Love goes both ways Pt 25: Our High Priest

Hebrew 4:14-16                     14Therefore, 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.  15For 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.  16Let 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.

To understand this passage, we should understand the Sacrificial System which was in operation in Israel in the centuries leading up to the arrival of Jesus.  There were groups of priests designated to operate and maintain the temple on a rotational basis for each of the 52 weeks of the year.  All of them were descendants of Aaron, Moses’ elder brother.  Each year a High Priest was selected also on a rotational basis to oversee the operation of the Temple.

The High Priest represented the entire nation of Israel before God.  He acted as mediator, offering sacrifices on behalf of the people to atone for their sins.  But he had to be ritually clean and live a life of holiness throughout the year.  His most sacred duty was to perform the sacrifices of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish liturgical year.  On Yom Kippur the high Priest and only him, could enter the Holy of Holies, the most inner sanctum of the Temple to offer sacrifice for all the people of Israel so that their sins of the year could be cleansed.  He would offer the blood of a bull for his own sin, and the blood of a goat for the sins of the people both of which he would sprinkle on the Ark of the Covenant to make atonement.

A great High Priest

The high priests were human of course and that made them subject to sin.  When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once each year on Yom Kippur, they entered with a rope tied around their ankle.  This was for the purpose of pulling them out in case, because of their sinful state, they died in the presence of a holy and righteous God.

But unlike earthly priests, Jesus has "passed through the heavens"—a reference not only to His ascension (Acts 1:9-11), but to His complete authority and access to the very throne of God (Hebrews 9:24).  He didn’t just walk into an earthly temple; He entered the true heavenly sanctuary.  He didn’t have to risk being in the presence of holiness; He was holiness, the very epitome of purity and righteousness.  This means Jesus is not merely a figure of past rituals.  He is alive, reigning, and actively interceding on our behalf (Romans 8:34).  His priesthood is "great" because it is both eternal and effective—He doesn’t need to make sacrifices repeatedly.  His one sacrifice was once for all (Hebrews 10:12).

So, what should we do in response?  The writer says: "Let us hold fast our confession."  In other words, don’t give up.  Don’t let fear, suffering, or persecution make you loosen your grip on the gospel.  Because our High Priest is enthroned and victorious, our faith is not in vain.

Who understands our weaknesses

Verse 15 begins with what seems like a paradox: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses."  In other words, He is not distant or indifferent.  Instead, He deeply understands what it means to be human.  The Greek word for "sympathize" literally means "to suffer with."  Jesus doesn’t just know our pain intellectually—He has felt it.  He’s experienced weariness (John 4:6), grief (John 11:35), hunger (Matthew 4:2), and betrayal (Luke 22:48).  He’s walked the path of obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8).  This is what makes Christianity unique: our God isn’t aloof.  The Incarnation—God becoming flesh—means that Jesus chose to enter our mess, not avoid it (John 1:14).  He didn’t hover above suffering; He dove headfirst into it.  That means when we pray through tears, Jesus understands.  When we’re tempted, He knows what that feels like.  When we’re overwhelmed, He’s been there.  This doesn’t just give us comfort; it gives us courage.

Yet never sinned

Here’s the key distinction: though Jesus was tempted in every way as we are, He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15b).  That makes Him the only one truly qualified to be our substitute.  The Old Testament high priests had to offer sacrifices for their own sins before they could intercede for others (Hebrews 7:27).  Not so with Jesus.

This sinlessness is essential.  If Jesus had sinned, His death would’ve been for Himself, not for us.  But because He remained pure, His sacrifice could count for all.  As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says,

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

What’s more, His sinlessness doesn’t distance Him from us; it qualifies Him to help us.  Because He overcame every temptation without falling, He can now offer real rescue—not just empathy, but deliverance (Hebrews 2:18).  This truth also redefines how we see temptation.  It’s not sin to be tempted.  Jesus was tempted.  The question is what we do in response.  He shows us that temptation can be resisted, and that grace is available when we fail.

So we can approach the throne of grace

All of this builds to the final, breathtaking invitation in verse 16: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Because of who Jesus is—our great, sympathetic, victorious High Priest—we are invited to come boldly to God.  Not with fear.  Not with shame.  Not with hesitation.  But with confidence.  The throne is no longer a place of judgment for the believer; it’s a place of grace.

The phrase “throne of grace” is almost startling.  Thrones were symbols of power and judgment.  But through Christ, God’s throne becomes a place of welcome and help.  Mercy for our failures.  Grace for our struggles.

We don’t have to clean ourselves up before we come.  We come because we need help.  And we come knowing that Jesus is there, interceding, understanding, and supplying what we lack (Hebrews 7:25).

This passage doesn’t promise an escape from weakness, but it guarantees that we are not alone in it.  And it reminds us that grace is not a one-time gift but an ongoing resource.

What about me?

Let’s think about what Jesus did as our High Priest:

      He didn’t…                                                                      He did…

      Sacrifice bulls, goals, or lambs                                Sacrifice Himself

      Sacrifice daily                                                             Sacrifice for all time

      Just enter the Holy of Holies                                     Entered Heaven itself

      Have to purify himself to enter                                Was sinless and needed no purification

      Mediated temporarily between Israel and God   Mediates eternally on behalf of all believers

      Needed special garments to be set apart            Is clothed in righteousness and holiness

      Served in a man-made sanctuary                         Serves eternally in a heavenly sanctuary

      Had a temporary and hereditary priesthood       Is permanent and unchangeable and lives

            and subject to death            forever

      Could not cleanse one’s conscience      Cleanses heart and conscience

      Represented Israel only      Represents all believers

The Old Testament High Priest was a shadow of what was to come (Hebrews 8:5).  His role pointed forward to Jesus, the true and better High Priest who completed the work of atonement by offering His own blood, not just for one nation, but for all who would come to Him in faith.  Now, Jesus is continually interceding on our behalf, deflecting Satan’s arrows and spears, and counting us as brothers and sisters.  We can trust in Him and depend upon Him.  And thank God for that!