Jesus Intercedes for Us

                                                                     Sunday School Lesson

Lesson: Hebrews 4:14-5:10                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  What do you think Jesus is doing right now?  Many people believe that after the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus to heaven, He is now in retirement until He returns.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  He has never been more active.  Among other things, He is in heaven acting as our High Priest to hear our pleas and feel our pain.  This is one of the lesser known facts about Christianity---Jesus is now our great High Priest.  The idea of having a high priest may seem strange to our beliefs especially since talk of a high priest is predominant in the Old Testament.  This week’s lesson tells us that we have Someone in heaven who cares.  This caring is demonstrated in many ways, and especially in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ prays for us.  He cares enough to plead with the Father on our behalf.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Hebrews is a letter written by an unknown Christian to present the superiority and sufficiency of Jesus Christ, and how He had replaced Judaism as God’s perfect revelation of Himself.  The Epistle to the Hebrews has no greeting or identification of its author, therefore the author is unknown.  The authorship has been debated since post-apostolic days.  In certain places of the letter, the language is like Paul’s and on account of the personal reference to Timothy (see Hebrews 13:23), some scholars have attributed the letter to Paul.  Although there is no conclusive proof that Paul is the author, Hebrews as a part of Scripture speaks with divine authority.  It is believed that the letter was probably written before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by Rome, since religious sacrifices and ceremonies are referred to in the book.  In addition, there is no mention of the temple’s destruction in the letter (see Hebrews 10:11).  The letter was written to encourage its Hebrew readers who had professed faith in Jesus as the Messiah, but were wavering in their faith.  Hence the author gives the exhortation to “hold fast” (see Hebrews 10:23) and to “go on unto perfection” (see Hebrews 6:1).  As Hebrews begins, the writer first sets forth Christ’s superior revelation (see Hebrews 1:1-4).  Then he expressed Christ’s superiority over the law-giver Moses (see Hebrews 3:1-4:13), and in our lesson text the author began to stress the priesthood of Christ as superior to the priesthood of Aaron, which had been established under the law. 
III. A SUPERIOR HIGH PRIEST (Hebrews 4:14-16) 
A. Christ, our superior High Priest gives us assurance (Hebrews 4:14).  Our first verse says “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”  With the phrase “Seeing then that we have a great high priest” the writer was letting his Jewish Christian readers know that there was no need to go back to their former faith of Judaism with its outward ritual and established priesthood.  Those things had been ordained for their time, but that time had passed.  Believers now had “a great high priest” greater than any they had known before.  The believers’ High Priest had “passed into the heavens.”  This statement stresses the superiority of Christ’s ministry over the Levitical priests.  They ministered on earth, but Christ ministers in heaven.  Our High Priest is also identified as “Jesus the Son of God.”  This title reveals both His deity and humanity.  Based on all of this, the writer exhorted his readers to “hold fast our profession.”  In other words, they were to be strong and prevail in their confession of Christ.  Based on all they knew about Him, the readers should hold fast and tenaciously to Christ. 
B. Christ, our superior High Priest sympathizes with us (Hebrews 4:15).  This verse goes on to say “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  Not only is Jesus as our High Priest superior to any earthly priest, He is also more sympathetic.  The phrase “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” means that our High Priest is not someone who doesn’t know what we go through every day of our lives. The verb translated “touched” is actually “sympathize” which means to have fellow feelings with.  Jesus knows what we feel and has compassion for us.  The word “infirmities” refers to our weaknesses.  Jesus’ sympathy for us is not based on the fact that as God He knows everything.  Instead, it’s based on His experience as a human Being who “was in all points tempted like as we are.”  The Father didn’t limit the temptations of Christ while He was on earth.  Christ bore hunger, trials, suffering, and strong desires similar to what we experience (see Matthew 4:1-11; 27:46; Luke 22:42-44).   But with all the temptations that Jesus faced he was “yet without sin.”  Note:  Think of the strongest temptations you have faced or yielded to.  Jesus has been through the same kind of temptations, but to a much greater degree.  However, Jesus never yielded to temptation (see II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:22).  Unlike all other humans, Christ never responded to temptation by sinning.  Our perfect High Priest sympathizes with us, but He also remains perfect because He never sinned, even though He experienced the full force of Satan’s temptations.
C. Christ our superior High Priest gives us boldness (Hebrews 4:16).   In this verse the writer says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  The word “therefore” refers back to everything the author had said about Jesus in the previous verses.  Based on those things: His perfection, being the sinless Son of God who is in heaven, and yet one who fully understands us, the readers were encouraged to “come boldly unto the throne of grace.”  Even though our High Priest is seated on a heavenly throne, we should still approach Him “boldly.”  This emphasizes both confidence and openness.  We need to be honest and straightforward with the requests we bring before the Saviour.  He knows our heart and our need.  The author said that when we come before Christ we can expect to “obtain mercy, and find grace.”  The term “mercy” can be understood as pity which includes pardon for failures.  “Grace” is the favor bestowed to help overcome the problem.   It has been said that mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve---judgment; and grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve---favor.  Mercy and grace are provided “to help in time of need,” that is, when it is most suitable.  It refers to well-timed help.  Note:  We should have no fear coming before the Lord as if He was someone who doesn’t understand or care about us.  As a human being Christ experienced everything we have.  But He is also God and can meet our every need.  As a result of Christ sacrificing Himself, God’s throne of judgment becomes a throne of grace for those who trust Him.   For sure there were some Jewish believers who had a desire to return to the Mosaic rituals and sacrifices to in order to avoid persecution that came with being a Christian.  But who could help them more than Jesus our Great High Priest?  Of course the answer is no one could.  Through Christ, our High Priest, we have access to the heavenly throne, and there, just a prayer away is everything we need.
