Bible In A Year | Read: Hebrews 4
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
Overview of Chapter
The writer is drawing a parallel between a rest that Israel received and the rest promised to us. When Israel escaped slavery in Egypt and entered a land which was theirs, they looked forward to that rest. While on their way, some turned away from God and were never allowed to enter. We are warned not to turn away. Those who reject God’s offer of salvation will not enter his rest. The writer quotes David referring to rest as something that would come in the future. Israel was already living in their land when David wrote, so the rest he was talking about was even greater than the one they already had. The Jewish readers would have been familiar with Israel’s lack of faith and not being allowed to enter their land. They are being challenged not to make an even bigger mistake. If they reject Jesus, they will miss out on an even better rest. Jesus is then referred to as our High Priest. It was the duty of the High Priest to make sacrifices for the sins of the people. Jesus was similar to the High Priest because he sacrificed himself for our sin, but was different because he was sinless.
Another part of the parallel to Israel entering their rest is that they needed to work in the present before entering rest in the future. Our lives here on earth are hard work. We suffer opposition, need to work to provide for ourselves and strive to keep moving forward spiritually. The rest comes when we enter the arms of our Savior!
Thoughts on the verses
Recently I was talking with a good friend that isn’t a fan of churches and when he introduced me to everyone else, he said, “He’s a priest or something!’ It was the only way he could think of to explain to his friends what I did for a living. I’m not a priest (at least not in the sense that he meant); but who a priest is and what a priest does is at the heart of Hebrews, and this passage teaches us three things about Jesus the Priest:
He sympathizes with us. Jesus ‘has been tempted in every way, just as we are’ (4:15). He is not some shadowy figure we venerate on stained-glass windows; he literally experienced humanness as fully as we do. Luke tells us he had to grow ‘in wisdom and stature’ (Lk. 2:52) in the normal human way. He was tired and hungry, hurt by Judas’ betrayal, and wept deep tears at Lazarus’ tomb. Christ faced loneliness having ‘nowhere to lay his head’ (Lk. 9:58), and never married. He was tempted repeatedly by Satan, and went through psychological turmoil followed by physical agony on the cross. So there is nothing you will or have ever passed through that he doesn’t understand and feel deeply about. He became flesh not just to save you, but to understand you, and to be your inspiration in every triumph and trial of life.
He was chosen for us. The tribe of Levi was appointed by God to be high priests over Israel in perpetuity. That appointment was challenged by Israel, as Aaron showed his weakness in building the golden calf. But God has chosen Christ to be our High Priest forever. Unlike every human leader, Christ is the perfect representative to bring us to God, as he has never sinned or buckled to human pressure. Ultimately, all human leadership will let us down, but Christ never will.
He has power to save us. Jesus our Priest is the ‘source of eternal salvation’ (5:9). That salvation was won through power manifested in weakness: ‘During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears’ (5:7). He’s not a priest who sits in a confessional booth or waves incense around. His eternal priesthood was sealed in the sweat of Gethsemane and the blood of Calvary. As Michael Card’s song ‘El Shaddai’ puts it, God’s ‘most awesome work was done through the frailty of [his] son’.* It is a consistent truth in scripture that God’s power is most manifest in our weakness.
Action Steps
Bible: What is God showing me? What am I going to do about it?
Bless: Serve one person through word, action, or gift today.
Have you ever thought it would be cool to hear some C3 leaders discuss the daily verses, share about their lives and mostly just talk about nonsense? Of course not!…even though nobody has ever thought that we are still doing it. You can follow along with us each morning in a brand new podcast – Thursday All Business & Aaron Chastised Us.
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