A Great High Priest
A Great High Priest
In chapter five, we see our Lord Jesus Christ as the great heavenly High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, _with a four-fold ministry. Firstly, He intercedes on our behalf for all our shortcomings. He is our Advocate, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Being a merciful and faithful High Priest, He pleads on our behalf, All of us in our weakness and foolishness, do things to grieve God. Even though we do not want to do wrong, the enemy drags us into temptation. The Lord Jesus Christ knowing our weaknesses and failures pleads on our behalf.
Secondly, in the Old Testament period the high priest had to offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. These sacrifices pointed to the Lord Jesus in five ways: Firstly, there was the burnt offering which speaks of the complete sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly, the sin offering reminds us how the Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself all our sins to be our Saviour. Thirdly, the peace offering shows how the Lord Jesus Christ has become our peace and has reconciled us to God. Fourthly, the trespass offering reminds us that the Lord Jesus Christ has made full provision for cleansing and forgiveness of our sins which we commit even after we are born again. Fifthly, the meat offering shows that the Lord Jesus Christ has become our meat and drink to satisfy our hunger and thirst. The Lord Jesus Christ has become all these five offerings on our behalf. By one perfect sacrifice He has made us righteous, We should go on saying by faith, “Lord, you are my burnt offering, you are my peace offering, you are my sin offering, you are my trespass offering, you are my meat offering.”
Thirdly, the high priest helped those who wanted to find the will of God. He has on his breastplate two stones called Urim and Thummim. Through these two stones he could find God’s will. No one knows how these precious stones operated, but we know that with their help the high priest could find God’s will ( 1 Sam. 23:9-12 ). The Lord Jesus Christ is our great heavenly High Priest who lives in us. We can talk to Him directly and find God’s will for us.
Fourthly, as our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus gives us heavenly food. Melchizedek appeared to Abraham as the High Priest in Gen. 14:18. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” No one knows from where he came. He was without father and without mother. He was without beginning and without ending. He was made like unto the Son of God. That proves that God Himself took the form of Melchizedek and brought heavenly food for Abraham. This was the prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ how He would offer His body and shed His blood. By eating that heavenly food Abraham got extra strength to over come the temptation brought by the king of Sodom. We need heavenly food by which we get spiritual strength. The Lord has made provision for victory over every temptation which we have to face during childhood, youth and old age. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13), That victory is made possible by receiving the heavenly food from the hand of Melchizedek. Our Bible knowledge and will power cannot help us at the time of temptations. The Lord Jesus Christ is our merciful and faithful High Priest. If we go to Him by faith according to Heb. 2:17, 18 and derive strength through His ministry as the great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, He will give us victory over all the devices of the enemy. Those who depend upon themselves or upon their Bible knowledge, fasting and long prayers will remain spiritually defeated and barren. But those who know how to be benefitted by the High priestly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ become spiritually strong day by day.
We first know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Then we know Him as our Lord and King. Then we know Him as our great High Priest. May the Lord teach us how to appropriate His High Priestly Ministry in our day to day life.