Jesus the Great High Priest

The book of Hebrews is a mammoth work.  In fact, only Romans compares to the theological genius of Hebrews.  In it, the writer presents a succinct and thorough case for faithfulness in regards to Jesus of Nazarene, the Christ.  Certainly Hebrews is a vast and great work concerned with the theology and and a high doctrine of Christ.  One of the major themes present throughout it is that the covenant made in Christ has surpassed the Mosaic one, as in, the fleshly covenant under Moses is surpassed by the spiritual covenant in Christ.  A major thrust of this argument is that Jesus is our supreme High Priest, the mediator of this greater covenant, that is established by His blood.  Hebrews 7-9 are the primary sources for this dialogue, briefly (re)acquainting with them would be a good introduction to this discourse.

Under the Old Covenant, established under Moses, the High Priest had a specific role and a particular task.  The High Priest was the foremost mediator between the Israelites and God.  To accomplish this mediation, the High Priest would continually make regular sacrifices and offerings on behalf of the people, culminating on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the one day per year that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies under the heavy veil to offer propitiation for the sins of Israel, including himself.

Thus, when Yom Kippur came around every year, the people were annually reminded of the ever-pervasive sin and guilt that remained imperfectly atoned.  The system itself was flawed because it was unable to provide an eternal cleansing and removal of sin, which is and has always been rooted in the heart and not the externals.  This systemic flaw necessitated a greater covenant, prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 31:31-34).

It is important to note that everything about the Old Covenant, from the robes of the priests to the architecture of the tabernacle and Temple, acted as an echo, but a shadow of the heavenly realm.  In a very real sense, everything under the Old Covenant was a sacrament, an emblem that expressed teh realities of heaven.  This understanding can be lost on modern day Christians, removed by centuries from this form of religious expression; however, it is essential to note if we are to comprehend what the writer of Hebrews is saying.

Because the tabernacle was but an earthly shadow cast by the heavenly realm, when Christ came an administered a New Covenant in the heavenly realm by His earthly ministry, He thus established a greater covenant, having atoned for all sin "once-for-all" by the power of His blood.  As a result, because the Old Covenant has been made obsolete by the surpassing Covenant made in Christ, Christ has become our great High Priest, who mediates between man and God.

Therefore, and this cannot be overstated: Jesus is our sole and only priest, the exclusive mediator between man and God.  The simple fact that Hebrews exists and that it argues so strongly for this implies that this was a misconception even in the first century A.D.  The implications of this are clear and shattering: anyone who claims to be a priest, mediating between man and God is usurping the position and task that rightfully belongs to Jesus alone.  Because we have one perfect High Priest under a perfect Covenant made by that Priest, we simply have no need or even desire for any other earthly and less-than priests.

Although God has commissioned others, pastors, evangelists, shepherds, etc., the point still stands: only Jesus mediates and acts as the Great High Priest on our behalf, any earthly version is not only a shadow but much more so a counterfeit.  It is true that this may seem provocative if not outright controversial, but the Bible is clear and definite in this regard.  We should be on guard then for those who would claim to be our mediator.  Instead, let us praise Jesus who has established the perfect Covenant through His blood and who mediates on our behalf before the Father, our true and perfect High Priest!