Last post, we finished Hebrews 4, and here the author was explaining that we have a high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses. We have a high priest who was tempted in every way, but was without sin.

Because Jesus was fully God but also fully Man, he is uniquely able to act as a high priest. He is able to come before a perfect God and represent a fallen people. To us, he is able to represent a perfect God, but also empathize with us because he was human and able to feel temptation and yet resist it. The author of Hebrews makes these statements about how effective Jesus is as a high priest, but he writes to a people who know and understand how the Priesthood and law work. Chapter 5 explains what the purpose of a high priest is, and how Jesus perfects the role in his ministry.

1 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.

So, every high priest is selected from among the people and appointed to represent the people in matters related to God. This first verse actually contains a lot of information that’s implied. It teaches that there is a God given role called High Priest in the Old Testament Law. There are some implied conditions and qualifications for this role. The first is that the High priest must be taken from the people. The High Priest must be a person, selected from people. This first requirement seems obvious, but only if we don’t think critically about things. When we study the Bible there are lots of topics that we must consider that aren’t immediately apparent to our perception or our immediate world around us. In the bible there are spirits, angels, cherubim, seraphim. None of these beings can serve as a high priest. The angel that spoke to Mary or the angels that rescued Lot from Sodom could never have served as a high priest. Similarly, God the Father could not have served as our high priest; He is not human.. A high priest needed to be somebody who shared our nature, our humanity. Why is there a high priest? To represent people in matters related to God. To make sacrifices for sins. The fact that this role exists implies another thing. It indicates that we have sinned, or are of a sinful nature. Because of that, we can not approach God ourselves. We can not go before God, except through a priest. We can not make an offering or sacrifice directly to God; it must go to the high priest, and then to God. We need a representative, or an ambassador. Let me repeat this: We can not approach God alone, we need an intercession or a priest. You may have heard otherwise.

Sometimes Christians skip steps and cut corners with their theology. Making things simple and understandable is important, but you can lose some of the meaning behind things if you rely on rules of thumb and catch phrases.

Have you ever heard this statement? “We can approach God directly and don’t need any priest.” Usually someone says that to try and debunk the Catholic requirements of a confession to a priest or they might say that to discourage asking a pastor to pray for something. “You can pray yourself, you don’t need a pastor or human or anyone between you and God.” Kind of right.. maybe Half right, half wrong. The truth is you DO need a priest to approach God. We always have and we always will. There MUST be someone between you and God. You Do NOT have direct access to God. The bible teaches that we are not Good enough on our own to approach or access God. So what access do we have?

The access that you have is to your high priest, who is Jesus Christ. In other words, you need Jesus Christ to speak to God, You need Jesus Christ to come before God’s presence. You approach God THROUGH your Priest, who is Christ. We discuss attributes of Jesus a lot, and He is perfect and the image of the invisible God, He shares the nature of God, and many of God’s attributes. But there is an attribute of Jesus that God doesn’t share. Jesus has a job, and that’s to be our High Priest and our intercession. Our prayers to God go through Jesus. In Hebrews a few chapters later Hebrews 7 says “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them”. When you start saying, “I don’t need anyone between me and God” that’s a dangerous corner to cut. It ignores Jesus’s role as our priest, and takes away Glory from Christ. Thinking you don’t need anyone between you and God makes Jesus and his role seem less important, it makes your sin seem less severe since you can bring it right to God It makes God seem less holy and more “like you” since he doesn’t seem to mind your sin. And it also takes away some of Christ’s humanity by equating “direct access to Jesus” with “direct access to God”. Worst of all, it’s an easy mistake to make, and I have probably made it in the past. It’s easy to consider Jesus and God equal, which is kind of half right, but when you study the trinity, you see it’s 2/3 wrong.

So here are some quotes, and now you’re trained, see if you see the big difference.

• “God waits for you to communicate with Him. You have instant, direct access to God. God loves mankind so much, and in a very special sense His children, that He has made Himself available to you at all times.” – Wesley L Duewel author of Revival Fire
• Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. – John 14:6
• For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. – Ephesians 2:18
• According to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. – Ephesians 3:11-12

See the difference there? Whenever the Bible mentions the idea of us approaching God, you see we don’t have direct access to God, like Wesley L Duewel says. We have an access to God, but we have access on His terms. We have access Through Him and In Him (Through Christ, In Christ).  Let’s continue reading Hebrews 5.

