The original readers of the letter to the Hebrews would have found incredible weight in the reality that Jesus was their eternal High Priest. I don’t believe that weight should be lost on us either. The high priest was chosen by God as an intermediary between Him and man. Sin required that we have an advocate, a bridge and God, in all of His love gave us the priesthood to offer gifts and sacrifices to God and to bring to man forgiveness and blessing from God. This system was instituted by God to prepare us for the coming of Jesus. Jesus has eternally been our great High Priest, the priesthood of the law was established by God to reflect Jesus.
Jesus’ priesthood is the fulfillment of Aaron’s. He not only offered the sacrifice, He became the sacrifice. He is not only sympathetic because of enduring temptation, He is victorious in that He overcame and defeated temptation, sin, death and Satan. He has entered our suffering but He has also overcome it. His sympathy is not pity, it is strength both to endure and to overcome. I pray today that we will see Jesus as our High Priest. In Him that we would see our need and our incredible provision, we no longer need a man to go between us and God, we have Jesus who has made a way to the Father and filled us with His Spirit to lead us in the path of righteousness that always brings life!