2 JESUS THE PRIEST

JESUS
THE PRIEST

Last Sunday, we considered Jesus as THE Prophet, the One who spoke for God, the One who spoke the words God put into His mouth, the One who spoke God’s words and only God’s words. We saw that He did not speak a syllable that was not God’s word.

Today, we are to consider Jesus as THE Priest. Next Lord’s Day, we shall consider Him as THE King. Our subject then today is “Jesus THE Priest.” I have been embarrassed by the large number of texts that have come to mind as absolutely necessary, and I have been unable to reduce them to less than seven. Even so we shall have occasion to consider many others before this sermon is finished. The seven texts are:

Heb 3:1: “Wherefore, Holy Brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus.”

Heb 4:14-16: “Having then a great High Priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we have not a High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.”

Heb 5:4-6: “And no man taketh the honor unto himself, but when he is called of God, even as was Aaron. (5) So Christ also glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest, but He that spake unto Him, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee: (6) As He saith also in another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Heb 7:22-25: “By so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant. (23) And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing: (24) But He, because He abideth forever, hath His priesthood unchangeable. (25) Wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Heb 8:4(part of the verse): “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all.”

Heb 9:24: “For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.”

1Ti 2:5: “For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus.”

You will note that six of the seven texts are from the Epistle to the Hebrews. The Epistle to the Hebrews is the great New Testament book on the subject of the Priesthood of Christ, as Leviticus is the great Old Testament book on priesthood. Leviticus has been called “The Priests’ Guide Book” (C. H. M. Lev., p. 204), but the Epistle to the Hebrews is the book that pre-eminently sets forth Jesus Christ as the One High Priest of whom Aaron was but the type and shadow. I wish each of you would carefully read the Epistle to the Hebrews when you go home, especially Chapters three to ten. In our first text, God commands us to “consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus” and we shall endeavor to obey that commandment this morning. The word translated “consider” is a very strong word. It means “to consider attentively” or “to consider studiously,” “to fix one’s eyes or mind upon.” That is just what we propose to do this morning; to fix the eyes of our mind very intently upon Jesus as our High Priest of God’s own appointment, the One Divinely appointed and Divinely anointed Priest of God. Our text says, “Consider the APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST of our confession, even Jesus.” But last Sunday we considered Him as The Apostle, the One sent of God to speak for Him; for that is what Apostle means. Today we consider Him as the High Priest. As Apostle or Prophet He represents God before us; as High Priest He represents us before God; but He is both Apostle to represent God before us and High Priest to represent us before God, by God’s own appointment. Jesus is both our Moses and our Aaron. Like Moses (Deu 18:15; Deu 18:18-19), He pleads God’s cause with us, by God’s own appointment; like Aaron, He pleads our cause with God, by God’s own appointment. The Old Testament High Priest, type of Jesus, our High Priest, came before Israel with the name of JEHOVAH on the golden plate of his mitre (Exo 39:30-31): but He came before God with the name of the twelve tribes graven on his twelve-jeweled breast-plate, over his heart (Exo 39:8-14). We are then today to consider Jesus as the Priest of God’s own appointment, the One and Only real Priest of whom Aaron and his successors were but types and shadows.

I.—WHAT IS A PRIEST? The first question that confronted us last week was, “What is a Prophet”? The first question that confronts us today is, “What is a Priest?” A true priest, (as is evident from a study of both the Old Testament and the New Testament use of the word), is one who represents sinful people before a Holy God, one who makes it possible for penitent sinners to stand in God’s Holy presence and to have joyous communion with Him. The priest represents God’s people before God and makes communion with God possible in two ways:

