Re: Naked Bible 183: Hebrews 4:14-5:10
Our High Priest is also the ultimate sacrifice that brings us into the Presence of God. If you come to Him, you cannot be turned away. That’s because Jesus is the only High Priest who has been fully in our situation. The Aaronic priesthood had special requirements that separated priests from the daily lives of the common people. Jesus has experienced the full range of the powers of fleshly temptation. That we have been tempted and failed does not disqualify us. We are still welcome in His Presence.
The “hold fast our confession” here is the same as “hold fast our confidence” in 3:6. We have been called into His family, His household as adopted children. We belong. Not only has our High Priest passed through this life, but He also walked the halls of Heaven, which no priest has ever done. He holds the full power of both realms, and the basis of our faith is His calling, nothing we could have done. We share in His flesh and blood (back in chapter 2). He came here to earth specifically so that He could overwhelmingly qualify above every other power that holds us.
Why in the world would we have any doubts about the effectiveness of His intercession with Father on our behalf? What could possibly offer any better refuge? We should hold total confidence in the welcome we will receive when we come to Him and cry out our sorrows. It is Jesus who sits on the Throne of Grace. We were not merely a sideline in Jesus’ mission. The only reason the Father brought Him back to this throne is because He accomplished the mission in full.
The Greek word often translated as “sympathize” (sumpatheo) does not carry the condescension it does in English. Rather, it imagines someone who bears the same wounds and trauma. He was there with us in every moment when we suffered any human disability. The only difference is that He never actually sinned, and this is stated emphatically. See 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 7:18; 1 Peter 1:19 & 2:22. For this reason, He was in a position to atone for the sins of others.
It’s not as if He purchased us from the Devil; the price Jesus paid granted Him a higher jurisdiction. He became the sovereign who could seize feudal property from a vassal. Jesus owes the Devil nothing; all the burden of accountability goes the other direction.
We as humans struggle to understand how the Devil is totally shut out of the consequences of our election. Many people have wondered if the New Earth or restored Eden might somehow see a human flaw creep back in. The power of the flesh has been severed; it’s eternal. Even if we cannot explain it, we must learn to seize upon this truth. It becomes a functioning assumption by which we operate. Yes, while we remain in the flesh, it’s always possible to sin. While there are plenty of consequences for sin in this life, the worst that will happen in Eden is that we will carry the memory and embarrassment. Even saying that is only a verbal estimate of the situation.
Your Edenic identity does not rest on your performance in the flesh. If the Father embraces His Son, He embraces us as well. We part of the package.
Then the writer of Hebrews contrasts things further in Chapter 5. Previous high priests were human; they understand our situation. They offered sacrifices for their fellow humans and for themselves, as well. Further, they could stand in this role only by divine calling. Christ didn’t seize the role either, but humbled Himself to be a nobody, from whence He was called by His Father to take up an even higher role as the ultimate reality of what Melchizedek symbolized. There is no need for Him to offer sacrifices for His own frailty; He overcame it.
He stood in the gap, performing as no priest ever had. His moral purity ensured that God could not ignore His cries on our behalf. There was no boundary to overcome. This was the Son calling to His Father. If the Father says “yes” to Jesus, who could possibly demand more from Him? What possible authority exists that could intervene and hinder Jesus from claiming our place in the divine household? He Himself calls us to His Throne of Grace.
