Jesus the Priest (Psalm 110:4)

We have all met individuals who were exceptionally competent in what they did. Yet if we knew them long enough we would see that they made occasional mistakes or came across situations for which they did not have an answer. There is only Person of whom it can be said that he has been, is and will be fully competent for his roles and that Person is Jesus. Three of his roles are mentioned in this psalm. We looked previously at what it means for him to be king and next time we will consider his role as judge. In this sermon we will focus on what it means for Jesus to be a priest.

Context

It looks as the psalmist is speaking here to his Lord. Remember that in verse 1 David had distinguished between two persons, each of whom is called a divine title. One is LORD and he is the Father; the other is David’s Lord and he is the Son. David addresses the Son personally and mentions what the Father has said to his Son.

David says two things about what the Father said. First, his words were an oath and, second, he will not change his mind about giving the position of priest to his Son. God does not need to make an oath because his word is always true. The reason why he made this oath is for our benefit, to give us great assurance. After all, our salvation depends on the permanence of Jesus, and our loving God wants us to have the confidence of knowing that Jesus will be there.

Comparison

David also refers to an obscure Old Testament priest in order to show the reality of the priesthood of Jesus. Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis 14 when he blessed Abraham when he returned in triumph after defeating his enemies. There are six features of that occasion that are of significance for understanding the priesthood of Jesus. First, we are not told about when his priesthood began or concluded; second, he was a king as well as a priest; third, his name means king of righteousness; fourth, his location was Salem (or Jerusalem), which means peace; fifth, he functions in a situation of victory; and sixth, he provides refreshment for Abraham after his campaign.

We can see how those details picture Jesus. He is an eternal person, without a beginning or an end; he also is a king as well as a priest (unlike the Aaronic priesthood); he lives up to his name and provides righteousness for sinners; his location is the heavenly city of peace; he engages in his activities knowing that victory has been obtained; and he provides refreshment for his weary people.

Call

Having made those comments, the first item we need to ask is when did the Father say this promise to his Son. Clearly from the psalmist’s perspective it was said in the past. He is speaking to his Lord after he has been crowned king and invited by the Father to sit on the throne and mentions that at some stage previously the Father said something else to his Son. The question is, did he say this to his Son at the same time that he arrived in heaven from Bethany or did he say it to him before then, perhaps even before he had become a man.

One way of answering that question is to ask what a priest was required to do. Usually, a priest offered atoning sacrifices and engaged in other activities on behalf of those he represented before God. We know that Jesus offered his atoning sacrifice on behalf of his people when he was on the cross, which means that the Father must have said this statement to him when he called him to become the sinbearer, which took place in eternity. So we can deduce that this calling to be a priest was given to Jesus before he became a man. It describes the entire work that he was going to engage in.

Calvary

When we remind ourselves that this call was made before Jesus commenced his priestly ministry we should be able to see that the words are a promise of success because he is going to be a priest forever. Jesus is not the only priest that died, but he is the only priest whose death was part of his priestly work. But if he died, how could he remain a priest forever? He would need to be raised from the dead, which is what took place.

This means that we have in this statement a promise to the Son from the Father that his priestly death will not prevent him functioning as a priest afterwards. We should not be surprised, therefore, that this verse meant so much to Jesus as he drew near to the cross. After all, it was a divine promise of success both at the cross and after the cross. So we can see that Jesus was speaking as the successful priest when he cried on the cross, ‘It is finished.’ He had achieved the purpose of why he had gone there, which was to complete part of his calling to be the priest his people required.

Here we are reminded that the work of Jesus as priest has both a finished and an unfinished aspect. The work of atonement for sins is finished and accomplished; but the work of applying the benefits that he purchased for his people when he dies goes on in heaven.

Confidence

Why in the context of the psalm are we asked to think of this call to the Son to be a priest? Think of where we are in the psalm. The exalted Jesus has been to the cross and engaged in a magnificent and successful task, that of dealing with our sins. Now he has ascended on high and is about to continue his priestly work on the basis of his sacrifice on the cross. As this new stage appears, will the Father change his mind concerning the One he has called to this task? The Father had confidence in him when he called him, and the Father has confidence in him now that Calvary is behind him and glory stretches out into the unending future. We may say that the Father had great delight in calling his Son, and continues to have great delight as the Son fulfils each requirement, and will have eternal delight in the eternal priestly activities of the Son. Hugh Martin’s comments on the Caller are appropriate: ‘There is a song in the oath of God. He singeth while he swears, “Thou art a priest for ever.”’

