Hebrews 4:14

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 4:14 

“Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” – Hebrews 4:14   

This verse speaks of the main focus of Christ’s coming. First, let’s go back to chapter 2. “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:17-18. It says here that we see that Jesus “became a merciful and faithful high priest.” And because of this He paid the penalty, thereby accomplishing what we could not do, being a propitiation for the sins of all mankind. In the Mosaic Law, the high priest would intercede on behalf of the people and was at least a symbolic head of the current priestly administration. The priest would bring sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel and would do so repeatedly, as the law prescribed. While ordinarily the high priest would bring the sacrifice, Jesus Himself was the sacrifice. His personal sacrifice was an incredible act of mercy, and He could be the sacrifice because He had become like those for whom He was giving Himself up for.

Now to our focus verse. “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Hebrews 4:14. The Jewish high priest went once a year into the most holy place in the temple, to offer the blood of the atonement. The author says that the Christian High Priest has gone into heaven. “For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Hebrew 9:24. Instead of having to go once a year, Jesus once and for all went into the presence of God on our behalf. And because of this we can have complete confidence in our eternal future. “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:17-20.

And because He was made like us, “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.” Hebrews 4:15. He was made like us so He knows our temptations by a practical experience of them. And though He was without sin, yet the same sins that are put before us by Satan were also set before Him. Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. He is not only touched with the feeling of the heroic endurance of the martyrs, but he sympathizes with everyone. “Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41.

And because of all this, “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16. We have a Friend at court; our Bridegroom is on the throne. He who reigns in heaven loves us better than we love ourselves. Come, then, why should we hesitate, why should we delay our approach to His throne of mercy? What is it that we want at this moment? Let us ask for it. If it is a time of need, then we see clearly from this verse that it is a time when we are encouraged to pray. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 3:1

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 3:1

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,” – Hebrews 3:1   

As Moses especially was the prophet by whom, as seen in Hebrews 1:1, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,” being the mediator of the law, the writer of Hebrews deems it necessary now to show that, great as Moses was, the Son of God is greater. He first notes the feature of resemblance between Moses and Christ, in order to conciliate the Hebrew Christians whom He is addressing, and who still entertained a very high opinion of Moses. “who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.” Hebrews 3:2. Jesus was faithful as was Moses was, so in this way they are alike. We see here what God spoke about Moses. “And he said, Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” Numbers 12:5-8. We see here difference of degree God saw between Moses and His other prophets.  As we can see here, God held Moses more highly than any of the others. And lastly here, the phrase “He is faithful in all my house” refers to Israel, and with Jesus, the Church.

Now, in verse two we see a comparison of equality in their faithfulness, in verse 3 we see Jesus seen as greater than Moses. “For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)” Hebrews 3:3-4. The thought may well be, that Moses, as servant, is only a member or a part of the house of which Christ is the founder. Remember, Moses did not create Israel, God did. Moses was put over them to guide them where they were to go.

Then in the next two verses, the writer sums up his thoughts. “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” Hebrews 3:5-6. This, I believe, helped the Hebrew Christians understand why Christ is worthy of more glory then Moses, and of everyone for that matter. They always held Moses up as someone who deserved great acknowledgement. But what the writer was helping them understand was that ultimately, it is God who built the house, not Moses. And just as Moses was a servant, we are as well.

And Paul lays out our role as Christians, where he wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. The Church belongs to God, and we are a part of that house, and servants, meant to go out and fill the house with as many believers as possible. For we are His ambassadors, to go out and spread the word and living the lives God desires all to live.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 2:17

Verse of the Day Devotion.  Hebrews 2:17

“Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” – Hebrews 2:17  

This is a very interesting section in Hebrews, for it speaks of why the salvation of man was accomplished as it was.  Starting in verse 14 we read. “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,” Hebrews 2:14. Because mankind were fleshly beings with blood, He also needed to spend this time with the same limitations. Remember, there was only one way to pay the penalty for our sins. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. However, it must be a perfect sacrifice, not from us who are imperfect. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:17-19. This is why it was essential that a perfect person had to die. No one can pay for their sins, for they are not perfect. In essence, once you sin you can never pay the penalty for that sin.

It even becomes more powerful in the next verse. As a continuation of the previous verse, “and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Hebrews 2:15. Christ delivered us who were destined for eternal misery and torment, with no possible deliverance. Paul put it this way. “For as by a man came death, by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:21-23. Now it is important that we do not see this as a ransom, as some think. Theologian David L. Allen puts it this way. “The ransom theory of the atonement claims that the death of Jesus somehow paid a ransom to the devil. But, as Oden rightly noted, this theory is contrary to Hebrews 2:14–15 where the author explicitly stated that the death of Christ was a triumph over the devil, not a ransom paid to him.”

