Hebrews 7:23-28: Our Great High Priest
The
entirety of the book of Hebrews is filled with thematic material related to
Christ’s superiority as the Great High Priest fulfilling a new and better
covenant. In such a manner, we, his people, are to live with a hope and
expectation that the New Covenant is better and that Christ alone is all
powerful to save and satisfy. A few verses in chapter 7, namely verses 23-28, continue
to support the fact that Christ is now the High Priest and that his saving
power is better than anything that has ever and will ever be. There are two
magnificent aspects to Christ’s authority as High Priest, two relevant factors
that we must consider: 1) he is High Priest in power and 2) he is High Priest
in position. These two imperatives alone should give believers the assurance that
his saving power and grace is enough for even the lowest of sinners, and
believing these two facts should affect the way we live our lives, for all is
not hopeless and all is not lost; we now have the assurance of the Great High
Priest.
Hebrews 7:23-28 ESV
23 The
former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from
continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood
permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently,
he is able to save to the uttermost2 those who draw near to God through him, since
he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a
high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted
above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high
priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those
of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests,
but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has
been made perfect forever.
High
Priest in Power (vv. 23-25)
Verses 23-25 relate to Christ as
High Priest in the power he holds as the divine Son of God. He is unlike any
priest before him. He is not only a priest but the High Priest because of his
power, vastly disparate from any man. Being that he was God himself but became
a man and lived a perfect life, his priesthood far exceeds that of mankind, and
now he intercedes on our behalf.
He Is Not Prevented by Death (vv.
23-24)
Christ is different and better
because, unlike former priests, he is not prevented by death. He died once and
for all, but he now lives. We serve a risen savior, which should be explicitly
expressed in our lives and actions. Not only is he unlike former priests, but
he is unlike any person, leader, manmade god, or ruler that has ever or will
ever live. He is God in human-form, and death could not hold him down. He is
alive. Name the authority figure in any of history, and someone can or
eventually will be able to tell you when they died. We can do the same for
Christ Jesus, but the difference is that there is no one else we can point to
that lives again. Christ does, and because of this, he is the better way for
mankind.
He Is Able to Save Anyone (v. 25)
Christ’s death on the cross was not
the end; in fact, it was only the beginning of the New Covenant, which was
fulfilled when he rose again. In that resurrection, the sin of man was without
a fight. It has been conquered. We are told, in verse 25, that Christ is able
to save the uttermost. The Greek word here for “uttermost” implies the most
radically depraved person. Christ’s saving power goes deeper than anything we
could ever imagine. No one is beyond hope with Christ. The Old Covenant could
not do this; only Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection could, and now he
intercedes on our behalf. He is our mediator, as chapter 8 says. Before Christ
we were lost and hopeless; with Christ, we are saved, fulfilled, and being made
as new creations for his glory, and this applies to anyone who trusts in and
confesses him. This should humble us. This should cause us to seek the lost and
preach the good news of the gospel of Christ. Do we really believe that he can
save anyone? Often it does not seem so. He has made a better way.
High
Priest in Position (vv. 26-28)
Jesus Christ is not only High Priest
in power but also in position according to verses 26-28. It is one thing to
have the power of High Priest, but God has made him to be our Great High Priest
in an irreversible manner. Because of his divine nature, he is High Priest in
position.
He Is Set apart (v. 26)
Verse 26 refers to Jesus Christ as “holy, innocent, unstained,
separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”
He is set apart. There is no one that could ever be referred to as this, only
Jesus Christ. This places him in a position higher than any other priestly
position. While former priests could have been considered by many to be good
people (although no one is good by nature) and of noble character, none of them
were ever holy or unstained. “Christ’s divine and holy character is proof of
the superiority of his priesthood.”[1] He is set apart from
everything, placing him in a higher position.
He Does Not Need Us; We Need Him
(v. 27)
Forgiveness under the Old Covenant
was a two-part process: 1) the priests had to offer animal sacrifices to God
for their own sins, and 2) then they had to offer animals sacrifices to God for
the sins of their people. Ultimately it would not have mattered how many
animals were sacrificed; the Old Covenant could not continue to work, which is
why Christ died once and for all. He was sinless so he did not have to offer a
sacrifice on his own behalf but only on ours. In other words, he has no need
for us (never has and never will), but we certainly have an extreme need for
him, for we are radically depraved. This is yet another aspect that places him
in a unique position as High Priest.
He Is Perfect (v. 28)
It has been mentioned several times
already, but likely the most crucial item making Jesus High Priest in position
is the fact that he is perfect. Under the Old Covenant, the Law appointed men
as priests, men who were sinful by nature. Under the New Covenant, however,
Jesus Christ has been appointed as High Priest, and he is perfect forever. He
does not need continuous sacrifices for forgiveness of his sins because he is
sinless. In his lack of sin, he died for our sin and literally became our sin
on the cross, making it null and void. His death was the price paid, and now he
stands as the Great High Priest in position because he is perfect and
blameless, unlike anyone else.
Conclusion
We are the recipients of salvation
under the New Covenant. We have been justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ,
our High Priest who is High Priest in both power and in position. How does this
affect our lives though? Do we live as people of the New Covenant, or do we
continue to live hopeless lives by making excuses for our sin and not with the
realization that sin and death have been crushed under the feet of Jesus
through his death and resurrection? We have a Great High Priest. Our lives
should reflect this amazing mystery as people of the New Covenant.
