Understanding High Priests || New Phone, Who Dis? #2

The High Priests

Welcome back to “New Phone, Who Dis?”! We are looking at the differences between the different covenantal sacrificial systems. In Part 1, we talked about the old covenant had systems of ritualistic sacrifices in place to atone for sins and create a right relationship with God. However, that system started to fade and become obsolete in light of Jesus. God sent Jesus, the sinless and spotless sacrificial lamb, to be the ultimate revelation of God’s love To create a final moment when the sacrificial system gets fulfilled for eternity, and gives all of us the chance to come before God and find a relationship with Him.

Part 2 talks about the high priests. Aaron was the first high priest under the old covenant system. There would be a new high priest throughout the different generations based on one’s lineage. When it came to Jesus, and the fact that He would fulfill the sacrificial system under the new covenant, He would be the decisive and enduring high priest who opens access to God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does a high priest look like in your opinion? How does your image of the priest change in light of God’s inclusivity across gender identity, class, ability, ethnicity, and religious background?

Leviticus 16:32 – Who the High Priests Are

Let’s start off with learning about Aaron’s high priesthood, landing in Leviticus 16:32.

AMP – So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve and minister as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall wear the holy linen garments,

NRSVUE – The priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his fathers place shall make atonement wearing the linen vestments, the holy vestments.

VOICE – The priest who is anointed and ordained as high priest – succeeding his father Aaron – is to make atonement and thereby covers the sins of the people. He will clothe himself in the sacred linen garment.

The high priest was someone who was anointed and ordained. The anointing signifies that they were set apart for God’s service. The ordaining came from rituals that made the person purified and dedicated to God’s service. The old covenant’s high priest came from the family line, to ensure that there was continuity in the religious leadership of Israel. The goal of the high priest was to mediate between God and His chosen people. The high priest was also one to make atonement. The high priest atoned for the sins of himself, his family, and the entire community of Israel.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How would you compare the high priest to someone in our society today?

Set Apart

Aaron was someone that had to be set apart for God’s service, made pure and dedicated themselves to God’s service, and to created continuity in the religious leadership. For me, it’s how we seen the same political representatives get elected over and over again. We appoint these people because we believe that they can do the job they apply and campaign for, and we often want to keep them in office so that they can fulfill their campaign promises. Then two terms, then four terms, then six terms go by – and they are making the same promises. We struggle to appoint someone new because we want to stick to the status quo and stick to what we know. This is the mindset and belief structure that I believe the Levites had with structuring the high priest’s role the way they did. They didn’t want to break the traditions that they held in such high regard overall. It’s a reminder to us, like we saw in Part 1, that the old covenant was created to be temporary.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How do you see that the old system’s mindset still in place in our current worldly system?

Hebrews 4:14 – The New, and Final, Priest

Now, let’s look at the final and perfect high priest – Jesus Christ. We’re landing in Hebrews 4:14, which says:

AMP – Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior].

NRSVUE – Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.

VOICE – Since we have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God who has passed through the heavens from death into new life with God, let us hold tightly to our faith.

The high priest served as the mediator between God and the people, offering sacrifices for sin. In the context of Hebrews, Jesus is the highest priest, surpassing any of the Levitical priest hood. Jesus would superior in His unique role in mediating for the new covenant. The earthly high priests entered into the temple to interact with God via the holy of holies. Jesus gets to enter the heavenly temple as He is, showing His divine authority and the completion of His sacrificial work. Jesus is the Son of God, showing His authority and the legitimacy of His priesthood. With Jesus being Lord, we’re called to be faithful to God. The audience of Hebrews faced persecution and temptation to return back to Judaism. Staying true in their beliefs, despite their challenges.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Jesus’ power and authority guides us into a new way to build a relationship with God. How does the fact that we can approach God boldly and confidently change your relationship with God?

Ministry of the High Priest

We are called to stay strong in our faith, regardless of what we face. With any of the stressors that we face, we can look to the life and ministry of Jesus to find answers on how to overcome it. The method to go out about life is all about participating in the freeing, healing work of Jesus. Jesus focuses in on how we can care for our neighbor. Jesus teaches us how to feed the hungry (Matthew 14:13-21). Jesus teaches us how to be inclusive (Luke 14:13). Jesus teaches us how to stand up for the marginalized (Matthew 25:35-40). This is just a snippet of what Jesus did in His three years of ministry. Jesus was a healer. Jesus cast out demons. Jesus was a miracle worker.

Now, I’m not saying that we can go out and do the same things Jesus did. Jesus is the only one that can do things as Jesus did, but we have the same power within us. We may not be able to heal someone, but we can help people seek proper medical care, help someone receive their medication, or fight for their rights to seek accommodations. We may not be able to feed approximately 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish, but we can bring a meal to our neighbor, donate to our local food pantry, or volunteer at our local soup kitchen. These are just some ways we can replicate Jesus’ ministry in our own lives.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you go out and embody the justice, compassion, and welcome of our high priest?