Continual

But what does Jesus do as priest in the presence of God? There are several answers to that question. Before we consider them, we must remind ourselves that he engages in his priestly activity as one who is also the highly exalted King.

One is connected to the leading of the praise that occurs constantly in heaven. This activity was predicted of him in the psalm that details his amazing priestly activity on the cross – Psalm 22. There we read about the depths to which our Priest went down when he experienced forsakenness on the cross, and then we also read that after the cross is over he will lead his redeemed people as they praise God. In the midst of the church, he says, he will celebrate.

A second activity is procuring a people to inhabit the world to come. Paul reminds the Ephesians that Jesus had come to them in a spiritual way through his servants and proclaimed peace to them. The announcement of achieved peace with God was a priestly activity in which a priest assured the one seeking peace that it was his. In a far higher sense, Jesus does this when he declares with supreme authority to penitent sinners that through faith in him they have peace with God. As he does this, he gathers in those he purchased on the cross. Paul reminded the Roman believers that no one can condemn them because Jesus their priest is at God’s right hand making intercession for them (Rom. 8:34).

A third activity that he provides is purity. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus saves his people to the uttermost (Heb. 7:24-25). His priestly work ensures that one day all those who have peace with God will be pure in heart. The day is coming when all of them will be perfect.

A fourth activity we can describe as preparing a place for his people. He used the illustration of adding rooms to a house when new members joined a family, usually through marriage (John 14:2) to describe what he would be doing in heaven for his disciples. For each of them, the day is coming when Jesus will show them to their room that he has provided. Part of his intercession is that each of them will get there.

A fifth activity of Jesus is ensuring that spiritual provision reaches his needy people on earth. He arranges for this to take place through the channels that we call the means of grace. Those channels are living because each of them is connected to the activity of the Holy Spirit who uses the channels to bring benefits from Jesus to each of his people. The means of grace include times of worship, prayer, Bible Study, and fellowship.

Characteristics

Most of the above activities are connected to his intercession. It is difficult for us to work out what his intercession looks like because it includes both his deity and his humanity. His intercession is not like ours because he engages in it as One who is also the supreme King. We should not assume that his intercession resembles ours in any way. We can mention the following features of it.

First, when he intercedes with the Father, both he and the Father have the same knowledge as divine Persons – they are omniscient. The Father and the Son constantly know what each believer needs and there does not need to be verbal communication as if Jesus had to come with a list of such needs to mention at any given time. Continually the needs of the church are met by the Father in response to the desires of the Son and they meet them by providing the Spirit in whatever way is suitable.

Second, Jesus as a man may pray vocally about specific circumstances, although his humanity cannot pray audibly for millions of people simultaneously. If we imagine that he does, we are forgetting that he is still a man. One occasion of such asking would have been his response to the Father’s offer, ‘Ask of me and I will give you the nations as your inheritance.’

Third, the intercession of Jesus involves him pleading on behalf of sinners. The word ‘pleading’ has a variety of meanings. A wife may plead for the life of her husband if he has been captured by an enemy, although that form of pleading has no guarantee of success. A lawyer may plead an argument that cannot be ignored and which declares his client innocent. Jesus is the Advocate of his people and he pleads for them when they sin, which means that this pleading is a constant activity because they are continuously sinning. Not only is his pleading constant, it is always successful. What is the argument he uses that is always effective and which ensures their ongoing acceptance with God? The plea that he gives is himself as the risen Saviour who paid the penalty for their sins.

Fourth, as the priest Jesus is full of sympathy for his people in their spiritual weakness. He experienced various difficulties when he was here on earth – he was tempted, he was derided, he was persecuted, he was rejected despite doing good constantly. Sometimes believers find themselves in situations in which they imagine that their circumstances are unique. Yet they should remember that Jesus sympathises with them and knows what kind of comfort they need, which he sends to them by the Spirit who applies divine promises with power to their souls.

Application

There are three details that we should think about when we consider what it means to have Jesus as our priest. First, it is personal, and we can experience the blessings he provides as if all his attention was focussed on us individually, and this is the case because they are applied to us by the Spirit.

Second, it is lifelong, which means that there will never be a moment in our earthly experience when Jesus will not be engaged in intercession for his people, ensuring that their needs are met.

Third, it is eternal, so while there are aspects of this relationship that are limited to our lives on earth, he is also a priest forever. What that will involve cannot be known by us in this life, but we can think about it. One aspect that we do know will occur is the involvement of Jesus as the leader of the ongoing worship of God in the world to come.