2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In verse 2 we see a high priest is supposed to be able to deal gently with his people. I wrote last post about how Christ was tempted in every way but was without sin. Therefore, He can be an effective priest who understands temptation and weakness. Christ’s character was compassionate, especially towards those who humbled themselves, and He was able to teach His disciples and those who were ignorant of Old Testament law (like the Samaritan woman at the well). He was able to deal gently with those who had strayed from God’s commands. In His ministry Jesus illustrated a character that was required and a qualification to be a High Priest. The author of Hebrews frequently uses comparisons to allege Christ’s superiority and supremacy, and here he compares Christ to prior High Priests, at the end of verse 4 he mentions Aaron. Each high priest needed to be an Israelite, and needed to be part of the line of Levi.

Aaron was a Levite and a member of the priestly line. He was Moses’ older brother. Remember, the job of a high priest was to represent the people in matters related to God. Let’s go back to the first high priest. Aaron. Leviticus 16:1-2

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

Aaron had two sons, who died while entering God’s presence. Their sins and guilt, when combined with the Holiness of God, led to their deaths. The wages of sin is death. For the two sons of Aaron, they didn’t take God seriously. They didn’t take His instruction seriously. This is a weighty and important thing that we sometimes don’t understand. We seem to be so familiar with grace, that we forget the severity of sin. We seem so familiar with God as the Father that we tend to ignore or forget God as the Judge. We need to understand all of God’s attributes to worship him correctly for who he is. Leviticus 16 says that Aaron only was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. God made it clear that he couldn’t just approach whenever he pleased. Sometimes we like to approach God on our terms, instead of on His terms. This error could prove fatal for Aaron, like it did for Aaron’s sons. So Aaron had one time per year that he was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. The one time per year wasn’t impromptu or unscripted. It wasn’t just a one on one conversation. There was a goal. This one day per year was Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement. When the High priest went into the Most Holy Place, it wasn’t without purpose; the High priest had a job to do.

3 “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. 5 From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

So there are some instructions. Before doing anything, the first thing for Aaron to do was to bathe, or cleanse himself. This illustrated the high priest’s humanity and sin. The second thing was to clothe himself in the holy garments, the sacred tunic. He was not to just wear holy garments until he cleansed himself. The corollary in the new testament, We need to repent of our sins, and take off our old ways, in order to put on Christ. Next, Aaron needs a young bull as a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering. This is just for his own sin. Then for Israel he needs two male goats for sin offerings, and a ram for a burnt offering.

6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

The ultimate goal was to atone for the sins of Israel. The high priest needs to provide for his own sins, then for the sins of his family and the sins of the entire Israelite community. One goat would act as a sacrifice and be slain, while the other took the sin and was banished from the community. These two goats represent different ways to address sin, one is sacrifice/death.  The other is mercy/banishment. Back in Hebrews 5, verse 2 we read that the high priest is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant or who are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. High priests had to be people who instructed the people in matters of God. The job included dealing with ignorance. The modern term “ignorant” has taken a more insulting or critical definition these days. In this context it just means that the general community was unaware of all the rules and regulations, and if the people didn’t know God’s word, they would begin to stray from the truth. It’s a similar job that we face today, and the best way to prevent ignorance is to study and know the word of God. The best way to avoid straying from God is to know what things grieve him, and what things are pleasing to him. What does it mean to obey, and how does that look in various situations. Hebrews 5:2 also alludes to the fact that the High priest job is supposed to be a humbling one. When you see weakness in the people, you are reminded of your own weakness. Before you can even talk to God about the community’s sins, you have to make your own sacrifice. The high Priest makes a similar sized sacrifice for his own sin as he does for the rest of the community. But as we see Aaron’s imperfections and the imperfections of the historical High Priests found throughout the Bible, it begins to point to a great high priest. In verse 1 we read that the High Priest is Appointed. Verse 4 discusses the appointment or the calling a bit further.

