Written by Paul J Bucknell on July, 19, 2023

Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus, Our Great High Priest

"¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:14-16)

⁹ And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.

Introduction

In the Book of Hebrews, the author highlights the superior authority of Jesus Christ as the Savior. Despite this, Jewish leaders and people despised those Jewish people who believed in the gospel, and pressured them to deny Jesus as the Messiah. Others have also faced ridicule for their belief in Jesus Christ, whether from religious or secular sources. Through these chapters, God reveals the exceptional qualities of Jesus - the Promised Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man (the term "son" is used 23 times in Hebrews).

As we read this passage, the topics and terms might seem unusual, making it hard to comprehend, but it is cleverly crafted to reach the Jews that were being taunted by fellow Jews, imploring them to return to Judaism. The more familiar one is with the Old Covenant or Old Testament, the easier it is to understand this book of Hebrews and the New Covenant.

Compare the excellence of God's redemptive view with the inferior secular view, a life without God

The New World Religion Birthed in Secularism

Hebrews, chapters 4-5, are difficult to understand because few have met a high priest. We are more familiar with arrogant men and women declaring they need no priest. Lawyers would be the closest professional person we can connect with, mediating between the judge and the accuser. We all need a great high priest (Is 44:22) due to being made of the same stained cloth, desperately in need of the Savior.

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (Is 64:6).

In the book’s first part, the writer introduces how Jesus is a great high priest, making sacrifices, and, later on in chapters 8-9, how He becomes the sufficient one-time sacrifice for sin. This passage only focuses on Jesus as a high priest.

This teaching is relevant even now as the United Nations, supposedly representing the world, has inaugurated their new world religion, composed of representatives from each religion. This new “religion” focuses on the new dilemma of mankind’s carbon footprint. At the COP27 they went to Mount Sinai and inaugurated the Third Covenant with green Ten Commandments and then smashed them at the foot of the mountain, like in Exodus.

This is the secular mindset, completely forgetting our souls and our moral responsibility before God our Maker and Judge. They want to strip God out of our thinking and conscience and replace our standards with those things that supposedly defile the planet earth. However, we should listen to what God says about the planet He made, rather than these self-appointed usurpers.

When discussing the priesthood, it’s important to remember that God required proper protocol before entering His presence. We cannot approach Him on our own without facing immediate judgment. Our hope for salvation lies in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 beautifully portrays Christ’s high priestly position in two ways: as the great high priest (4:14-16) and the perfect high priest (5:1-10). These passages compare Christ’s superior position with the temporary and inadequate Old Testament system with Aaron, the first earthly high priest.

1. The Great High Priest (Heb 4:14-16)

Priests act as a mediator between sinful man and their holy God. They do things that we couldn’t do. The high priest was specially called and had to come from Aaron’s descendants from the tribe of Levi. He could go into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies only once a year under very prescribed circumstances to perform particular priestly functions. No other priest could carry out these functions, and as Hebrews points out, even the high priests in all their past functions could not completely carry out their duties in an effectual way—because they were sinful too. They acted more as temporary stand-ins, pointing to when the genuine and fully qualified High Priest, Jesus the Messiah, would initiate and carry out the New Covenant.

Each chapter appears as an evangelistic tract, calling its readers, and ourselves, to place full confidence in Jesus Christ as the only Way to God. He is worth our devotion and ongoing trust, even though we might face oppression and persecution. But now, we want to examine what makes Jesus such an excellent high priest, fully deserving of our full trust. Let’s examine four characteristics of this most extraordinary high priest.

The description - “passed through the heavens” (Heb 4:14)

Priests minister in the presence of God. Jesus Christ, resurrected from the dead, “has passed through the heavens,” and ministers in the very presence of God. “Passed through the heavens” refers to the heavy curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the regular temple area. This curtain was torn asunder from top to bottom upon Jesus’ death, thus symbolizing Jesus’ entrance into God’s holy presence. Verse 5:1 mentions that the priests were presently serving in the temple, so the temple probably was standing at the time of the writing of Hebrews (around 68 AD). Soon, there would be no physical, earthly temple, but regardless, Jesus’ special access to God His Father no longer required the old temple. The Roman army destroyed the Jewish temple in 70 AD.

The identification - “Jesus the Son of God” (Heb 4:14)

The “great high priest” mentioned by the author is Jesus, the Son of God. These terms, “Son of God” and “Son of Man,” carry great significance from the Old Testament. The “Son of God” refers to Jesus’ close relationship with God the Father and knowledge of heaven. Heaven, after all, is His home! We can trust that He is capable of representing us faithfully and successfully before the Father. Another crucial aspect of His role is offering the proper sacrifice.

In the text, the author urges readers to “hold fast our confession,” which implies that some believers faced severe consequences for their faith, as later revealed in the book. As individuals, we may ask ourselves if we are being tempted to abandon our faith in Jesus. Are we being threatened in any way, such as our job or life? Even if we face such things, the author reminds us that nothing is worth giving up our faith. If Jesus has ascended to heaven, we want and need Him to represent us.

The value - “tempted,” “sympathize” (Heb 4:15)

Clearly, as our representative, Jesus fully represents us, having been tempted and suffered many attacks. Unlike Adam (Mat 4:1-4), Jesus endured and faithfully endured for us.

Some individuals, no doubt stirred by the devil’s accusations, insinuate that Jesus could not represent us due to being unlike us. The early cult of Gnosticsm denied Jesus Christ in the flesh; thus not fully able to represent humans.

But this high priest has been tempted “in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was genuinely tempted. Matthew carefully shows the three temptation scenes Satan cleverly instigated. Jesus withstood the devil himself and showed His superior power. But even more, He showed Himself faithful, unlike Adam. There is much to ponder on here, and yet, it suffices that we should recognize how special it is to know Christ and have Him faithfully represent us. We need the righteous Jesus to lead us; a sinful high priest does not have access to the heavens like Jesus the Righteous One.

The invitation - “let us draw near with confidence” (Heb 4:16)

Lastly, the author exhorts us, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16). If we are confused about how the high priest helps, he makes it clear by calling us to draw near to the throne of grace. We will meet God at His holy judgment throne, but Christ instead leads us to the right where the most beautiful, unimaginable, and undeserving “throne of grace” stands.

We “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” If you have any inkling that our good works save us, put that thought to death. It’s not wealth, stealth, health, or good works by which we are saved but faith in Christ Jesus.

By drawing near, we allow our faith to transition into acceptance. The confidence seeks to squash any doubts in our minds. We need His mercy and grace for without it we will be judged severely before His holy and righteous throne.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne” (Mat 25:31).

Summary

We have discovered our excellent advocate with all the requisite skills, compassion, eagerness, and spiritual connection. Jesus, the Son of God, became human, enabling us to approach the throne of grace with unwavering confidence through Him—our exceptionally great high priest. By drawing near, we assure our place with Him and His abundant mercy and grace.

The throne of grace contrasted with the throne of judgment (Hebrews 4:16)

Study Questions on Jesus, Our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Read Hebrews 4:14-5:10 and note where the great and perfect high priest is mentioned.
This passage focuses on Jesus as the High Priest, not as the sacrifice. What chapters in Hebrews introduced Jesus as the priceless sacrifice?
List one or two reasons secularism falls far short of what we genuinely need.
What does “passed through the heavens” mean (Heb 4:14)? What importance does it have for our lives?
Read through Mathew 4:1-10. What do you read about temptation there?
Why is it important that Jesus, unlike Adam, not fall into sin (Heb 4:15)?
Why can we “draw near with confidence” to God’s throne of grace (Heb 4:16)?