“For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: …for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity” (Hebrews 5:1,2).
TEXT — Hebrews 5:1-9
Message
In the book, Great Brain Cleanse, the author says: “Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes isn’t as much about the walk or the shoes. It’s to think like they think, feel what they feel, and understand why they are who and where they are. Every step is about empathy.”
In today’s text, the writer of the book of Hebrews draws a parallel between the Levitical priesthood and that of Jesus. He states that the High Priest must be appointed, able to empathize with those he represents, and offer the right kind of sacrifices in the way God prescribed. Jesus fulfilled all these conditions to qualify as a compassionate High Priest for the human race. Jesus was appointed a priest by God. He became a man like us to experience the temptations and struggles we face on earth. He walked in our shoes, as He was tempted in all points but without sin. He crowned it all by offering Himself an acceptable sacrifice to God. By becoming human, Jesus Christ can be sympathetic towards the weak and ignorant sinners when they repent and turn to God.
The entire Old Testament sacrificial system and the priesthood were clear evidence that humanity was separated from God. However, in love, God instituted the sacrificial order so that estranged sinners could be reconciled and restored to Him again. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross fulfilled and rendered the Old Testament ceremonial system obsolete. Now, under the New Testament dispensation, anyone who comes to God in genuine repentance can receive pardon and peace, not by animal sacrifices or through any human mediator, but by trusting the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The weak and ignorant, as well as all believers, can look up to Him as a sympathetic Representative before God’s throne.
Thought for the day
It is comforting enough to know that the Lord, our High Priest, procured full redemption for all.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
1 comment
Thank you Jésus 🙏
Now we don’t need to offer animal sacrifice for our sins.
Your sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to cleaner our sins.
Thank you Jésus 🙏
Now we don’t need to offer animal sacrifice for our sins.
Your sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to cleaner our sins.