Our Great High Priest
Hebrews 4:14 – 16, 5:7 – 9
A great storm ravaged America’s East Coast. Waters were fierce and washed ashore thousands of starfish who were struggling to get back into the ocean. After the weather had passed a man went down to a shoreline and picked up individual starfish. He tossed each poor creature back into the sea. A curious bystander passed by the man and asked, “Why are you spending time with each starfish. There are so many of them, and you can select only a few to take care of?” The man replied, “I may not be able to rescue all the starfish. But I can make a difference in the life of some.”
On this Good Friday we remember that Christ Jesus came to save the life of every person. There are millions of folks in this world. Jesus wants to rescue each person. But just like the struggling starfish, not everyone will be saved. Only those who put their hope and trust in our Lord will receive his gift.
In the Book of Exodus God comes to Moses at Mt Sinai to reconfirm His covenant with the nation of Israel and enumerate through the words of the Ten Commandments what the expectations and the responsibilities were for each of the parties were to each other. Also, in Exodus, God goes about organizing the nation of Israel from the “judicial system” to the function, structure, and responsibilities of the religious life of the nation of Israel.
Among the extensive details that we read in the book was the construction of a transportable tabernacle that would be the center of the community and life of the Israelites. It would be the place where the Jews would come to offer sacrifices to thank God for what He had done for them and for forgiveness for what they had and hadn’t done. The layout of the tabernacle has been a constant over the centuries.
Inside that first tented courtyard was another smaller tented area with a curtain over the entrance, this was known as the Holy Place. It was the place where only the priests could go conduct certain offerings to God. At the back of that chamber, there was another chamber, and there was a heavy drape or veil across the entrance to keep all people, except one from entering. It was known as the Holiest of Holies.
Within this chamber was the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Ten Commandments and Atonement Cover. Most importantly, this was the place were God dwelt. No one could go in there except for the High Priest, and he was allowed to enter only one time per year, on Atonement Day, the day that the nation gathered to confess their sins before God. The High Priest alone could seek atonement for the entire nation.
By being commissioned and consecrated by God, Aaron the first High Priest and spiritual leader of the entire nation, carried all of the sin and disobedience of the entire nation on himself alone, on his shoulders, so he was the one that needed to go to God and ask for atonement for all of the people. This foreshadows what Christ does for us on the Cross today!
Our scripture reading in Hebrews leads us to understand the importance of Jesus then as the final and ultimate High Priest. Hebrews 4 tells us that Jesus can empathize with our weaknesses, because he too has been tempted in every way yet did not sin. Nothing in our human experience is foreign to Jesus. He knows about our depravity because of being fully human. Yet, he is without sin because of his divinity, he is also fully God. Jesus is Perfect God and Perfect Man.
Under the Mosaic covenant, the Israelites needed someone to intercede for them with God. Now the Bible says, we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence and without fear. This is possible because of what Jesus accomplished on Good Friday. As we will remember later in the service, it was the heavy drape, the veil between the Holy Place and the Holiest of Holies, the veil between God and man, that was ripped from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus’ death.
It is this event that gives us access to God in order that we might go and talk to God ourselves. Jesus as Our Great High Priest took on his shoulders all of the offense of our sins. Now we can receive mercy and grace in our time of need because our sin is no longer a hindrance in our relationship with God.
By being here today we declare that we believe what happened at Calvary is something that is intended for mankind of every generation. Jesus poured out his blood on the Cross for sake of all of us: past, present, and future. Jesus bore the sin of all folks in every time and place. But despite the fact that Our Great High Priest Jesus’ sacrifice is for all people; the new covenant ushered in on Maundy Thursday tells us that salvation is a decidedly individual choice.
We cannot rely upon the salvation that our parents, family, friends, or anyone in our family may have received. Each person must trust and believe for themselves that Jesus died on the Cross for them.
Jesus invites us today to take up our Cross and follow him. Through Christ’s sacrifice for us, we are sanctified and set apart for Him. By entering God’s presence on our behalf and tearing the veil we can have a personal relationship. Christ has secured for us an eternal presence with our Father. Because of his love for us a what he has willingly done for us today, He is Our Great High Priest, and we are forgiven! Amen.