4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”[a] 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

The role of High Priest isn’t one that you just take. You don’t accept it or search it out and apply for it, or submit a resume. The motivation to be a High Priest is not to bring honor on yourself, or put ones self in a place to receive glory. You have to be chosen and called by God. Aaron was chosen; and similar to Aaron, Jesus was also chosen. The author compares Jesus to Aaron but also compares him to Melchizedek, which we will talk about at length in the next few months. But Verses 4-6 explain that High Priests receive a call, and are chosen by God. Jesus Christ was not seeking his own Glory; he was called by God. Verse 4 says He was not taking an honor on himself. In John 8:50, and in 8:54 Jesus says

“I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge”

“If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.”

Jesus isn’t looking for glory. The Judge seeks the glory. God deserves the glory. Here we read again God is a judge, and we are lawbreakers.  Jesus was appointed by God. We never see Jesus assuming a role that wasn’t already given to him by God. When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the Spirit descended on Jesus and a voice from God came from the heavens saying “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” at the Transfiguration Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah and a cloud appeared and a voice said “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Even though we don’t define ourselves solely by our jobs, if you look at how someone spends their time and what they do with their lives, you can learn a lot about their character. Jesus’ character is reflected in his job as it related to his role as a High Priest. He spent his life offering prayers and petitions, meaning he would make intercession between people and God the Father. He demonstrated how we should act towards God, often referring back to the laws of the Old Testament. He preached about faith and explained how the Law of God was not just a rulebook, but a way of life and a worldview. His sermon on the mount took the Jewish idea of following the Commandments in action alone and made it personal and related to one’s heart.

• “Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.”
• “You heard it said, don’t murder, but if anyone is angry at his brother, he has murdered in his heart.“
• You have heard it said Do not commit adultery but if anyone looks lustfully you have committed adultery in your heart.

He preached ultimate submission to God and He Lived and died according to the worldview he preached. Even though Christ was the son of God, He experienced obedience as a human being, and felt loss and death of desires by the submission of his own will to God’s.

11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Our high priest is ready to deal gently with those who are ignorant and don’t know good from evil. But the author spends the next few verses rebuking some of the readers for their dullness. There is plenty more that can be explained and taught, and the author will go on to write further in the next few chapters, but here he wants to remind them not to be complacent and that there is plenty to learn. We see that the author is writing to people who have let their ignorance become part of their character. Chapter 12 explains that some of the readers have spent considerable time in their faith, and have little to show for it (By This time, you ought to be teachers). They still are failing to understand basic truths. It is understandable and necessary to teach basic things regularly, because the simple truths in the gospel are profound. Also, Christians should be ready and willing to explain scripture at a basic level to someone who’s generally interested. The problem here is found in chapter 11. The NIV translation says they “no longer [even] try to understand”. It’s not that they are slow learners or forgetful. They are simply not trying to understand and have a careless attitude towards God. Some translations say they are dull of hearing or have let the message go in one ear and out the other. The people are not wanting to hear the message well. The author might seem condescending or impatient, but He is actually doing the loving thing to warn these people. They don’t seem to care about God, they aren’t trying to learn, and they’ve made their ignorance a long lasting habit or pattern. Sometimes the most loving thing to do is to correct somebody. Thinking about what we read in Leviticus, if the sons of Aaron had been more serious about God, maybe they would have acted in reverence. Maybe they wouldn’t have treated a holy place in an ordinary and unholy manner. If they had been properly warned, maybe they’d have grown up to trust in God. Instead of an early death, maybe they would have had the privilege to serve as Levites and priests in God’s temple. Maybe they even could have lived to see the Promised land that God had given to his People. But that’s too many “maybes” for me. I prefer an occasional warning, pep talk, or even a rebuke, instead of complacency that leads to a cold and indifferent heart. Cold, indifferent hearts are ones that don’t have wonder and worship in them. Let’s be a people who take warnings seriously. Let’s be a people that reveres and worships the majesty of the most Glorious God. Let’s not minimize God’s glory or diminish His Holiness by treating these things as something familiar. Let’s hate our own sin and our own disobedience like God the Judge, but let’s forgive one another when people sin against us, like God the Father. Let’s be a people who sharpens each other. Let’s be a people who feel deep gratitude and thanksgiving that God sent us His Son. And let’s be thankful that God’s Son is a most High Priest who can intercede on our behalf, who offers the most perfect and holy sacrifice, Himself. He alone is worthy, of our praise and our hearts.