Hebrews – 3 – Jesus, our Apostle & High Priest

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

Hebrews 3:1 CSB

Why a Priest?

What do you think of when someone mentions a priest or a high priest?

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A religious ceremony? A regal religious robed man in charge?

As mentioned previously in Hebrews 2, an anointing or separation of a priest from common impurity symbolizes holiness, a perfection by which he may approach the Lord.

וְכִפֶּר הַכֹּהֵן אֲשֶׁר־יִמְשַׁח אֹתֹו וַאֲשֶׁר יְמַלֵּא אֶת־יָדֹו לְכַהֵן תַּחַת אָבִיו וְלָבַשׁ אֶת־בִּגְדֵי הַבָּד בִּגְדֵי הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃

Leviticus 16:32

Again, returning to a Jewish understanding of the Priesthood, the writer of Hebrews points to Jesus the Messiah as a High Priest. G_d the Father appointed Jesus, just as Moses and Aaron were anointed by the LORD.

5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s household, as a testimony to what would be said in the future.

but Messiah is faithful as a Son over his house; whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the glorying of our hope firm to the end.

Hebrews 3:6 Hebrew Names Version

Moses was… but the Messiah is. The author will make this point again later in his letter to the Hebrews concerning Abraham.

Jesus is priest of God Most High, a Priest everlasting and perfect Sacrifice before the LORD.

Jesus is our Apostle sent from God the Father as our High Priest of perfection.

Do you believe Scripture?

Once again the author points back to Hebrew scripture in his ‘therefore, watch out’ conclusion of this section of his letter (Hebrews 3).

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:

Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

קָשָׁה qashah לֵבָב lebab

Psalm 95:

“Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness,” a direct quote (KJV) from Psalm 95:8 reiterated for emphasis also in Hebrews 3:15.

Do you claim Scripture – the very Word of the LORD?

Listen up! so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

Was God angry for forty years? The bodies of those who sinned – those who did not believe – fell in the wilderness. Who will not enter God’s rest?

κατάπαυσις – the heavenly blessedness in which God dwells

Will you, my fellow Hebrews, enter into rest? This, through Scripture, is what the author asks his readers.

So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Hebrews 3:11 KJV

And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

Hebrews 3:18 KJV

19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Do you believe the scriptural evidence that Jesus is the Messiah?

Will you enter into God’s perfect rest? Or do you persist to rebel in the wilderness of sin in these last days?

To be continued...