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9th January 2025
ThursdayReflection
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Gavin Ortlund
pastor, author, speaker
Jesus intercedes for believers.
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"Jesus Ever Lives Above, for You to Intercede"
.....Hebrews 7:25
This is a classical, if often neglected, part of Christian theology.
Intercessory prayer was a part of Christ's earthly ministry, and the Scriptures teach that he now intercedes for us from the throne of heaven in his exalted life above
But what does this mean?
And what value is it in our daily life?
Christ's intercessory ministry is most explicitly set forth in Hebrews 7:25
On the basis of his once-for-all cross work, and his own everlasting resurrection life, Christ lives perpetually to intercede for us.
This is frequently referred to as Christ's high priestly ministry.
It is possible to think of Jesus' high priestly ministry in broad terms.
We might begin with the images provided by Old Testament precursors.
The OT high priest, for example, was responsible on the Day of Atonement for taking the blood of bull and goat into the most holy place and sprinkling it on the Ark of the Covenant.
As high priest, Christ brings his own blood into the presence of the heavenly tabernacle.
But the trajectories of Scripture are complex and interwoven:
Jesus is not only the high priest, but the sacrificial Passover lamb, the Davidic king, the true temple, the true Israel, and much more.
That means that Jesus cannot be high priest in exactly the same way as the OT high priest:
in the OT the trajectories run separately (though they are intertwined), while in the New Testament so many of these trajectories frequently interweave in such a way that they all point to Jesus.
The images can be configured in various ways: in Hebrews he takes his blood into the heavenly temple to present it to God, in which case he is the high priest but not the temple.
When we focus on the intercession of Jesus our high priest, however, the themes become much more focused.
In its context, Hebrews 7:25 pictures Christ's intercession as taking place in the wake of the cross.
Christ's sacrifice is once-for-all - it does not have to be repeated, unlike the annual sacrifices of Yom Kippurim.
Moreover, unlike OT high priests, Jesus has a permanent high priesthood: he lives forever, and death cannot remove him from office.
What is the content of Christ's intercession (what does he actually say)?
What is its result (what does it actually do)?
After all, the cross was the Father's plan, and Jesus goes to the cross to perform his Father's will.
We must never think of God in 'tri-theistic' terms, with the Son talking his bad-tempered Father into forgiving sinners.
The plan of redemption is as much the Father's design as the Son's.
In other words, the image of Christ's intercession must not be teased out to suggest that he is talking the Father into doing something the Father doesn't want to do, or that he has to remind the Father of the significance of the cross because otherwise the Father might forget.
The intercessory work of Christ is invaluable to every Christian, for it makes clear that our ongoing acceptance before God is finally grounded in the utter sufficiency of the cross.
These important truths are especially needed when believers slip backward to a kind of works theology that tells them they are not good enough to be forgiven, or that surrounds them with crushing despair because of moral defeat.
Suppose believers are struggling with a besetting sin and/or an afflicted conscience.
How might a greater acquaintance with Christ's intercession help them?
Besetting sins and afflicted consciences defeat us in a variety of ways.
Where there are afflicted consciences, one must first ask if the conscience is weighed down by real guilt (in which case, part of the remedy is repentance)
or by false guilt (for example, one feels guilty or inadequate over conduct that the Bible does not denote to be sin).
In any case, besetting sins and afflicted consciences have this in common, that they often destroy our confidence before God - our confidence that we have been forgiven, that we are accepted in the Beloved, that the debt has been paid.
In all such instances, to understand the nature of Jesus' intercession breeds quiet confidence, the assurance which, according to 1 John, brings with it our own effective prayers.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
Gavin Ortlund
(PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary)
is a pastor, author, speaker, and apologist for the Christian faith.
He serves as the president of Truth Unites and theologian-in-residence at Immanuel Nashville.
He is the author of several books, including Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't and What It Means to Be Protestant.
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