"Called to Be a High Priest": Sermon: Hebrews 5:1-6

“Called to Be a High Priest”

[Hebrews 5:1-6]

July 22, 2012 Second Reformed Church

            When we last looked at the book of Hebrews, we saw that Jesus is our High Priest.  Jesus is not merely the Sacrifice for our sin – He is not merely the Substitute that stands in our place before God for judgment, but He is our High Priest – He is the fulfillment of the office of the High Priest.  And the Hebrew Christians would have responded – wait a minute, how can that be?  How could Jesus – Who was neither of the line of Aaron nor the line of Levi, be a priest?  And when was He ever called to be a priest?

            We remember that Jesus in the Incarnation of the One God – He is God taking on the real human person of Jesus – so, Jesus is 100% God and 100% human at the same time in One Person.  We saw that since He is a human, He could choose to take our place before God in the Judgment – only a human can take the place of a human.  We also said that Jesus lived under God’s Law and though He had the ability to choose to sin, He never did, so He was able to be the Perfect and Final Sacrifice – He was punished for our sin, but He never did anything wrong; He never sinned.  And since He is also God, He survived the punishment for sin by rising from the dead and ascending back to His Throne.

            Since this Jesus now stands between us and God – as our Substitute and Mediator – God now understands what it is to live as a human and to be tempted as a human, and He invites us – as One Who sympathizes with our weaknesses -- to come to Him boldly for the Grace to be able to live the life He calls us to and to be the people He has called us to be.  We have confidence and assurance, because God understands what it is to be a human, and through Jesus, He gives all those who believe in Him Alone for salvation, the ability to live for Him and forgiveness when we come to Him to confess our sin.  In Jesus, we have received forgiveness for every sin we ever commit, because our sin was imputed – credited – to Jesus, and He paid the debt for it, and we received credit for a perfect keeping of the Law, by Jesus imputing – crediting – His perfect keeping of the Law to us.

            Jesus is also our High Priest because He freely chose to offer up Himself on our behalf – for our salvation.  Jesus was not forced or coerced to offer Himself up for our sins, but feely chose to give Himself as the Sacrifice for all those who would ever believe.  And we saw that His Sacrifice of Himself was effective, because the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn open in the moment of Jesus’ death – exposing the Very Presence of God, so we now can come before God, through Jesus, and live.

            Jesus now invites us to come to Him for help – to throw off the heavy chains of slavery to sin – Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV).

            But how did Jesus become High Priest?  What was involved in becoming the High Priest?

  “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

            The first requirement of a high priest was that he be chosen from among male human beings.  The high priest had to be able to identify with those for whom he was interceding before God – the high priest had to be able to sympathize with the temptations and weaknesses of the human person.  It was not possible for an angel to be high priest, because angels do not understand what it is to be human.  It was not possible for God – as a Spirit – to be high priest, because God, outside of the Incarnation, does not know what it is to be a human and He cannot sympathize with we who are humans.  It is not possible for any creature in heaven or on earth or under the earth to be a high priest for humans except another human.  No matter how human your pet may seem to you, only humans know what it is to be a human, so the high priest had to be a human.

            Second, we see that the high priest is a human being who is chosen and appointed.  Being high priest is not something that someone just chooses to be one day.  The high priest has to be chosen from among a group of human beings, and he has to be appointed – anointed – for the office.

            Third, the high priest is someone who is willing and able to serve as the mediator between God and believing humans – he comes before God and offers up sacrifices on behalf of the people in addition to their repentance, so that they would be made right with God again.

            And fourth, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people.”  The high priest is someone who can sympathize with humans in their weakness and proneness to sin.  The high priest has to be able to participate with and understand the sacrifice for the sin of the people.

            But, the text says the high priest “is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people,” and Jesus never sinned.  How can Jesus fulfill offering up a sacrifice for His own sin?

            The answer is He didn’t have to offer up a sacrifice for His own sin.  Although every other high priest had to offer up a sacrifice for his sin, Jesus did not, because He never sinned.  The confusion is in thinking that being a sinner is part of what it means to be human – it is not.  Adam and Eve existed without sin – for a time – and they were human; Jesus never sinned, and He is human.  So, offering up a sacrifice for sin was necessary for high priests who sinned, but it was not necessary for the High Priest, Jesus, Who never sinned.

Then the author of Hebrews gives the example:  “And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

            God told Moses:  “Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen” (Exodus 28:1-5, ESV).

            Aaron – with his sons – was chosen from among the people to serve as the first high priest.  Aaron was a real human being who knew his people and could sympathize with them and stand before God on their behalf to minister for them to God.  God set him apart – and all of his sons from then on – to be high priest.