Now, coming to our focus verse, “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17. In order for Him to have paid the penalty for us, He had to be made like us. I like the wording here “in every respect”. There was absolutely no difference in how we were and how Jesus was. And this indicates that the likeness is not a superficial one. It will later be qualified only on the matter of Christ’s sinlessness. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. The purpose served by this likening explains to some extent the nature and end of the Son’s perfecting. The incarnation and suffering of Christ took place so that he might be a High Priest characterized by mercy and fidelity.

And this is why man’s salvation was done in this way, why it was necessary for Christ to come here and die. He was the only one who could die for all in order to save all if they turn to Him. We could not even die for our own sin, so He died for them all. This is love in it’s true form. And this is the love God has for us. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Hebrews 4:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Hebrews 4:15  

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15 

Let us begin by putting this verse in the positive instead of the negative.   I do not think this will violate this verse but will perhaps bring more clarity.   “For we do have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, since He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.’   This book of Hebrews was written specifically to possibly two camps of Jews in my opinion.  First of all it was written to a Jew that was on the fence concerning Jesus Christ being THE Messiah (Priest, King, and Prophet) as foretold in the Old Testament writings.  They were fully Jewish in the sense that they obeyed and followed the Law of Moses but would not cross over into faith in Jesus the Christ.  The second possible group of Jews reading this could have been Jews that did embrace and believe that Jesus was the Messiah (Priest, King, and Prophet) but due to extreme persecution perhaps, they wanted to revert backwards to outwardly embrace the religion of Judaism and its governing laws and requirements so as to escape persecution and/or death.  

Today, in this age of Grace, the meaning of this verse has great significance, assurance, and promise for both Jew and Gentile.  The role of the High Priest functioned in the tabernacle or Temple as the go-between of a Holy God and a sinful people.  Aaron, the older brother of Moses, was the first High Priest to have this role in serving God in the tabernacle (Exodus 28, 29).  Therefore beginning with Aaron as the High Priest he would enter the Holiest of Holies on the Day of Atonement once a year and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood on the Mercy Seat and the peoples’ sins would be covered for another year.  And every year following this would take place.  But Jesus was not a descendant of Levi nor a descendant of Aaron’s priesthood.  Jesus was the great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, the priest of the God Most High (Genesis 14:18) who represented all of mankind.  And by Jesus’ own sacrificial blood shed on the Cross was atonement made for all mankind and He entered not the earthly tabernacle but the Heavenly tabernacle and presence of God as the great High Priest and the only go-between for God and Man.   After His resurrection, Jesus the Son of God passed through the heavens as the great High Priest and is sitting at the Right hand of the Father (Heb 4:14). 

Jesus being fully God and fully man (“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily…” Col 2:9), is therefore able to sympathize with our weaknesses.   The word ‘sympathize’ in the Greek means to ‘have sympathy, compassion, and pity for someone – to share the feelings and understand the sentiments of what a person is going through’.    Wow!  May that alone bring you comfort in your understanding of how Jesus personally views you and the struggles you face each day in this fallen world.  To further the point, Jesus as the great High Priest sympathizes with our weaknesses.  With ‘our’ weaknesses.  We all have them.  We are all in the same boat when it comes to having weaknesses.   No matter how lovely or holy someone you know appears to be, underneath the surface they struggle just like you do.   This word ‘weaknesses’ is a Greek word that is much broader than our understanding of being weak, as opposed to strong. It is the ‘incapacity or sickness or disease within, that prevents us from doing what we desire’.  Romans 16:9a says, “I speak in human terms because of the ‘weakness’ (the incapacity to do what is right) of your flesh’.   This same Greek word is also translated as ‘infirmities’ twelve times, primarily speaking of the physical weakness, sickness, disease, and incapacity we might have.   John 5:5 says “Now a certain man who was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years…”  Jesus told this man with this physical infirmity to ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’   Paul writes in II Cor 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in my infirmities…..for Christ’s sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  

Take pleasure in our infirmities?   Wait a second.   This must be a misprint.  No, it is not.   Paul understood the reality of Jesus as the great High Priest who is sitting at the Right hand of the Father at this very moment (Heb 8:1).  Paul understood that Jesus does accurately sympathize with our weaknesses and infirmities as human beings and our daily struggles of temptation because Jesus Himself lived on this earth with a complete human nature just like yours, yet without that human nature being diseased by sin.  In every way, Jesus’ humanity correlates to our own experiences.    YOU are not alone.  As a believer, be reminded of this amazing truth of our Lord and Savior.  HE is the great High Priest sitting next to God the Father.  He knows and understands everything you go though. Because of His compassion, mercy, and grace, you can tap into His grace to help in time of need.     What a glorious High Priest and Savior we have!

Jaca Kier, Board Member, True Devotion Ministries, Inc.