1. In the first place, the priest represents God’s people before God by making propitiation for their sins by the slaying of their substitute sacrifice and by the offering of the blood to God. This we see in Heb 2:17, “Wherefore it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God TO MAKE PROPITIATION for the sins of the people.” In the Authorized Version it reads, “to make reconciliation for the sins of the people,” but this is an incorrect translation. “To make propitiation” is the right rendering. In the Greek the three words “to make propitiation” are represented by one word, a verb. The part of the Greek verb used here which is translated “propitiation” signifies “a means of appeasing.” The thought is: God is Holy, infinitely Holy. Because He is infinitely Holy, He must infinitely hate sin. As everything in God is real, His Holy hatred of sin is real, and, therefore, must manifest itself. It must manifest itself by striking either upon the sinner or upon a lawful substitute, and the Holy wrath of God manifested itself in falling upon the substitute sacrifice rather than upon you and me, the sinners. Now it is the priest who offers up the sacrificial victim and thus “makes propitiation.” The Old Testament priest offered up calves and goats and lambs, but they were only types and shadows, not the reality. They could never “make perfect them that drew nigh,” they needed to be offered again and again (Heb 10:1-2). But Jesus our High Priest must have “somewhat to offer” (Heb 8:3). That “somewhat” was Himself by the shedding of His own blood on Calvary. He was both Priest and sacrifice. (Heb 10:4-10.) By coming to do the will of God, in the offering of His own body and shedding of His own blood (Heb 10:4-9), and by carrying that blood into the very presence of God when He ascended up into heaven, the real Holy place,—of which the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle made “after the pattern God showed Moses in the mount” was only a type,—Jesus, our High Priest, made a perfect propitiation for sin and by it “perfected forever,” as far as their standing before God is concerned, all those who believe on Him (Heb 10:14). And so there needs to be no more sacrifices here on earth and no earthly priest to offer them. The Roman Catholic priest claims that in the mass, in which they say that the bread is turned into the body of Christ and the wine into the blood of Christ, there is a repetition of the sacrifice of Christ. But in so saying they fly in the face of God’s plain Word (Heb 10:10-14), “By which will we have been sacrificed through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. (11) And every priest indeed standeth day by day ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, the which can never take away sins: (12) But He, when He had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God; (13) Henceforth expecting till His enemies be made the footstool of His feet. (14) For By ONE OFFERING He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”

2. In the second place, the Priest represents the redeemed people of God before God by interceding for them. This we see in Heb 7:23-25 : “And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing: (24) But He, because He abideth forever, hath His priesthood unchangeable. (25) Wherefore also He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” In two points of great importance our High Priest, Jesus, excels the Old Testament high priests who were simply types and shadows of Him:

(1) In the first place they were many because they were “hindered from continuing by death”: He is One and “ever liveth (literally “is always living”) to make intercession.” So He cannot only begin our salvation by bringing us pardon and justification by the offering of His own blood, but can also carry on our salvation “unto entire perfection” (“unto entire perfection” is the exact force of the Greek words translated “unto the uttermost,”) by interceding for us daily every time we are tempted, thus daily preventing our fall and bringing us restoration to fellowship even if we do fall.

2. In the second place, our High Priest is infinitely more excellent than the old Aaronic priesthood because they were permitted to come into the Holy of Holies only once a year, but our High Priest is in the true Holy of Holies, Heaven itself, all the time. Furthermore, the Old Testament priests had to stand in the Holy of Holies, but our High Priest “sat down on the right hand of God,” “on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Heb 10:11-12; Heb 8:1), because He belongs there. Oh, precious, oh glorious thought! Jesus, our High Priest, has made perfect atonement for our sins forever, and, therefore, there is not a cloud between God and the believer in Christ, no matter how many and how great the believer’s sins may have been; and He is in God’s presence today, all the time, to intercede for us, knowing all Satan’s wiles, and thus He can save us from falling a prey to the wiles of Satan and can also take up our case if we do fall. As John puts it in 1Jn 2:1, “If any man sin, we (i.e., believers in Christ,) have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.” Let us praise God today for our perfect, ever living High Priest, Jesus, who “Is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

