapegoat." Jesus is the Lamb of God who not only serves as the offering for sin but also takes on the role of the scapegoat, bearing the sins and curses of humanity.

John the Baptist's exclamation, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" in John 1:29, introduces us to the dual role of Jesus as both the sacrificial lamb and the scapegoat. Jesus takes on the guilt that rightfully belongs to humanity as an expiation substitute. He becomes the scapegoat, innocent and without sin, yet willingly bearing the burden of our transgressions. 

In assuming the role of the scapegoat, Christ receives not only the sins but also the accompanying curse. This curse, signifying separation from God or being "cut off," is the consequence of sin under the Old Covenant. Galatians 3:13-14 emphasizes how Christ redeems us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, hanging on a tree.

The moment on the cross when Jesus cries out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) marks the reality of Him taking on the curse. In that moment, Christ experiences separation from God, bearing the full weight of the curse so that humanity may be spared from it.

Crucified in Golgotha, outside the boundaries of Jerusalem, Jesus fulfills the symbolic aspect of being cut off from God's presence. His sacrifice goes beyond a physical death; it signifies the spiritual separation required for the atonement of sin.

Christ's act of being cursed and cut off serves a profound purpose—to secure blessings and graft humanity into the promises of God. Galatians 3:13-14 reiterates that Jesus became a curse to bring the blessing of Abraham to the Gentiles, allowing us to receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Lamb of God 

In the profound sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we witness the culmination of God's plan for redemption and the satisfaction of divine justice. As the perfect sacrifice, Jesus serves as the propitiation for our sins, offering a permanent solution that abolishes the need for the sacrificial system. 

Jesus, as the Lamb of God, stands as the ultimate propitiation for humanity. Unlike the sacrificial lambs of the old covenant that temporarily pleased God, Christ's sacrifice on the cross brought eternal satisfaction. His death, as the substitution for our sins, pleased God perfectly, rendering the sacrificial system obsolete.

The significance of Christ's sacrifice is that His blood, not that of a lamb or goat, was offered on the Mercy Seat or Ark of the Covenant. Isaiah 53:5-6 vividly illustrates how Christ bore the punishment for our wrongdoing, receiving the wrath of God on our behalf.

Through the shedding of His blood, we find healing and redemption. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is not a temporary cleansing but a permanent transformation. By His blood, we are healed, our sins are paid in full, and we are cleansed from our depravity. It is a costly redemption, freely given to us.

The concept of propitiation underscores the satisfaction of God's justice through Christ's sacrifice. Isaiah 53:10-11 highlights that the Lord desired to crush Him, causing Him grief, but in rendering Himself as a guilt offering, Christ justified the many. The justice that was supposed to fall on us was received by Christ, and in turn, we received mercy and justification.

The sacrifice of the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as the Lamb of God, exemplifies the depths of God's love for sinful humanity. As believers, we should always be profoundly amazed by God's love and grace. 

Jesus is Our Great High Priest Forever and Our Eternal Salvation 

The relationship facilitated by Jesus as the Great High Priest is not transient; it is grounded in His unearned and unmerited love. This relationship, bestowed by grace, is enduring and incapable of being lost. The permanence of Christ's priesthood secures a salvation that is both unearned and unlosable.

Moreover, unlike earthly tabernacles made by human hands, Jesus entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle in heaven. Through His blood, He obtained eternal redemption, ensuring a permanent and unshakeable connection between believers and God.

Seated at the right hand of the Father, Jesus serves as our eternal Great High Priest in heaven. This ongoing mediation means that believers have forgiveness of sins that extends into eternity. The relationship with God, mediated by Jesus, is secure, ensuring an unbroken connection and the promise of eternal life.

Our Response toward Jesus’ Offering 

The Great High Priest of the New Covenant has made a final and lasting offering on behalf of believers. Now, the challenge is to respond by offering ourselves as living and holy sacrifices to God. This challenge is rooted in gratitude for the sacrificial love of Christ and a desire to live in holiness, manifesting His love to the world.

Romans 12:1-2 provides the roadmap for meeting this challenge—by presenting our bodies as living and holy sacrifices, rejecting conformity to the world, and being transformed through the renewal of our minds. The sacrifice of Christ calls believers to turn from sin, obey God's will, and embody His holiness and love in their lives.

The motivation behind Christ's sacrificial act was the joy set before Him—His people. Hebrews 12:1-2 emphasizes that, in enduring the cross, Christ despised the shame and focused on the joy of redeeming humanity. As believers, understanding that we are the joy set before Him becomes a powerful motivator for our Christian walk.

Jesus’ sacrifice is an ongoing source of motivation for us. Knowing that Christ endured the cross for our sake, considering us His joy, should be more than enough to inspire us to worship, serve, and live our lives for Him.