Judge Rocky Cross in Ohio has very strict rules for his courtroom. No hats allowed. No wearing of shorts. And absolutely no cell phones. All of that goes for the attorneys, the defendants, the witnesses, the visitors in the courtroom, and even the court clerk. All violators of any of these rules are held in contempt of court and fined.
So, in 2015 when a cell phone rang during court proceedings there was dead silence. It turned out that it was Judge Cross’s own phone. He, being a truly honorable judge, immediately stopped the proceedings, held himself in contempt of court, and fined himself the usual $25. He later explained that he thought he had left is phone in his office, but he accidentally had it on him. Ultimately, he believed that what was expected of everyone else should be expected of him – no exceptions. (https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/weird/ohio-judge-holds-himself-in-contempt-of-court)
Perhaps he is a truly honorable judge. And perhaps his strict policy was so strict that when he accidentally violated it the only face-saving thing to do was to fine himself. Whatever was the case, it opens us to understand the passage from Hebrews when it says that Jesus was not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but, it says, “we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus’ humanity – one with us – allows him to truly sympathize with our weaknesses.
Let’s make sure we are clear here. Jesus was never literally the high priest in Judaism. But Hebrews uses the concept of the high priest to describe Jesus’ role in our lives; and in our salvation.
It is worth spending some time looking at the role of the high priest. The high priest was the leader of the religion. Perhaps he was somewhat akin to the Catholic pope in Christianity, but don’t stretch those connections too far. Originally, only descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron could be high priests.
The high priest oversaw the operation of the temple. The first thing he would do every day is to offer a holy bread offering of twelve loaves. Six of those loaves would be burnt upon the altar in the morning and the other six would be burnt in the afternoon. It is always important to remember that the main altar for sacrifice was not inside the temple building itself. The fire and smoke would have been impossible. The altar just outside the front door of the temple on a huge platform.
The high priest oversaw all of the sacrifices the people would offer. He would make prayers to God on behalf of them. He was the chief interceder on the people’s behalf before God.
The high priest was the custodian of the religious laws. He was responsible for their correct interpretation and application. He was also a supreme judge of sorts – the highest court of appeal in religious matters.
Kings would sometimes consult with the high priest and ask the priest to appeal to God, and to get God’s feedback on political and military action.
The high priest was a symbol of purity. He had to live by somewhat different purity laws than the general population and always be in a higher state of purity.
Perhaps the most dramatic thing about the high priest is what he would do on the holiday of Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. It is the highest holy day in Judaism and the one where right relationship with God was restored. On that day, and only that day, the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies in the temple.
Picture a bullseye to understand Jewish levels of holiness, with each ring representing a higher level. The world was one ring. The Jewish territory was a ring within that. Jerusalem was ring within Jewish territory. Then we get to the courtyards around the Jerusalem temple. In those courtyards and near the temple building was the large altar for burnt offerings and a gigantic basin for washing. Finally, there was the temple building itself. You’d go up steps to the temple platform. Two large pillars held a high porch roof. Then you’d be in the sanctuary of the temple. Almost no Jewish citizen ever actually entered the temple proper. Only high officials. The sanctuary was almost the highest level of holiness. It contained ten lampstands, a golden table for the twelve loaves of the daily bread offering, and a small incense altar.
And then, at one end of the temple, was the Holy of Holies. Separated by a wall with a curtain over the doorway, was the holiest place in the world for Jews. While they knew God was everywhere, God’s presence in the Holy of Holies was its strongest and purest.
What was in the Holy of Holies is somewhat unclear in Jesus’ day. In early days it contained the Ark of the Covenant which had Israel’s most holy relics inside it. But the ark was almost certainly destroyed by the Babylonians, 500 years before Jesus. Whatever was in there in Jesus’ day, only the high priest ever saw it. When he went in to this strongest place of God’s presence his purpose was to appeal to God for the forgiveness of the sins of the people.
The author of Hebrews is drawing on all of this as he calls Jesus our high priest. Jesus is the holy one. Jesus appeals to the Father on our behalf for our forgiveness. Jesus is the head of our faith. He is the custodian of our morals. He is the interpreter of scripture. He is in the holiest of places for our benefit.
There is a step by step sequence to our faith that is important for Hebrews, although we tend to minimize it. It has to do with Ascension Day.
Jesus’ birth is at Christmas. That begins the Incarnation, where God takes on human form and experiences what it is to be like us.
Good Friday is when Jesus dies on our behalf, as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. You could call it our Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement.
Easter is Jesus’ triumph over death.
And then there is the last and ultimate holiday in this salvation sequence, Ascension Day. Ascension Day is when Jesus ascends into heaven to become the high priest on our behalf in the Holy of Holies before God.
Now Ascension Day has scientific problems. How can Jesus’ body physically ascend and then head into some actual physical place. But if you read the Ascension Day texts in the Bible you realize it never actually says any of that. All they want to do is make us realize Jesus’ presence before the Father on our behalf.
Hebrews suggests that Jesus is permanently – even at this moment – before the Father making appeals on our behalf, praying for us, advocating for us, and appealing to God’s grace for our forgiveness.
Jesus knows what it is to be human. He is not a judge who sits above us and wouldn’t hold himself in contempt of court because of a cell phone. Hebrews tells us Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He knows what it is to be tempted. Jesus is not to be feared. He is our friend, our supporter, our advocate, and our ally. He speaks before the Father on our behalf. And his word carries great weight.
All of this is good news. Hebrews wants us to see God as on our side, wanting us to succeed, cheering us on in life. But, as always, Hebrews isn’t going to be flippant. Jesus’ work on our behalf is not to be exploited. Our passage today started with the stark warning that God knows all and sees all. “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
So, we should not turn down or scorn the work God has done on our behalf. We should not be flippant. God is not mocked. Grace is not to be exploited.
We are to live in awe of what Jesus has done for us. We are to build our lives around it. We are to realize that it is a joyful life, but not an immoral, over-indulgent, hedonistic, careless, gluttonous, or flippant one. God sees and knows.
Righteous living is rooted in celebrating Jesus’ life and love for us. All good things flow from there.
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