The Great High Priest that sympathizes with us
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness. Hebrews 5:1-2 CSB
In the following chapter, the author goes further into how Jesus is qualified to be a high priest, firstly by explaining exactly the office of the high priest. First off, the high priest was the chosen representative before God. God also chose the high priest, yet during the time Christ was alive on earth, the high priest position became a political position of power. The author wanted to make it clear as to the original intention that God had for the high priest: “appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” For example, the Day of Atonement was the big day when the high priest would offer the atoning sacrifice for the nation of Israel. The high priest also worked with individuals on the personal level. The high priest presents to God sin offering to bring about reconciliation for the person or persons being represented so that they can gain access to the throne of God. The high priest needed to have the ability “to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness.” The word for deal gently is “metriopathein,” which is the middle between indifference to need and anger at sin. As Thomas Lea describes, “a true high priest was not harsh toward sinners or calloused toward moral lapses.” The high priest ought to deal gently with the people but should neither overlook or condone sin nor rank himself above the people. The high priest was also “clothed with weakness,” meaning that they could relate to those under their charge because they too were human and subject to temptation. He himself daily confronted temptation and, because of his own human weakness, committed sin. Because the high priest had to cope with his own sinful nature, he was an equal of the people who sought his intercession for the sins they committed in weakness. Christ exemplified the office of the high priest perfectly, dealing with sinners gently, calling them to repentance. He was clothed with weakness due to His humanity, but He did not sin. Christ, being our High Priest, is our mediator to God. Through Christ, we can approach God with boldness. Not only that, but we should also follow His guidance when He directs us back on the right path when we go astray.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
