Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV

For we whose country began with a revolt against monarchy, the weight of royal majesty is a rather foreign concept. Here in the United States, we understand that the President needs guards and security measures, but if we had the opportunity to speak with him face-to-face, we would except no condescension. He is a fellow citizen, after all, who has only temporarily been appointed to the highest office in the land. Yet that sense of royal unapproachability was certainly true throughout the majority of human history. Recall from our study of Exodus that Moses and Pharaoh likely never spoke directly to one another. Moses, as Scripture says, spoke through Aaron, and Pharaoh probably spoke through a servant who bore the title, the Mouth of Pharaoh. One of the chief tensions in the book of Esther revolves around this notice. For though Esther was the queen, she feared approaching her husband unsummoned so much that she called for all Jews to fast for her for three days.

Of course, God, though He is the King of kings, is quite different. From the beginning, God Himself came down into Eden to walk with Adam and Eve, and in the end, He will bring all of heaven down upon the new earth that He will make and will dwell with us forevermore. Yet somewhere between those two points is where we live. People sinned, and God them out of His holy presence. Now even when brought into God’s throne room in a vision, as Isaiah was, there is not so much joy and peace as holy and royal terror at standing before the King and Judge of all the earth. And in Exodus 19, the Israelites were privileged to behold the glory of God descend upon Mount Sinai, yet they needed to keep away from the mountain or else perish. Without such an understanding, the text before us will seem pleasant yet trite. If God owes us His presence and His attention, then the author of Hebrews speaks no great words of comfort to us. If, instead, God is the holy King of all and we are those who have committed treason against Him, then these words express nothing less than joy unspeakable and full of glory.

HOLD FAST OUR CONFESSION // VERSE 14

Among commentators, there is some debate over how exactly to classify these verses. Are they a comforting conclusion to the warnings that have been given in 3:7–4:13? Or are they beginning of the largest section of Hebrews, where the author will expound upon the theme of Christ as our great high priest? Unsurprisingly, I would say both. These are transitional verses. They do provide much-needed comfort after the warnings that we have been given. But they also establish the goal of what is to come. Indeed, I would suggest that these three verses are chapters 5-10 in a nutshell.

Since then we have a great high priest, who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Again, the exhortation to hold fast, to endure to the end, is the central one throughout Hebrews, and it is the very opposite of falling or drifting away. As we noted, the original readers were likely Jewish Christians who were about to enter into persecution and were tempted to return to Judaism, since it was a legally recognized religion throughout the Roman Empire. Thus, the author has been reminding them that safety is not the chief goal of life. If the exodus generation had believed God and entered the Promised Land, many of them still would have died in battle with the Canaanites, just as their children did under Joshua’s leadership. Yet they would have come into possession of the land of rest. Their rebellion did not stall their deaths. Each person in that generation still died, and they had nothing to show for their lives except to be a warning for us hereafter. In the same way, the recipients of this sermon-letter may have been able to avoid the fires of persecution, but what good would that be if they forfeited their salvation and were thrust eternally into the fires of hell instead?

That is the great concern that drives the author and is why he is again telling them to hold fast. But hold fast to what? Hold fast our confession. We saw precisely the sort of confession that the author intends at the very heart of Mark’s Gospel. While passing through Caesarea Jesus asked His disciples who people say that He is. After giving some of Google’s most popular answers, He then asked them the question directly: “Who do you say I am?” Peter responded, saying, “You are the Christ.” Matthew’s Gospel reports that he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That confession was the turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Before that confession, Jesus ministered to the crowds as a means of teaching His disciples, but from then on, His teaching of the disciples became more direct, explicit, and central to His ministry. In fact, Peter failed to hold fast to that confession during Jesus’ trial. Given three opportunities to confess Jesus as Lord, Peter denied Christ each time instead.

Every Christian makes the same confession. The very act of praying to Christ in repentance and for forgiveness of our sins is a confession that He is the Savior (the one who is able to save) and Lord (the one with the authority to grant such pardon). Indeed, confession is then worked into our faith through the ordinance of baptism, which is a public declaration of our submission to Christ. Fittingly, the first formal confession of the church came through baptism. What we today confess as the Apostles’ Creed began as a baptismal confession. Rather than a statement, each article was original asked the person being baptized as a question. Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? The person would then confess: I believe. And so on. Thus, the person was given the public opportunity to confess before men and angels the Lordship of Christ and the fundamental teachings of Scripture. To fall away and renounce such a marvel confession is a fearful thing. As the Athanasian Creed rightly says, “Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally.”

