Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. Hebrews 7:16 NLT
There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever. Hebrews 7:23-28 NLT
When we speak of who Jesus Christ is to us, we are familiar with terms like King, Savior, Messiah – all true, and we know they are exactly what we need. But we are less familiar with another significant name for Jesus that describes a ministry no one else can fulfill. He is our perfect High Priest. For centuries humans lived under a system of priests and sacrifices, trying to bridge the gap between sinful people and a holy God. All religions have had and still have that system – except for followers of Jesus Christ. Those who accepted Jesus as their Savior and King when Jesus came accepted Him as their perfect Priest, and we still do. It was easier for the Jewish people to understand because this was the system on which they depended to make them acceptable to God. Priests had to be born to the role from the tribe of Levi. The priests could offer the sacrifices the people brought, but only temporarily. It had to be done over and over. Priests could enter the temple, but only the outer courts. The High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year on Yom Kippur to offer sacrifices for his own sins and the sins of the people. The priests could intercede for the people, but only partially and only for a short time. No one had direct access to God.
Then came Jesus, our perfect priest, not through the tribe of Levi but because of the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. He will never die. He has never sinned; therefore He can save once and forever those who come to God through faith in Him. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, and neither do we! He offered the sacrifice of Himself for our sins once and for all. He is not limited by any weakness, as human priests are. He can and will do everything we need. He is our perfect High Priest forever. Incredible. And we didn’t even know how much we needed Him.
- This week read Hebrews 4-10. This section is devoted to Jesus as our perfect High Priest. Your appreciation for who you have in Jesus will explode!