Why We Need Jesus, Our Great High Priest (Hebrews 3-7)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Why does Hebrews talk so much about our great high priest, and what does this mean for us today?

For many Christians today, high priest terminology can be confusing. So when they get to chapters in the Bible like Hebrews 3-8, they don't know what to do. But keep in mind the author of Hebrews original intention. The goal was to help a small group of Jewish believers understand that Jesus was better in every way—better than the angels, better than Moses, and a better High Priest.

Here is why that last one is important. The role of a high priest under the Old Covenant, as portrayed in the Old Testament, was to mediate between humanity and God. But this was always an imperfect structure that pointed towards the day Jesus would come to earth and suffer as a perfect sacrifice and atone for the sins of humanity—past, present, and future—in a way that no earthly high priest could. This title underscores the unique and superior nature of Jesus' role in reconciling humanity with God.

As our great high priest, Jesus is our mediator. As Robert Peterson writes,

"There were three qualifications for the position of Mediator between God and humanity: candidates must be God (only the three persons of the Godhead qualify!), they must have become human (only one qualifies), and they need "on the job" experience. Christ met the third qualification by learning obedience to God's will through suffering."^[1]

In Christ, we find perfect rest. Apart from him, all the repentance and sacrifices made in the Old Testament would have been for nothing. And apart from him, all our striving to live a better life and be a better person is meaningless. Only when we place our complete trust in him can we rest confidently in the arms of the very one who created us.