Jesus, A High Priest?

November 10th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins…

In the previous context, Jesus is depicted as the “great high priest,” one who can “sympathize with our weaknesses… tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (4:14-15). As the “great high priest,” Jesus is therefore the one Mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5), standing between the two to bring peace through His perfect sacrifice on the cross, appeasing God’s wrath (cf. Rom. 5:1). All Christians are now exhorted to come boldly before God’s throne of grace to find mercy and grace Him in time of need.

Notably, in Judaism no one could approach God’s throne in the holy of holies in the Jewish temple except the high priest alone. All priests had to trace their lineage through Aaron, the brother of Moses from the tribe of Levi, as ordained by God. This line of privileged men who would serve in God’s tabernacle/temple started with Aaron circa 1450 BC and ended in AD 70 when the Jewish temple was destroyed. When it was, Judaism in accordance with the OT was also destroyed. For without a temple there could be no priesthood to mediate between God and Israel. And without a priesthood, there is no Judaism. Mankind, whether from Israel or the nations, is without hope without a divinely appointed priest to mediate between God and man.

Hebrews 5:1 picks up with these OT truths in mind. The wooden translation of the NASB in Hebrews 5:1 is stated more clearly in the New Living Translation: “Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins.” When one in Israel wanted to worship Yahweh, he would bring “gifts” (Gr. dōron) and “sacrifices” (Gr. thusia) to the priests at the temple—offerings specified by Yahweh in the Torah—from money and food offerings to blood sacrifices. These offerings would be brought to the high priest who would bring them to Yahweh as recognition for their sins with the expectation that the blood of their animals would atone for their offences, dying in their place. Therefore, this earthly high priest, according to both the OT and Hebrews 5:1, was selected and appointed by God “to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

Notably, God did not choose angels for this high priestly work; He chose men. Since angels cannot understand the problems man faces nor be tempted as man is, God appointed men to minister on behalf of man. This is important as it relates to Jesus Christ—He who was existing in eternity past but who became a man in time and space (John 1:1-2, 14). This was so that God Himself could experience the sufferings and temptations common to all humans. If God would not have become man, He could not sympathize with the weaknesses of man. Whereas God was unapproachable in the old covenant system, being veiled in the temple’s holy of holies and approached only through the priesthood, Jesus Christ—God in flesh, entered the world of humanity and experienced humanity, bringing man to God through Jesus Christ.

Clearly, the high priest could not have been just any man. He had to be appointed by God. No one aspired to be the high priest, not even Aaron the first high priest. God chose high priests to serve (Exod. 28:1). Those who sought fairness for this office and demanded democracy, like Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in Numbers 16, paid with their lives. So it was with Christ. He was chosen by God. No messiah chooses to be the Messiah. He is appointed as such, as Jesus was. So, as the earthly high priest was chosen by God, so too was our eternal heavenly high priest.

Food For Thought
Charles Swindoll writes, “As our great High Priest, Jesus Christ mediates between God and us, continually interceding on our behalf. We no longer have a need for a frail, mortal human priest to present our cause before God, to offer sacrifices for us, or to represent God to us. Because of our personal relationship with the heavenly High Priest, we can draw near to God through Him. We can confess to Him our sins, bring to Him our needs, and present to Him our requests. And most importantly, our High Priest is not some underling—a mere finite creature who needs his own mediator or has to cope with his own sins. He is the eternal Son who has added to His full divinity perfect humanity. He is superior as our High Priest.”