IV. A QUALIFIED HIGH PRIEST (Hebrews 5:1-4).   The remainder of our lesson presents a comparison between earthly high priests and our heavenly High Priest.  
A. Our qualified High Priest offers gifts and sacrifices (Hebrews 5:1).  In this verse the author writes “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”  A clearer reading of this verse is “Every Jewish high priest is simply a man like anyone else, but he is chosen to speak for all other men in their dealings with God.  He presents their gifts to God and offers to him the blood of animals that are sacrificed to cover the sins of the people.”  The high priest’s function was to be of help to mankind “in things pertaining to God.”  He especially offered “both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”  Depending on the occasion, Old Testament believers brought certain gifts or offerings to the Lord.  The writer’s point here is not the different offerings, but the work of the high priest specifically on the Day of Atonement. 
B. Our qualified High Priest has compassion (Hebrews 5:2-3).
1. (vs. 2).  Still talking about the earthly priests, this verse says “Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”  Not only did the priests offer sacrifices, they were to be compassionate, having “compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way.”  Those who were “ignorant” lacked understanding and sinned out of ignorance, and were therefore considered “out of the way”   (see Numbers 15:27-29). Neither the terms “ignorant” nor “out of the way” indicate blatant sin.  Instead they refer to day-to-day shortcomings of which we are all guilty.  The writer then said that the basis for the priest’s compassion was that “he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”  In other words, the priests were required to be compassionate to sinners because they themselves were subject to temptations and weaknesses.  They too were prone to sin.
2. (vs. 3).  This verse goes on to say “And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.”  Since the priests were also subject to sin, just as he offered sacrifices for the people, the writer said “so also for himself, to offer for sins.”  In other words, since priests were prone to sin like everyone else, they needed to offer sacrifices for themselves as well as for others.  Note:  The lesson here for us today, is that no one is without sin, not the preacher, the deacon, the choir director or any church leader or member for that matter.  Therefore, we can’t look down on anyone.  As fellow believers in Christ we must show compassion for each other regardless of any sin we have committed.  Let’s not forget, “for by the grace of God there go I.”  There was no place for pride in a high priest, and neither is there for you and me.
C. Our qualified High Priest is chosen to that office (Hebrews 5:4).  The author continued to say “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”  The position of high priest was very prestigious.  He alone was given the privilege of entering the holy of holies once a year to present an offering to the Lord.  The phrase “And no man taketh this honour unto himself” means that no one could make himself a high priest.  It was a position that could have been much sought after, and for the wrong reasons.  But God established it as a divinely appointed position, for a high priest was “called of God, as was Aaron.”  At the time the Book of Hebrews was written, the Romans selected the high priest in Jerusalem.  However, in the Old Testament, God chose Aaron as the first high priest (see Exodus chapter 28), and so were his sons (see Numbers 20:23-28) and other successors (see Numbers 25:10-13).  Note:  Aaron and the priests of Israel were all from the tribe of Levi.  Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and was not a Levitical priest.  But He didn’t have to be, because like Aaron, Jesus was chosen by God to be our High Priest.
V. A KINGLY HIGH PRIEST (Hebrews 5:5-10)
A. Our Kingly High Priest is chosen by God (Hebrews 5:5-6).
1. (vs. 5).  Just as Aaron was chosen by God the writer here says “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.”  Like Aaron and his successors, Christ didn’t make Himself a high priest.  He was appointed to the office by God the Father.  That Christ didn’t seek the position of High Priest is shown in the statement “Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest.”  This was so typical of Jesus Christ who didn’t let His glorious existence in the form of God be something He held on to at all costs (see Philippians 2:6).  Humility was His trademark.  To prove that Jesus didn’t make Himself a High Priest, the writer turned to two Old Testament Scriptures.  The first one was “but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.”  This quotation is taken from Psalms 2:7.  This statement doesn’t mean that Christ came into being at a point in time.  The word “begotten” can mean “brought forth” with the idea of fulfilling a purpose.  The writer was comparing a son of Aaron becoming high priest in the Aaronic priesthood with Christ’s entrance into His high priestly office as Son of God.  There really is no comparison, for Christ is far superior to any of them.  The words “to day” refer to the time Christ entered into the office of High Priest.  This may have been at His birth (see Hebrews 10:5-9), His death (see Hebrews 9:24-28), at His ascension (see Hebrews 7:25; 8:1) or all three.  Only God knows for sure!
