JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY MEDIATOR AND INTERCESSOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN

To understand this well we first need to know "Jesus as our high priest":

The priests of the Old Testament had many rules to follow. God was not someone I couldn't flippantly approach; priests had to follow certain steps in order to prepare to meet God (Lev 16; Hebrews 5:1-3). The high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies on specific occasions to intercede between God and His people.

Jesus is superior to every high priest of the Old Testament (Hebrews 4:14-7:28). He became both the sacrifice for sin and the presiding high priest over the atonement. Jesus is fully human: he is able to empathize with those for whom he makes atonement.

And he is completely God: he can atone for the sins of the people in a full and absolute way. Jesus is also the only high priest who can introduce believers directly into the presence of the Father.

When He died on the cross for the sins of mankind, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). This meant that it was now possible to draw closer to God and that people now had direct access to Him through Jesus rather than having to go through an intermediary (Hebrews 4:16).

The major religions of the world teach that God dwells at a great distance from His people and that one can approach Him only with great apprehension. Christianity teaches that Jesus has made a way for God to be with his people.

I. What is a High Priest?

In the Old Testament we find the figure and function of what a High Priest is, and today we will learn that this function is exercised by Our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, since all these things are a figure and shadow of heavenly things (Heb.8:5), God gave Moses the model for the construction of the Tabernacle. This was a pattern that pointed to the spiritual reality of Christ's sacrifice and thus pointed to a future reality, for in the book of Hebrews we find the following statement in Hebrews 8:1-2: "Now the main point of what we have been saying is that we have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,  minister of the sanctuary, and of that true tabernacle which the Lord set up, and not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer offerings and sacrifices; therefore it is necessary that it also has something to offer."

Jewish priests were in charge of worship in the Temple (or Tabernacle). Jewish priests were ministers of God who served in the Temple administering its upkeep, teaching the Scriptures, and conducting worship services.

At that time there were about 20,000 priests throughout the country; too many to minister in the temple at one time. Therefore, the priests were divided into 24 groups of about 1,000 members each, according to the instructions given by David (1 Chronicles 24:3-19).

AN EXAMPLE OF A HIGH PRIEST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS FOUND IN: ZECHARIAH.

Zechariah was a member of the Abijah order, which was on duty that week. Each morning a priest entered the Holy Place in the Temple to burn the incense. The priests cast lots to decide who would enter. One day luck fell to Zacarías, but it was not by chance that he was presented with this opportunity that could be the only one of his life. God was guiding the events of history to prepare for Jesus' arrival on earth.

Incense was burned in the temple twice a day (Exodus 30:7-10). People prayed when they saw smoke coming out, which symbolized their prayers ascending to the throne of God.

II.  Jesus as High Priest.

In the Old Testament the High Priest represented the people before God.

Jesus Christ is superior to the priests, and his priesthood is superior to theirs. For the Jews, the high priest was the highest religious authority on earth. He alone entered the Holy of Holies of the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation (Leviticus 16). Like the high priest, Jesus is the mediator between God and us, as the representative of humanity, he intercedes for us before God, he guarantees us God's forgiveness. Jesus has more authority than the Jewish High Priests, because he is truly God and truly man.

Unlike the High Priest, who could stand before God only once a year, Christ is always at God's right hand and intercedes for us, he is always available to listen to us.

By knowing the High Priest role of our Lord Jesus, we learn the following:

1. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO REACH GOD.

Jesus Christ relates us to God, there are no stairs or different steps, God established direct access to Himself through Jesus.

1. BECAUSE JESUS LED A SINLESS LIFE, HE IS THE "PERFECT SUBSTITUTE" WHO TOOK OUR PLACE AND WAS ABLE TO DIE FOR OUR SINS. HE IS THE SIN-TAKING LAMB OF GOD, HE IS OUR PERFECT REPRESENTATIVE BEFORE GOD.

Christ's sacrifice was the ultimate fulfillment of all that the Old Testament sacrifices represented, God's forgiveness of sins. Because Christ is the perfect sacrifice for our sin, our past, present, and future sins are completely forgiven.

Christ removed the sin that excluded us from fellowship with God and from His presence.

But we must accept His sacrifice for us. By believing in him we are no longer guilty, but we are cleansed and made whole. His sacrifice opens the way for us to have eternal life.

1. JESUS GUARANTEES OUR ACCESS TO GOD THE FATHER.

It is the way:

It reconciles us to God:

It gives us life:

He assures us:

1. JESUS IS THE ONLY INTERCESSOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN.

HE INVITES US TO APPROACH THE THRONE OF GRACE WITH CONFIDENCE.

We approach confidently because Jesus gave us access to the Father, when Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom, implying that God did it, allowing entry to the throne of His grace (Matthew 27:50-51).

In Matthew 27:52-53, he states that Christ's death was accompanied by at least four miraculous events:

Therefore, Jesus' death could not have gone unnoticed.

What was the significance of the veil of the Temple being torn in two?