WE HAVE A GREAT HIGH PRIEST // VERSES 14-15

But how will we be able to hold fast to our confession? Spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places are arrayed daily against us. The wicked ever do wickedly, hating the righteous for the guilt of conscience that is struck by their presence. And our own flesh craves the filth of the world over the unsearchable riches of Christ. Who will deliver us from such deadly snares? Thanks be to God, we rest our confidence in Christ Jesus our Lord. Indeed, our confession of Christ is somewhat like the rope that ties us to the anchor, which is Christ Himself.

Particularly, the author wants to be rooted in a particular office of Christ: His priesthood. The anchor of our confession is our great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Here the author aims for us to remember the glorious and exalted status of Christ as the eternal Son from the beginning of the sermon and to apply it to Christ’s role as our great high priest.

Remember that the role of priests within the old covenant was to mediate between God and man. Particularly, they offered prayers and sacrifices to atone for sin and secure divine favor. Jesus is the great high priest who has fulfilled that role to the utmost. Being both fully God and fully human, Jesus alone is qualified to perfectly mediate between God and man, and He did so by offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, fully cleansing the sins of all those who are united with Him by faith. Having forgiven our sins, He now sits at the Father’s right hand as our everlasting Advocate.

Interestingly, R. Kent Hughes draws a comparison between Jesus’ passing through the heavens with the Levitical high priest passing into the tabernacle:

His entrance into the Holy of Holies was through three portals. First, he bore the blood through the door into the outer court. Second, he entered another door into the Holy Place. And third, he entered through the veil of the Holy of Holies. Thus, the ancient high priest had a three-portaled entrance in coming before the thrice-holy God— and he had to do it year after year.

On the other hand, Jesus, our great High Priest, after his once-only sacrifice for sins on the cross, passed “through the heavens”— going through the first heaven (the atmosphere), the second heaven (outer space), and finally into the third heaven (the most holy of all places, the presence of God, cf. 2 Corinthians 12: 2– 4). 1 And there he sat down (something no high priest had ever done!) because his atoning work was finished. He remains at God’s right hand, making intercession for us.[1]

Indeed, although we always talk about the necessity Christ’s death and resurrection, the author of Hebrews wants us to draw comfort and security from Christ’s ascension as well. Although it might be tempting to lament that Jesus is not physically present with us, Hebrews shows that Jesus’ enthronement at the right hand of the Father is for our good. As T. Desmond Alexander notes:

In the light of such challenges, the author of Hebrews focuses on the heavenly dimension of Jesus’ priesthood. Christ is a high priest in a sanctuary not made by human hands; he serves in heaven seated at God’s right hand. Moreover, the author of Hebrews emphasizes that this priesthood is an ongoing activity that will ultimately lead to the perfection of those who are being made holy for eternal glory. As a perfect high priest at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ brings to fruition all that he achieved by giving his body as an atoning sacrifice. His continuing presence with God offers reassurance that his self-sacrifice has been accepted for the sins of others, and as their representative he intercedes with God on their behalf. For the author of Hebrews, Jesus Christ’s priestly activity in the heavenly sanctuary is vitally important. This dimension of his salvific activity is essential for the well-being of those whom he counts as his brothers and sisters.[2]

Verse 15 begins Hebrews’ presentation of how Christ as our great high priest benefits by saying, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. It is in regard to Christ’s advocacy and intercession on our behalf that this verse refers. An unsympathetic high priest would be of no comfort to us, but Jesus is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, with our fallen and sinful nature.

This is a point the author has made before, so it must be an important one. The Lord you serve, the Savior to whom you look, is not aloof from your trials, but feels them with intimate acquaintance. He is not disinterested or cold to what you are going through; he came to this earth and took up our human nature precisely so that he might now be able to have a fellow feeling with us. Therefore, he is, eminently able to represent you before the throne of his heavenly Father, pleading your cause, securing your place, and procuring the spiritual resources you need.[3]

Indeed, Christ’s sympathy with our weakness was already discussed in chapter 2, where we were told that He is not ashamed to call us brothers (2:11). He does not disavow or disown us; rather, in spite of our sin, He numbered Himself as one of us. The question that Christ’s ongoing sympathy for us ought to be: if He is not ashamed to call us His brothers, will then be ashamed to confess Him as Lord?

Yet the final phrase is just as important: yet without sin. As necessary as sympathy is, sympathy alone is not sufficient to save. While walking side by side with a peer has plenty of benefits, there are times when a superior is needed. The companionship of two men quicksand is of little comfort if they cannot help one another out of mire. The beauty of Christ’s priesthood is that He understands and sympathizes with our plight, yet He did not fall into our corruption. For more than three decades, He dwelt among us, as one of us, and never joined in our depravity.

