Our mediator, fully God and fully man
That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” And in another passage God said to him, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Hebrews 5:5-7 NLT
The position of a high priest is obtained through divine appointment. “No one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was” (Hebrews 5:4). Aaron was the older brother of Moses and was the first to be appointed chief priest post exodus. But Aaron’s position is temporal unlike the high priestly position of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ received divine appointment and God said to him, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” In this acknowledgment of Jesus’ divine appointment, His kingly position was established. The passage the writer of Hebrews referring to Jesus’ kingly office was taken from Psalm 2:7, “‘The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: ‘The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father.’” The writer of Hebrews also referred to Jesus’ priesthood that is in the order of Melchizedek (v. 6). This reference was taken from Psalm 110:4, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” This meant that Jesus has the ultimate position as the High Priest. Jesus is our eternal King and eternal priest. He demonstrated His solidarity with us when “He offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death” (Hebrews 5:7). He is our mediator. When He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He offered prayers for the believers. Though He was dealing with agony and pain while pleading to the Father on behalf of the believers, our Lord Jesus Christ had shown that He can identify with us and what we are going through in life. The Lord Jesus Christ was no stranger to hardships and afflictions. When Jesus plead to the Father on our behalf, “God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”
Blessings,