2. (vs. 6).  The writer continued his discussion of Christ’s ordination saying “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”  The phrase “As he saith also in another place” refers to the second Scripture passage quoted from Psalms 110:4 which says “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”  This passage of Scripture is from a psalm of David where the Lord (God the Father) is heard speaking to David’s Lord (the Messiah) telling Him that He will reign as King (see Psalms110:1-2).  God then declared that the Messiah-King would also be “a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”   Jesus’ priesthood was likened to the priesthood of “Melchisedec,” who appears in the Bible long before Aaron and the giving of the law through Moses.  This alone makes Jesus’ priesthood superior to Aaron’s.  “Melchisedec” was both a priest and a king (see Genesis 14:18).  These two offices were never combined in Israel, yet like “Melchisedec”  Christ is both King and High priest, and He is Priest forever by God’s choice. 
B. Our Kingly High Priest is a compassionate Priest (Hebrews 5:7-8).
1. (vs. 7).  Still speaking of Christ whose priesthood was like that of Melchisedec, in this verse the writer says “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”  To show that Jesus knows how we feel and can show real compassion for us when we are going through, the writer describes His agony in the garden of Gethsemane.  The phrase “in the days of his flesh” refers to His lifetime on earth.  The deepness of Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane is described by the phrase “when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.”  Jesus’ tears aren’t mentioned in the gospel accounts (see Matthew 26:36-46) so the author’s information must have come from an eyewitness or a secondary source, no doubt from one of Jesus’ disciples.  As Christ faced death and the prospect of being made sin in our place, He needed comfort from His Father.  No believer has faced or will ever face a trial as severe as the one Christ faced.  Therefore His prayer was directed to “him that was able to save him from death.”  Consider the nature of His prayer in Gethsemane.  He prayed that His Father’s will be done (see Matthew 26:39).  The Father’s will must be done no matter the cost.  Jesus prayed that if it was possible, that the cup of suffering be removed from Him.  However, the most important thing was that the Father be glorified.  God could have delivered Christ, but He didn’t; yet Jesus’ prayer was answered for the writer says He “was heard in that he feared.”  The answer to His prayer was not deliverance from death.  Christ’s prayer was answered or “heard” by the Father even though the answer was death.  That was God’s will.  The word “feared” here refers to the reverence Jesus felt for His Father as He prayed.
2. (vs. 8).  In this verse the writer continued to say about Christ “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”   Jesus is a “Son” with all the privileges that come with that position.  But like all sons, He had to learn obedience through suffering.  Most sons learn things through suffering because of disobedience.  Jesus could learn to fully sympathize with what we suffer because of His own physical suffering.  He knows the suffering we endure and He has compassion for us.  Jesus is fully God, and He understands all things including our suffering, because He is fully man as well.  As both man and God, He is our perfect High Priest and Intercessor.
C. Our Kingly High Priest is the Author of salvation (Hebrews 5:9).  This verse says “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”  As a result of Christ’s suffering He was “made perfect.”  This does not mean that at some point Jesus was not perfect and only became perfect through some improvement of His character.  Jesus was eternally perfect in His Person or character.  In the Bible “perfection” usually means completeness or maturity.  When used of Christ in this verse it means that in sharing our experience of suffering, He shared our human experience completely.  As the perfect or complete sacrifice, our Great High Priest became the source or “author of eternal salvation.”  His suffering and death provided complete forgiveness and eternal life to “all them that obey him.”  This refers to everyone who believes in Him as Lord and Saviour, thus becoming obedient to Him (see John 3:17; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31; Romans 5:10; 10:9; I John 3:23).
D. Our Kingly High Priest is a King-Priest (Hebrews 5:10).  Our final verse still speaking of Jesus says that He was “Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”  The writer concludes this section by repeating the idea that Christ was called by God to be a High Priest like Melchisedec.  Jesus Christ is not only a High Priest like Aaron, He is a King-Priest.  He is our High Priest chosen by God and is now in heaven.  He knows us and understands us.  He compassionately and faithfully intercedes for us as we struggle through this life seeking to serve and honor our God.
                         
VI. Conclusion.  This lesson teaches us that Jesus is our Great High Priest and therefore we should come boldly unto the throne of grace that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (see Hebrews 4:16).  When we pray, we should pour out our hearts to the Father knowing that Jesus Christ, our compassionate High Priest is taking our requests to Him.  When we pray, let’s do it with a conscious awareness of Jesus as the One who intercedes for us and our needs.  But what can make us more aware of Jesus interceding for us?  Maybe we should express the following thought to the Lord: “Father, I know I don’t have any merit to come to talk to You about my needs, but I come today through Jesus Christ, my High Priest.”  Another suggestion is to think more about what we mean when we close our prayers with “in Jesus’ name.”  So often we quickly tack that phrase onto our prayers without much thought.  But if we take time to pause and think about that phrase, “In Jesus’ name” maybe we will be more aware of Christ as our intercessor.