In my last post, I discussed why Jesus is the true and better Priest. While I believe it’s fairly obvious that He is better than all the priests who came before, someone may wonder why that should matter to them? In other words, why do we need a true and better priest?

We need a true and better Priest because we are sinners who can’t offer a perfect sacrifice.

We aren’t perfect and we can never be perfect. Picture me holding a collectors edition glass baseball bat. The person who made it did an excellent job. It is perfect. There are no chips, no flaws. It’s an absolutely perfect bat. Now, imagine a friend comes over to my house and we decide to go hit baseballs in the field by my house. Of course, this would never happen, but instead of bringing out a regular baseball bat, I bring the glass bat instead. I line up, they pitch me a ball, I connect, and the bat just shatters.

I’m sure I would be all cut up, but after I got back from the hospital, do you think I could ever put that bat back together again so that it was perfect and flawless like it was before I used it for batting practice? No, there is no way. Even if by some miracle I could find all the pieces, there is no way I could ever put it back together again so that it was perfect and flawless.

In the same way, we can never put ourselves back together again so that we are perfect. There is nothing we can do to erase the flaws and sin in our lives. The impossibility of making ourselves perfect is even more apparent when you realize that we weren’t born perfect. From our birth, we are deeply flawed individuals; sinners whose lives begin like that shattered bat. So we need a true and better Priest who offers the perfect sacrifice for us because we aren’t perfect. Instead, we are sinners who sit under God’s wrath; wrath that will be poured out on us when we die.

There is hope

If we admit that we are deeply flawed individuals who have sinned against God. If we admit that we deserve God’s wrath. If we turn from our self-centered, self-righteous, I can do whatever I want and live however I want, thinking and living, and turn to God to live according to how He would have us to live. And if we believe that Jesus is the true and better High Priest, who has given Himself as a sacrifice on our behalf, we can be saved from God’s wrath and experience eternal blessing, joy, and life with God in His kingdom forever and ever.

There is hope in Jesus. He is our Savior, our Mediator, our High Priest who offered Himself in our place, completely satisfying the wrath of God against us. And He alone can eternally repair our relationship with the Father.

If you turn to Jesus, admitting and professing those things, you can truly experience the greatest gift all — salvation.

So, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to admit that Jesus is the true and better Priest who offered a once and for all sacrifice for your sins so that you might experience His salvation.

If you have turned to Jesus, see Him for what He is — the greatest gift that we could ever unwrap. Instead of attempting to find your joy in the things this world has to offer, realize that true joy and true satisfaction can only be found in the True and Better Priest — Jesus Christ.

Question for Reflection

1. Do you see your need for Jesus?

Resources

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Post adapted from my sermon Jesus as Priest