The high priest in the Old Testament represented the congregation of Israel before God. Similarly, as our Great High Priest, Jesus represents us before the Father.
But why do we need a High Priest? We have been granted the liberty to pray directly to the Father. Jesus taught that when we pray, we should say Our Father who is in heaven. So why do we need a High Priest? That is the focus of this blog post.
In 1 John 2:1, John refers to Jesus to as our Advocate with the Father. That word advocate is the same word παρα-κλητoς (par-ak-Lay-tos) that Jesus used to refer to the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. The word denotes one who stands alongside another. So, Jesus resides with the Father to stand with us.
The Case for a High Priest
1. The problem. The problem was that God could not personally relate to our human struggles. You say, but wait a minute preacher, God knows all things. Yes, He does. He knows our needs and everything we are going through.
But God is God. His ways and thoughts are immeasurably higher than ours. He can’t personally relate to our human struggles. For instance, God doesn’t/cannot worry; He doesn’t/cannot hunger; He does not/cannot feel human pain; He doesn’t/cannot know defeat; etc.
2. The solution. There was but one way God could personally experience the human reality. He had to come down in human flesh and live as a human being. That’s what took place on that first Christmas Day.
Consequently, “We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15, KJV).
3. The result. To answer the question posed at beginning of this post, we need a High Priest because God determined that we need one. It is His will that we don’t commit sin. But the truth is that every one of us does sin. “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, KJV).
No one can effectively represent those he cannot personally relate to. But we an Advocate who can fully relate to God because He Himself is fully God. An Advocate who fully relates to us because as we are, so He was. You can’t find a better fit for a High Priest in heaven than that.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (verse 16).
Grace for Living
We often talk about the grace of God as it relates to salvation. That is, we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But not only do we need the grace of God for salvation but also we need it for daily living.
None of us is self-sufficient nor ever will be. All of us need the grace of God for daily living. The good news is that no matter where you are in life, the grace of God is available AND sufficient for you.
It is to this end God that came down in the person of His Son Jesus Christ and lived in the likeness of sinful flesh. He endured the human experience and all its struggles. Then He sat down at the right hand of power to be our Advocate so we can find help during our times of need.
Yes, let us come boldly to the throne of grace for help in our time of need.
Copyright © 2025 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
