John, and Jude. In an article (Our Great High Priest) at Credo Magazine he writes:
From the earliest centuries of the church, Christian theologians have articulated Jesus’ person and work in terms of prophet, priest, and king. One of the clearest places we see the interplay of these three offices of Christ is in Hebrews. More specifically, one of the distinctive contributions of Hebrews is its teaching on Jesus as our great high priest. In fact, one could argue that the main point of Hebrews is to explain the significance of Jesus’ high priesthood. In Hebrews 8:1 we read: “Now the [main] point in what we
are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.”
Protestants today may not always see the practical value in priesthood, since we do not believe that the mediation of a special order of priests is necessary to assist in our approach to God (unlike, for example, Roman Catholicism). However, this does not mean that priesthood is somehow unimportant or unnecessary. In fact, Scripture teaches that we all require a priest to approach God. But Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus Christ himself is our priest—indeed, our great high priest—and he has no rivals. Therefore, we do not need to rely on any lesser order of imperfect priests to approach God. What, then, does it mean for Jesus to be our great high priest? We will consider three aspects from Hebrews, and then broaden our focus to consider some other New Testament passages as well.
THE HIGH PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS IN HEBREWS
1. The Final Sacrifice
First, as our great high priest Jesus has offered the final sacrifice to atone for sins (Heb. 10:14). Because Jesus’ sacrifice is perfect, no additional sacrifice is needed forever. This is the case because Jesus did not simply offer a sacrifice that was external to himself, but he offered himself as the perfect sacrifice. A key text in this regard is Hebrews 10:5–7, which quotes Psalm 40:6–8: Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
Hebrews 10:9 then adds: “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Jesus’ sacrifice provides the solution to a problem
that we often find in the Old Testament: even where sacrifices may be offered, people’s hearts (including those of the priests) were often far from God.
Jesus overcame the imperfection of previous offerings by offering the sacrifice of his own body. For in his body, Jesus was fully devoted to God in every way. Jesus never sinned, whether by deeds of omission or commission, and therefore he realized the perfection in himself that is necessary for true remission of sins. Jesus lived a perfect life, which enabled him to serve himself as the perfect sacrifice. As Hebrews says, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (9:22). However, the blood of bulls and goats can never suffice to take away sins (10:1, 4). That is why it is such wonderful news that Jesus himself is our final sacrifice. Jesus can actually bring true and lasting forgiveness of sins because of the value of his sacrifice.
2. Heavenly High Priest
Second, Jesus is our great high priest in a way that is superior to the high priesthood of the Old Testament because Jesus ministers in heaven itself. We see this in Hebrews 1:3, which states that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God when he had made purification for sins (see also 10:12). It is important to remember that Jesus’ sacrifice is effectual because he did not stay dead, but was raised to an indestructible life (7:16), and this resurrection life is the presupposition for the heavenly, priestly reign of Christ. His seat at the right hand of God is the seat of the victorious conqueror, who has conquered all his enemies, including sin and death (cf. 1:13; Ps. 110:1). There is no one who can provide closer access to the throne of God. He is our “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” our “hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19).
Jesus thus reigns as our great high priest in heaven itself (Heb. 8:1; 9:11, 24). As our great high priest who makes final atonement for sins, Jesus is fully human. Yet the same verse at the beginning of Hebrews that tells us of his ascension to the right hand of God also emphasizes the divinity of the Son: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and
the exact imprint of his nature” (1:3a). The power of Jesus as our great high priest to forgive our sins is therefore keenly related to his divinity as well.
And as the risen-and-ascended, divine-and-human great high priest, Jesus is a priest forever. He never has to be renewed in his office. He never takes a break or goes to sleep. Death will never prevent him from executing his office as priest. He is a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. He is the royal priest-king whose priestly reign has no end. He therefore is able to save his people to the uttermost, because he always lives to intercede for us, and never ceases to provide access to God, blessing us with the benefits of salvation acquired by his high priestly work (see Heb. 7:23–25).