Indeed, as we previously noted, Jesus’ daily temptations would have been far greater than any that we could possibly know. Being without sin, He would have recognized every sin, whereas our defiled consciences are blinded to a great number of sins, which is why it was necessary for atonement to be made for unintentional sins within the Old Testament.

LET US DRAW NEAR // VERSE 16

Thus far, the author has exhorted us to hold fast to our confession and has rooted our hope of doing so in Jesus’ mediatorial work as our great high priest. Verse 16 now unites those two ideas, for it tells us how we are to make use of Christ’s exalted priesthood. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Having Jesus as our great high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses and still is unashamed to call us His brothers, we ought to draw near to God’s throne with confidence. As we noted in the introduction, the wonder of this statement is utterly lost if we believe that we are entitled to come to God in prayer for anything and that He is obligated to hear. Instead, just as the ancients wisely knew the fearful weight of approaching an earthly king, so also there is a proper fear that ought to mark our approach the throne of the King of all kings. Indeed, we have even more cause to fear whenever we consider our sinful rebellion against His absolute purity, goodness, and holiness.

We are only able to draw near with boldness because God’s throne is also the throne of grace. Jesus has triumphed death through death and shattered the power of the evil one. He has paid the penalty of our sins with the sacrifice of Himself, and now that He is crowned with glory and honor, He has also become the Captain of our salvation leading us into glory with Him. And because He has made us fellow heirs with Him, the seat of the infinitely Majestic One is also the seat of our heavenly Father. This new covenant under Christ is far greater than the come-but-stay-away old covenant.

We are able to draw near for a purpose, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We are able to come at anytime to God’s heavenly throne for help, specifically mercy and grace. The difference between the two is generally that mercy is the withholding of a justly deserved punishment, while grace is a gift that is undeserved and unearned. Thus, when temptation has indeed “claimed the battle and it seems the night has won,” our access to God’s throne has not diminished, for our ability to draw near is not dependent upon our own efforts of righteousness. Instead, Christ sits at the Almighty’s right hand as my Brother and my Advocate, ensuring that I will receive mercy rather than wrath from His Father and mine.

Indeed, for we who are in Christ, there is only mercy and grace to be received from the Father, for Christ received every ounce of the Father’s righteous wrath against sin in our place. He took that wrath without any measure of mercy so that we can experience God’s mercy without any measure of God’s wrath. And there is no wrath to be accounted for against those who are in Christ, which means that there is no punishment at all left for sin. As Hebrews 12 will note, there remains discipline for sin, and discipline is far from being pleasant. But fathers discipline their children in love, for their own ultimate good. Thus, as we draw near to God’s throne of grace, we should take confidence that He will never punish us for our sins but only discipline us for our good, which is in many ways a form a grace.

John Piper underlines another aspect of this verse by translating this phrase as saying, “that we might receive mercy and find grace for a well-timed help,” which he says is the more literal translation. He goes on:

The traditional one draws attention to our need; the literal one draws attention to God’s timing. I think we need to focus on the grace of God’s timing. When we have a need, we feel very strongly about when God should meet it. We want him to act now! It is not natural for us to think that God’s grace will be shown as much in its timing as in its form. But Hebrews 4:16 reminds us to seek God not only for the kind of grace we need but also for the timing of grace we need.[4]

Is this not one of the chief reasons that we give up praying? We want an immediate answer, and whenever it is not met, we throw in the towel. Yet God grants us timely grace. As the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He knows our needs far better than we do, and we can trust in His timing.

When the gems of these three verses are laid open before our eyes, there is one further conclusion that needs to be made: to refrain from drawing near to God in Christ out of a sense of unworthiness is not humility but unbelief. Denying the mercy and grace of our Lord because you are unworthy is like refusing medicine because you are too sick, refusing a car because the walk is too far, or refusing forgiveness because the debt is too big. It is not humility but pride. Humility receives help when it is given, while pride declines it.

Today, if you have heard His voice (and you have), kill your pride, your unbelief, and whatever excuses you make for not receiving the mercy and grace that have been offered to you in Christ. Jesus sits in heaven as the victorious Captain of your salvation, summoning you to follow Him into glory. That begins and ends by holding fast our confession of Jesus as Lord and drawing near to His heavenly throne for help.

As come to the Table of our King, we see a marvelous picture of this great truth displayed physically before us. Here we have the body and blood of Christ symbolized through this bread and this cup, and through them we are told to receive Him who worked our redemption by His death. Thus, let your drawing near and receiving of these elements be a physical portrait of how you will go to His throne both now and in the days to come.

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[1] R. Kent Hughes, Hebrews, 130.

[2] T. Desmond Alexander, Face to Face With God, 5.

[3] Richard Phillips, Hebrews, 149.

[4] John Piper, The Collected Works Vol 10, 20.