During the time of Jesus' life, the holy temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life. This was the place where animal sacrifices and worship took place, strictly according to the law of Moses, which was faithfully followed. Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple there was a veil that separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly place where God's presence dwelt—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This meant that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was allowed to go behind the veil once a year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7), to enter into the presence of God throughout Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16).

Solomon's temple was 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2), but Herod had increased the height to 40 cubits, according to the writings of Flavius Josephus, a first-century Jewish historian. There is no certainty as to exactly how much a cubit was equivalent to our measurements of meters and centimeters, but it is valid to assume that this veil was about 18 meters high. Josephus also tells us that the veil was 10 centimeters thick, and that even two horses tied to each end were unable to tear it. And the description in the book of Exodus teaches that this thick veil was made of blue, purple, crimson, and fine twisted linen.

The size and thickness of this veil make the events described as occurring at the exact moment of Jesus' death on the cross even more momentous. "But Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom..." (Matthew 27:50-51a).

What does this torn veil mean to us today? First of all, the fact that the veil was dramatically torn at the time of Jesus' death symbolizes that His sacrifice, the shedding of His own blood, was a sufficient atonement for sins forever. Now it means that the way to the Holy of Holies was opened to all people of all times, both Jews and Gentiles.

When Jesus died, the veil was torn in two, and God moved from that place never to dwell in a temple made by human hands again (Acts 17:24). God ended that temple and its religious system, and the temple and Jerusalem were left "desolate" (destroyed by the Romans) in 70 A.D. just as Jesus had prophesied would happen in Luke 13:35. As long as the temple remained, it meant the continuation of the Old Covenant. Hebrews 9:8-9 refers to the age that was yet to pass away, while the New Covenant was being established (Hebrews 8:13).

In a sense, the veil was a symbolism of Christ Himself, as the only way to the Father (John 14:6). This is symbolized by the fact that the high priest had to enter the Holy of Holies through the veil. Now Christ is our greatest and supreme High Priest, and as believers in His finished work, we partake of His better priesthood. We can enter the Holy of Holies now by Him. Hebrews 10:19-20 says that the faithful enter the sanctuary with confidence "... having freedom to enter the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh." Here we see the image of Jesus' flesh being torn for us, just as He tore the veil for us.

The tearing of the veil from top to bottom is a historical fact. The profound significance of this event is explained in glorious detail in Hebrews. These things were shadows of things to come, and ultimately, they all led us to Jesus Christ. He was the veil to the Holy of Holies, and through His death, the believer now has free access to God.

The veil in the temple was a constant reminder that sin keeps mankind away from God's presence. The fact that the sin offering was offered annually and countless other sacrifices repeated daily, were intended to graphically demonstrate that sin could not truly and permanently be atoned for or erased by mere animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, through His death, removed the barriers between God and man, and we can now approach Him confidently (Hebrews 4:14-16).

MEDIATION AND INTERCESSION OF JESUS

As we have previously studied, Jesus Christ did a complete work, God does not do things by halves, from the beginning of creation God always verified that everything is good; the Word declares that God saw that everything He had done was very good:

Christ's work on the cross was not partial, but complete. He is not only a mediator between God and us (the only one) but he is also a "communicator" who intercedes for us.

Jesus is the ONLY one who has entered God's sanctuary to serve as High Priest. He is the ONLY one who is on His right hand interceding on our behalf.

1. THE WORK OF CHRIST IS COMPLETE:

1. MEDIATOR.

1. INTERCESSORY.

1. JUSTIFYING.

1. RECONCILIATORY.

1. RELATIONSHIP, IN OUR COMMUNION WITH GOD.

Within God's plan to save us through the work of Christ, is to reconcile us through Him, to be declared innocent before God (2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.") and through Him he draws us near,  we establish communion and relationship with God.

INTERCESSION BETWEEN BROTHERS

In the Bible we can find many examples of characters who prayed for other brothers (intercessory prayer).

Reflection: In this verse we find the instruction that we are to pray for one another, that once we have received God's righteousness, as His children we are to pray for our brothers and sisters in life. He also tells us that we must reconcile with our brothers and sisters and not hold grudges in our hearts, saying "Confess your trespasses to one another ... that ye may be healed..." It tells us that bad interpersonal relationships can make our hearts sick, it calls us to confess our offenses with the offended person (the harm we have done to our brother) and thus be able to heal our relationship, also as the Lord Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:23-24 "23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,  and there you remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go, be reconciled first to your brother, and then come and present your gift.") For a reconciliation one needs to admit (confess) one's own error first and then be able to pray.

THE BIBLE DOES NOT REFLECT DATA IN PRAYER TO DEAD PEOPLE.

INTERCESSION IS IN LIFE.

Reflection: People who have died are not aware of what happens on earth to the living.

Reflection: A deceased person cannot be roaming the earth with the living, this is also seen in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, when it is seen that there are only two destinies after death and that they cannot return from them.