Hebrews 4:14-16 – Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest

Summary

Jesus acts as a high priest, but one who understands human weaknesses. Because Jesus is sympathetic to the human experience, we can boldly draw near to grace.

Analysis

Hebrews identifies Jesus as a compassionate high priest. A high priest is someone who is appointed to deal with human beings in relation to God. People are weak and sinful and stand in need of help and grace. The one best positioned to offer help is someone who completely understands the depth of human need. Readers can be assured that Jesus knows the full extent of human weakness, since he endured the kind of testing that other people face. Because of the agony that Jesus suffered, people can turn to him with confidence, knowing that they will find someone who has shared the experience of suffering and can offer merciful help.

• Hebrews 1:1-4
  God Speaks by Means of the Son
• Hebrews 2:5-10
  Glory Emerging from Suffering
• Hebrews 7:1-3
  Melchizedek and Jesus
• Hebrews 9:13-14
  The Blood of Christ Purifies the Conscience
• Hebrews 10:11-18
  Jesus Christ Offers a Single Sacrifice
• Hebrews 10:19-25
  A Call to Approach God in Confident Faith
• Hebrews 11:1-2
  What Is Faith?
• Hebrews 11:13-16
  Living on Earth as Foreigners
• Hebrews 12:1-2
  Running the Race with Perseverance
• Hebrews 12:22-24
  The Heavenly Jerusalem
• Hebrews 13:8
  The Faithfulness of Jesus Christ
• Hebrews 13:20-21
  A Concluding Benediction