            So we see that Aaron and his line was chosen to be high priest from among the people – and they were willing to serve as the people’s representatives before God – as those who would come into the presence of God and make atonement – offer up sacrifices that they would be right with God again.

            We may remember there was a second line of priests – the Levites:

             “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.

            “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD’” (Numbers 3:5-13, ESV).

            So, there were two lines of the priesthood:  Aaron and his sons, and the tribe of Levi.

            And so, we find the author of Hebrews answering how Jesus could be a high priest:  If Jesus is God, how could He be High Priest?  Where do we see Jesus being chosen to be High Priest?  When did Jesus accept His role as High Priest?  And if Jesus is sinless, how could He be High Priest?

            The author of Hebrews answers all of these questions with two quotes from the Psalms:

            “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’”

            He has already argued that Jesus is a real human being and has to be in order to take the place of real human beings in God’s Judgment.  He has already also argued that even though Jesus is God, He is also 100% human.  Jesus was born without original sin, but He did have the ability to choose to sin.  But He did not choose to sin, because the Holy Spirit indwelt Him, and He was committed to accomplishing the work that His Father sent Him to do.  “So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me’” (John 8:28, ESV).

            Last week, we saw that Jesus accepted the role of High Priest as He prepared to offer up Himself as the Perfect and Final Sacrifice:  “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:14-18, ESV).

            We also have in these words the implication that Jesus was called not just to be our Sacrificial Substitute, but our High Priest, in the fact that he both lays down and takes up the Sacrifice of Himself. 

            Hear again the concluding passage: “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’”

            The author of Hebrews tells us that Christ – and it is significant that he calls Jesus by His title, “Christ,” here, because “Christ” means “anointed” – Jesus the Christ did not make Himself or choose to be High Priest, but was appointed to the position and office of High Priest – He was anointed to be High Priest – by God the Father.

            But what line is Jesus of – Aaron or Levi?  The answer is neither – Jesus was not a direct descendant of Aaron, nor was He of the tribe of Levi – He was of the tribe of Judah.

            The author of Hebrews argues for the legitimacy of Jesus’ High Priesthood by saying that Jesus is the (only) begotten Son of God, and an eternal priest of the order of Melchizedek.

            Lord willing, we will look at the order of Melchizedek – a third priestly line – in the future.  But let us notice, that the way the author of Hebrews has presented Jesus’ participation in the priestly line of Melchizedek, is not through His humanity, since Jesus was born in His humanity, but through His Divinity – Jesus is of the order of Melchizedek as an eternal priest begotten of God.

            So, is Jesus a legitimate His Priest?  Does He hold the title of High Priest and fulfill it as part of His Ministry?

            Yes:

            First, although Jesus is God Incarnate, He is also a real human being.

            Second, although Jesus is God, He is completely human, and He had the ability to choose to sin, though He did not.

            Third, Jesus received His charge – His call – to be High Priest and Sacrifice from His Father.

            Fourth, although Jesus did not sin, He was a real human being – like Adam and Eve were created.  Sinning is not part of what it means to be human, but what it means that we are fallen – in need of a Savior – of a way to be made right with God.

Fifth, Jesus is of the eternal and divine priestly line of Melchizedek.

Understanding that Jesus is legitimately our High Priest, we ought to continue to hold fast to the confession of the Gospel – knowing that God sent His Son, Who willingly chose to come – to Incarnate as Jesus, the God-Man.  He lived a sinless life under the Law of God and gave Himself up to be the propitiation – the sacrifice – that would make us right with God.  And He did not merely leave it up to anyone to offer up His Sacrifice, but as the Perfect High Priest, called by His Father, from before Creation to be High Priest, He offered up Himself, as the Only Way a human can be right with God.

We broke the covenant that God made with us, and God, in His Mercy and for His Glory, came to earth, lived as one of us, and offered up Himself as the Only Sacrifice that could make us right with Him.  Salvation is all God’s Work – you and I do nothing – isn’t this good news?

God took everything upon Himself so we wouldn’t – and we can’t – ruin this Glorious Gift:  “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time”  (1 Timothy 2:5-6, ESV).

Let us pray:

Almighty God, as we explore Your Work of Salvation, we put our hands over our mouths.  How can we respond, but to thank You for saving a people who don’t deserve saving?  What can we do, but hold fast to our confession and let others know that Gospel of our High Priest and His Sacrifice for all those who will believe – Jesus?  Give us grace to live lives of bold humility that everyone would know Your Gospel.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.