II.—WHERE IS JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST? The next question that confronts us is, Where is Jesus, our High Priest; i.e., where does He act as High Priest? The Bible very plainly answers that question. Jesus is our High Priest not on earth, but in heaven. This we see in our fifth text, Heb 8:4, “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all,” and in our sixth text, Heb 9:24, “For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but INTO HEAVEN ITSELF, now to appear before the face of God for us” (literally “in behalf of us”). Christ began to exercise His High-priestly functions when He ascended into heaven. When He was here on earth, He acted as God’s prophet. When He entered heaven and carried His blood in there, He began His work as Priest. When He comes again He will assume His place as King though He will continue as priest and therefore be a Priest-King (Psa 110:1-6). We see here the folly of the Roman Catholic priesthood. They have no right to act as priests. The only priesthood of Divine appointment on earth is the Aaronic priesthood, and they are not of the family of Aaron, nor even of the tribe of Levi. The Bible tells us that even the Lord Jesus could not be a Priest on earth because He was of the tribe of Judah, of which God said nothing about Priesthood but of Kingship. Listen to Heb 9:24, “For Christ entered NOT INTO A HOLY PLACE MADE WITH HANDS, like in pattern to the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us.” Listen again, Heb 8:4, “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all.” Again, Heb 7:14, “For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests.” Oh, that the Pope and his cardinals and his archbishops and his bishops and all his subordinates would study the Bible. Then they might approach more nearly to “infallibility” and not constantly fall into monstrous and ludicrous errors. It will not help the Romish priests any to claim to be successors of the Apostles, or even to be successors of Peter, even if they could establish the claim, which they cannot; for neither the other Apostles nor Peter made any claim to priesthood, except as all believers are priests in that God has committed to us all a ministry of intercession. It was Peter himself who said to all believers, and not merely a priestly caste nor to ministers, (1Pe 2:7-9), “For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: But for such as disbelieve, the stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner: (8) And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: Whereunto also they were appointed. (9) But ye (i.e., “You that believe”,) are an elect race, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a Holy Nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1Pe 2:7-9.) Into the position of priest, as a mediator between God and men, no other than Jesus has any right to attempt to come; for God Himself has declared in words, the meaning of which is unmistakable, “There is one God, ONE MEDIATOR also between God and men, Himself man, Christ Jesus.” (1Ti 2:5.) By God’s Word then the Romish priesthood vanishes and saints and angels vanish as mediators, and even “the Blessed Virgin” herself vanishes as a mediator. There is but one Priest-mediator, Jesus Christ, and He is enough. He is all-sufficient. We need no other. If any purely human priest, Roman Catholic or other, comes to me, I will say, “Get out, I don’t want you, I have Jesus.” Oh, Lord Jesus, thou art my sole and all-sufficient Priest, “made priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Our versions render these words, which occur three times in this Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 5:6; Heb 7:17; Heb 7:21), “Thou art a Priest forever,” but there is no article in the Greek. Indeed, there is no indefinite article (“a” or “an”) in the Greek language. When it ought to be inserted it has to be supplied; and often-times in Greek literature, biblical or classical, a noun is used without the definite article when it is even more emphatic as the expression of the only one of the class than if a definite article were used. The words thrice repeated in Hebrews, “Thou art priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” are a quotation from an Old Testament prophecy and undoubtedly mean that the coming Messiah, a Divinely appointed and Divinely anointed Priest-King, was to be the One and Only Priest forever (Psa 110:4, note the context, Psa 110:1, etc.). Jesus Christ Himself quoted this Old Testament prophecy as applying to Himself and as a proof of His Deity (Mat 22:41-46).

III.—WHEN IS JESUS PRIEST? The next question that arises is, “When is Jesus Priest?” This question has really been answered by answering the preceding question as to where Jesus should act as Priest. We have seen that it is in Heaven that He acts as Priest in the true sanctuary which “the Lord pitched, not man.” (Heb 8:2.) So it is since His ascension to Heaven that He acts as Priest. He was Prophet when on earth and is Priest now in heaven and He will be King when He comes back, but He will continue Priest for it is repeatedly declared “Thou art Priest forever.” So He will be a Priest-King.

IV.—THE CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR
PRIEST.

Just a few words on the characteristics of our Priest:

1. In the first place, He is a Priest by Divine appointment. This is strongly emphasized in our third text, Heb 5:4-6, “And no man taketh the honor unto himself, but when he is called of God, even as was Aaron. (5) So Christ also glorified not Himself to be made a High Priest, but He that spake unto Him, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee. (6) As He saith also in another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” We have priests, many today. We meet them on every hand, in secret societies, in heathen religions, in Roman Catholicism, and many Protestant preachers assume priestly airs and claim priestly honors; but these are all self-made priests, or man-made priests. Jesus is a God-appointed Priest, and the only God-appointed Priest.

2. In the second place, He is a Perfect Priest in His Moral Character. This comes out in Heb 7:26-28, “For such a High Priest became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (27) Who needeth not daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: For this He did ONCE FOR ALL, when He offered up Himself. (28) For the law appointed men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was after the law, appointed a Son, perfected for evermore.” The One Priest, Jesus, can make a perfect atonement for us because He needed none whatever for Himself, and such atonement He has made. As Heb 7:27 puts it, “Who needeth not daily, like those High Priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people: For this He did ONCE FOR ALL, when He offered up Himself.” How unlike to Him are the priests of the Roman Catholic Church, to say nothing of the priests of heathen religions. Who ever knew a human priest, even the best of them, of whom it could be said that he was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens”? It could be far better said of many of them that they are “unholy, harmful, defiled, mixed up with sinners and made lower than the average man.” But such a Priest who is “holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” “became us” (or, fitted us) and, thank God, we have Him in Jesus Christ and we want none of the other sort.

