Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Jesus comes as a Priest”

Hebrews 5v10 “[Jesus] was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” (NIV)

It is often said that Jesus came as all three of the key Old Testament roles of Prophet, Priest and King. Last week we looked at what it meant for him to come as prophet, this week we consider his role as priest.

In the Old Testament a Priest typically did two things:

• Entered the presence of God to intercede with God for the people
• Offered sacrifices for the forgiveness of the people’s sins so they could be considered acceptable to God.

When the angel appeared to Joseph before Jesus was born, he confirmed this role when he said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1v21). Then, when the “magi” attended, they gave gifts of frankincense and myrrh: these were prophetic of his priestly role as the myrrh symbolising his sacrificial death and the frankincense his access to God.

In Jesus’ life, we see him fulfilling the role as he prays for both his disciples and us in Gethsemene (John 17). And right now, he is interceding for you as he prays on your behalf (Hebrews 7v25). It’s time to appreciate what Jesus has done and is doing for you.

If I was Jesus, would I choose to be obedient to the Father and come to earth, knowing that it would involved being crucified? The role of priest is a tough one, but Jesus follows through to the cross as the greatest sacrifice in the world.

Where does that leave us? Well, as Jesus is high priest, so we are declared to be priests: we now have free access to God. But the role of priest is not just privilege: it also carries a responsibility, a responsibility to represent the world before God and to represent God to the world.

With love and blessing,

Roland