For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 7:28
In the movie Ford vs. Ferrari, Lee Iacocca comes from Ford Motor Company to talk with Carroll Shelby. So, to try and impress Lee, Carroll starts talking about how outstanding their company is doing. Starting with all the cars they’re selling, he then points to the fact they’re just killing it on the track, winning all sorts of races. And to summarize just how great they’re doing; Carroll says that they’re “going from strength to strength[1].”
It's good to have some success. It’s impressive to win at anything. But it’s a whole lot harder to win one contest after another. Win one race after another. Someone once said that winning the Super Bowl is hard, but winning it the next year is even harder.
The writer is saying something similar to the Hebrews. He’s saying that becoming a priest is hard, but that staying a priest is harder. It’s one thing to do all the things to become a priest. But keeping all the rules, all the time, is so much harder.
And why? We know the answer in our hearts, but the writer puts it in black and white. Priests, just like us, just can’t live consistently for God. It doesn’t matter what the rules are. Whether the rules are hard or simple. We’re just wired not to do what anyone else says. We only want to do what we want to do.
Just like back then, priests are appointed today. Their priesthood started sometime after they were born. After they had completed the required education and training. After they had memorized the right prayers and ceremonies. After they had practiced and perfected the sacrifices.
But not this one, special priest. Jesus didn’t have to go through all that stuff. To start off, he’s the Son. Not a son but the Son. The one and only Son[2]. He stands alone in comparison to all other priests.
And instead of having to go to school and practice being a priest, Jesus the Son was appointed as a priest. There was no ceremony on one special day that marked he changed from not being a priest to being a priest. His relationship as the Son is what also made him a priest.
This is just so great. So fabulous. So special. No other priest in the history of all the Earthy priests were a priest like Jesus. But it doesn’t stop there. Jesus isn’t like all other priests that have to keep making sacrifices for themselves.
When it comes to being a priest, Jesus has been made perfect forever. Because Jesus is both God and man, he’s lived since before time began. The Son has always been perfect and he’s still perfect today. And as God, he’s always, always, always been a priest. Making us into his loved children. Bringing us into that deeply intimate and personal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
It just doesn’t get any better than this. He didn’t become a junior apprentice priest and then work his way up. Jesus has been and always be the most complete priest. The most holy priest. The priest that God the Father always, always, always listens to.
I know You always hear Me. But I have said this for the people standing here, so they may believe You have sent Me.
John 11:42 NLV
Will we listen to what Jesus just said? What he claimed about himself? As both the Son of God and the Son of Man, he has total access to God the Father. Anytime and anywhere, Jesus can come to his Father and he always hears Jesus.
I don’t know how that makes you feel, but there are times that I just feel like God’s a total stranger. That he’s busy, asleep, or just so far away. That he’s on a trip or on vacation and I’m being immediately transferred to his voice mail. Or that my texts are just piling up in a list on his cell phone that’s turned off[3].
Jesus’ words are so encouraging to me. Since there’s never a time that God’s not available to Jesus, then there’s never a time that we can’t go to him either. Jesus has made a way for us to have direct access to God. It’s never closed and there’s no slowdowns or backups either.
The strength of God to take care of our sin is more than enough. He takes care of all our sins: past, present, and future. And once covered by the sacrifice of Jesus, we’re made clean and perfect in the sight of God.
So, no matter how you feel, the truth is that we have complete and open access to God. Period. Nothing can separate us from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus[4]. But that loving access is in Jesus and Jesus alone. No one else can cover our sins. No one else brings us to God as his beloved children. He gives us forgiving strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
Noodling Questions
Why is it a lie to tell people that everything’s OK?
When Jesus says that the Father always hears him, what does he mean?
How does Jesus give us his strength?
[2] John 1:14, 3:16
[3] 1 Kings 18:27
[4] Romans 8:38,39
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