3. In the third place, He is a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. This we see in Heb 2:17, “Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God.” The word translated “Faithful” means “one who can be depended upon,” “one in whom you can put your trust.” That is one great trouble with these man-made priests and self-made priests, you cannot depend upon them, and if you put your trust in them you are lost.

4. In the fourth place, Jesus is a sympathetic High Priest. This comes out in Heb 4:14-16, “Having then a great High Priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we have not a High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” We get precious little sympathy from man-made priests. We ought to get it; for they are not only tempted as we are, but sin as we do and worse. But sympathy? No. So many prayers, so many masses, yes, even so many funerals, and even so many words of consolation, for so many dollars. We do not need them. We have a High Priest who knows our every temptation, sympathizes with our every sorrow and He does not ask a cent. Let us go right to Him. Oh, that some of you sorrowing ones and tempted ones would go right to Him and tell it all. You do come to me and I am glad you do, but I cannot help as He can. You do not need me. Go right to Him. Alas, I am often too busy to listen, He never is. “Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need” (Heb 4:16).

5. In the fifth place, He is an everlasting Priest. Other priests die, He continues. This is beautifully put in Heb 7:23-25, “And they indeed have been made priests many in number, because that by death they are hindered from continuing: (24) But He, BECAUSE HE ABIDETH FOREVER, hath His Priesthood unchangeable. (25) WHEREFORE also He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God THROUGH HIM, seeing HE EVER LIVETH to make intercession for them.” Therefore He can comfort and help and save, not for a day, but forever, and “unto entire perfectness.” (That is the meaning of the words translated “to the uttermost.”)

V.—PRACTICAL INFERENCES FROM THE
PERFECT PRIESTHOOD OF JESUS.

Now just a few minutes for some practical inferences that the Bible draws from the perfect Priesthood of our Lord Jesus. We have drawn some as we went along, but I wish to emphasize three:

1. In the first place, let us have done with manmade and self-made priests. That is the message of whole chapters in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

2. In the second place, “let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” This is what God tells us to do in Heb 4:16. A similar thought is found put in another way in Heb 10:19-22, “Having therefore, Brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, (20) by the way which He dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; (21) and having a great priest over the House of God; (22) let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: And having our body washed with pure water.” With such a High Priest in heaven, we can come into God’s presence without fear, indeed, with the utmost confidence no matter how vile we may have been in the past or even how weak we may be in the present. Oh, when I pray and my sins of the past come up, and my unworthiness in the present comes up, I think of the perfect sacrifice that has been made that covers all my sins and of my perfect Priest up there, whom the Holy Father always hears, and I become very confident and dare ask great things and I know I am going to get them.

3. In the third place, having gone into the Holy of Holies, Heaven itself, and presented there the blood and completed His intercession, He is coming back to bless and save, to perfect our salvation. This we see in Heb 9:28, “So Christ also, having been once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation.” Have you ever noticed that these words are found right in the midst of a section of the Epistle taken up entirely with Christ’s Priesthood, and that His return is stated to be the direct outcome of His priestly work? The High Priest, under the old dispensation, went into the Holy place and offered the blood and made intercession and then came out and blessed the people. So Jesus, our High Priest, has made atonement by the sacrifice of Himself and has taken His blood up into the real Holy of Holies, Heaven itself, and made His intercession and then what, listen to Heb 6:17-20, “Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; (18) that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us: (19) Which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil; (20) whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Is not the meaning plain? Our High Priest having come out from the Holy place to bless us who believe in Him, and, therefore, “wait for Him,” is going to take us back with Him. The verses tell us that Jesus entered heaven “as a forerunner” (note, please, the word “forerunner”), having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” and we are the followers of the “forerunner.” We are to go with Him into that same unutterably glorious place, the real Holy of Holies, the highest heavens. He does for us what no Aaron nor any possible successors could do for Israel, not even in type. The Aaronic High Priest went into the Holy place alone, and only once a year, and only for a short stay. Our High Priest when He comes, will take us back with Him into the Holy of Holies, and to stay. Hallelujah!