Did you hear about the couple that was about to get married,
but just before the wedding they were tragically killed together in a car
accident? When they arrived at the gates of heaven they explained to Peter that
they were about to be married when they died and they would still very much
like to be married in heaven.
Peter said to them, “While our Lord has said that no one is
married or given in marriage I heaven, we’d like to make an exception for you.
Please wait in the reception room while I go find a priest to do it.”
And so they waited there for several months. When Peter
returned the couple said, “You know Peter, we’ve been thinking. Eternity is a
long time to be married. We were wondering, if the marriage didn’t work, could
you arrange a divorce?”
Peter was stunned, “What?” he said. “Look, it’s taken me
three months to find a priest, how long do you think it will take me to find a
lawyer?”
This week we’re going to talk about Jesus as our lawyer –
our advocate. I was talking with a man recently whose wife is in the hospital.
He said, “I stayed overnight with her two nights in a row, because without an
advocate in the hospital, you’re really sunk.”
Now you can read the entire chapter and you will not find the
word advocate used anywhere. The chapter is about how Jesus is our high priest
forever, after the order of Melchizedek. (For more information on Melchizedek
see Genesis 14:17-24). And the preacher notes that Jesus’ priesthood is like
Melchizedek’s in several ways: (1) it’s perpetual; (2) it’s eternal (Melchizedek
had no progenitor or descendents); (3) it’s non-levitical; (4) it’s by an oath;
(5) it’s the mediation of a greater law than Moses’; (6) it’s tithe worthy; and
(7) it’s kingly. But in the 21st century it’s hard to tune into
blood sacrifices and the role of a priest. In the 1st century
temples and sacrifices were commonplace. Everyone knew that they needed to make
atonement for their sins. Today it’s quite different. Yet the guilt, the
pressure, the anxiety to perform have never been greater. Every one of us wants
to measure up. We all long for divine approval.
So God, in His providence, doesn’t allow the preacher to
simply talk in terms of Jesus as our High Priest without talking about His
advocacy.The word is “intersession” in verse 25. Nowhere else in this Scripture
is a priest said to intercede for another person. Intercession was not a
function a priest. But here the preacher says that Jesus intercedes all the
time.
We are going to look into all of this on Sunday in a message
entitled “Our Advocate”. The text is Hebrews 7:18-27, but I would suggest that
you read and re-read the entire chapter. In preparation for Sunday you may wish
to consider the following:
- How is Melchizedek a perfect portrait of Jesus?
- What is the relevance of Jesus being our high priest after the order of Melchizedek?
- What issue is at the heart of the preacher’s message to these struggling Christians in chapter 7?
- What evidence is there in your life that you don’t measure up to God’s standards?
- How is Jesus’ advocacy relevant to your life?
- How is God’s approval gained by Jesus as your advocate?
- What is the nature of an advocate in first century courts?
- What is the problem with going into God’s courtroom pro se, i.e. representing yourself?
- Check out a picture of the high priest in all of his regalia. How does this image of Jesus impact your understanding of yourself in Christ?
- How does fixing your eyes on Jesus as your advocate ameliorate all anxiety?