3. A High Priest Like Us
Third, lest we think that Jesus is far removed from us in the heavens, Hebrews teaches that Jesus is our great high priest because he is near to us. He is our brother, the one who goes before us. In Hebrews 2 we read that the Son of God was not ashamed to be known as our brother. In other words, Hebrews emphasizes the solidarity of Jesus’ condition with our own, even to the point that he endured suffering in order to bring many sons to glory (2:10). In fact, Hebrews says that Jesus learned obedience by what he suffered, and
was thus made perfect (5:8–9).
How are we to understand this perfection? It does not refer to any lack of perfection in the Son’s essential character. Instead, it refers to the perfection of his priesthood. Jesus is the perfect priest for us. He was made like us in his humanity in every way, except for sin (4:15). He therefore understands what it means to live in this world with all its difficulties, not least the need to struggle against temptation (2:18). And this is key: because Jesus is made like his brothers in every respect, he is qualified to serve as a “merciful and faithful” high priest. Don’t neglect to see his mercy.
As one who understands our frailty and struggle with sin, he is gentle with us (cf. 5:2). And Jesus not only understands us better than any earthly priest, but because he never gave in to sin, he is actually able to help us in time of need. Indeed, as the one who has won final victory over sin, Jesus is the source of eternal salvation (5:9). The importance of Jesus’ priestly work in overcoming sin is seen most acutely in his conquering death. As our priest and brother, Jesus goes before us as the pioneer or trailblazer for where we are to follow. He has even gone before us in death, defeating, by his own sacrifice, the devil—the one who has the power of death and would confine us in fear to lifelong slavery (2:14–15).
But sin had no power to keep our great high priest in the grave; therefore, sin has no final power over those who trust in Christ as great high priest. Jesus Christ has conquered death and is the trailblazer for all those who share in the faith of Abraham (2:10, 16-17).
Hebrews may have the most to say about Jesus as our great high priest, but by no means is the rest of the New Testament silent. In the Gospels, as Jesus moves deliberately toward the cross, he identifies his priestly mission in Matthew 20:28 / Mark 10:45: “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Similar to what we read in Hebrews, these passages teach that Jesus came to give his own life as a substitutionary ransom for his people. We can also understand Jesus’ healing ministry as a function of his high priesthood, since even in his healing ministry Jesus is the one who bears our transgressions (Matt. 8:14–17; cf. Isa. 53:4–5). On this point the second-century church father Irenaeus remarked, in his book Against Heresies, that Jesus “did not make void, but fulfilled the law, by performing the offices of the high priest, propitiating God for men, and cleansing the lepers, healing the sick, and Himself suffering death, that exiled man might go forth from condemnation, and might return without fear to his own inheritance” (4.8.2).
More broadly, in the Gospels Jesus performs the work of a priest by identifying with his people in their estate of sin, bearing the curse of sin throughout his life (cf. Matt. 3:13–15; Luke 3:15–22; 12:49–50). And when Jesus ascends into heaven, we see him with arms outstretched in a priestly benediction (Luke 24:50–51; cf. Num. 6:22–27). In the Gospel of John, Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), whose blood brings about final cleansing (cf. 1 John 1:7). And who can forget the majesty of what is often known as the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17, where he intercedes for his disciples and for all those who will believe after them?
The passages that speak of the sublime realities of Christ’s priestly ministry are too numerous to mention here. We could consider at length, for example, the theology of reconciliation we encounter in Paul’s letters (e.g., Rom. 5:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). The good news of the gospel includes the good news of Jesus’ high priesthood: because of his final
sacrifice, we can be reconciled to God.
THE ONLY PRIEST WE WILL EVER NEED
We all need a priest to make atonement for our sins and provide access to God. Hebrews—and the rest of the New Testament—teaches us that Jesus Christ is our great high priest. The priests and priestly institutions of the Old Testament prepare us to understand this important aspect of Jesus’ work as mediator. We have no need to revert to a purely human priesthood to mediate for us; Jesus is the best and only priest we will ever need. He has perfectly atoned for our sins, provides intimate access to God, and is able to help us in times of weakness like no one else. Why would we look elsewhere? It is fitting to conclude with the encouraging exhortation of Hebrews 4:14–16:
Since then 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 is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.