Hebrews 5:1-5
Jesus is the only high priest I have ever known. This was not true of the early Jewish Christians that Hebrews was written to. They had grown up in a religion that celebrated the position of the high priest. They had seen that position abused, and they had seen that position desecrated. In spite of that, they had not lost faith in the belief that God had ordained the position of high priest. God had ordained that the high priest would be the intercessor between the Jewish people and himself. The high priest would offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. The high priest would also be the spiritual leader of the Jewish people. Because a high priest was human and was subject to human weakness, he would deal gently with those who made mistakes. The high priest was not to be someone who chose himself; God did the choosing.

The high priest, who was in position when Christ arrived, was none of these things. God had not chosen him; the Roman authority had appointed him. The Romans did not pick him because of his spiritual leadership; he bought his appointment from Agrippa II. The Romans did not care who was high priest as long as the people did not revolt and the taxes were paid. If the appointed high priest could not keep the money rolling in, the Romans would kill him and replace him with somebody new. The system was good for the Romans, but it did nothing for the spiritual needs of the Jewish nation.

Jesus was the new high priest. He did not take it upon himself to become high priest. God his father chose him. He was fully human, but his heart was pure. Never again would God’s children have a high priest who was corrupt. The Romans had not appointed him, and they could not remove him. They crucified him, but his father raised him from the dead. As high priest, Christ is incorruptible and indestructible. Christ was, is and will always be the perfect high priest.