Author William Willimon told the story of an encounter he had with a woman dying of cancer. Exhausted from her battle with the disease, she clutched the crucifix that had been given to her by her grandmother when she was a little girl. It was a symbol of what Jesus meant to her. When Willimon entered the room, he asked if he should summon a priest. The woman held out the crucifix toward him, which depicted the body of Jesus nailed to the cross. She then said, “Thank you—but I have a Priest.”
The writer of Hebrews wanted all believers to know that they too have Jesus as their Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). During Bible times, the priesthood was a group of men who were responsible for worship and sacrificial duties. The Old Testament identified Aaron and his heirs as having special priestly responsibilities among God’s people (Numbers 18:1-7).
Jesus’ priesthood was superior, however, because no other priest had a ministry in heaven like Him, and no other priest would let ordinary people approach him (Hebrews 4:15-16). Christ fulfilled the Old Testament priesthood by being both the High Priest and the sacrifice through which He achieved forgiveness of sins and grace for daily living for all who believe in Him (Hebrews 5:8-9). As the Great High Priest, He perfectly represented us before God. Being a truly divine High Priest, this act of His was perfect, once for all and of great eternal value (Hebrews 10:10).
Today, we continue to have a Great High Priest in Jesus. He forgives our sins, sympathizes with our weaknesses, understands our temptations, and pours out His mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. May we draw near to Him today and experience the fullness of His love and presence!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 7:1-17
More:
Read Hebrews 10:19-23 and consider our basis for drawing near to Jesus.
Next:
What should the attitude of our hearts be as we draw near to Christ? What needs will you bring to Him today?
Gary Shultz on July 5, 2016 at 6:50 am
Marvin what a great and wonderful thing. Christ the High Priest also became the sacrifice; how can this be? Only God could have arranged for our care in this way. What I also like is, Christ knows everything about heaven where we are represented, Master of the Kingdom. Until we get there how could we ever have a better Priest, Lord, Savior, and King? The divine “hook up”. Thanks Marvin
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 8:25 am
Amen, Marvin. This is a truth we must never forget. Jesus is our perfect High Priest—our Mediator, Advocate, and Representative before the Father. We have no reason NOT to draw near. It is the Accuser who tries to convince us that we are guilty and stained, but we have been washed and cleansed with the precious blood of Christ who has made God approachable to us. Hallelujah! We can come with confidence before His throne—a throne that dispenses grace and mercy and help in our time of need. Knowing this, how can we remain aloof from Him? I praise Him today for bringing me near—for giving me full access into the Holy of Holies. “Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea—A Great High Priest whose name is Love—who ever lives and pleads for me.” Glory to His name! Thanks, Marvin, for bringing us to this awesome truth today. Blessings to all!
Tom Felten on July 5, 2016 at 8:27 am
Thanks for sharing this, Marvin. It’s incredible to realize that believers in Jesus are part of a “royal priesthood”—offering spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2:5-9). God continues to work in and through all true believers to grow His kingdom. May we offer sacrifices of praise, prayer, and serving Him with joy today!
envirotact on July 5, 2016 at 8:54 am
The Lord Jesus became our High Priest when He rose from the dead. He is no longer on that cross, but alive and at the right hand of God, making intercession for us. If He were still hanging on that cross – like the one in your story or in the supporting picture, He would not be qualified to be our High priest. Praise the Lord, the cross and the tomb are empty!
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 9:03 am
Envirotact, I wasn’t too thrilled with that image either. I do not like to see Jesus still on the cross. You make a great point—the cross and the tomb are empty!
hsnpoor on July 5, 2016 at 11:03 am
envirotact, you took the words right out of my head. I so agree that what makes Jesus so very, very unique is the fact that he embodies both the sacrifice for our sins (his death on the cross and burial) AND our High Priest (when he arose from the grave and ascended into heaven to take up residency at the right hand of God). But, even the Jewish leaders of his day, who were the tools God used to accomplish His purpose, did not leave him hanging on that cross overnight. Anytime I see a cross with Jesus symbolically hanging on it, I get distressed because I can’t help but think that’s only half the story and without the other half (which I personally think is the best half; although, you can’t have one without the other), there really is no story to tell. And, this story is just too great to not tell it fully & properly…..
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 12:03 pm
Amen. Marvin did a beautiful job of communicating this truth in his devotional today. I think the picture is what troubles us. A better image next time, brother Marvin! 🙂
jim spillane on July 5, 2016 at 12:00 pm
To all forum readers today – please correct me if I’m wrong, and please understand that this is not meant to be a judgmental statement, but my understanding is that the Roman Catholics are the only Christians who still present Jesus hanging on the Cross.
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 12:04 pm
That is what I understand also, Jim.
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 1:01 pm
Jim, I read some very good articles (Google search) as to why Roman Catholics prefer the crucifix rather than a simple cross—the main reason being that it is a vivid reminder to them of the Passion of our Lord. They make the claim that they in no way diminish His victory by His resurrection, but they want to be ever mindful of what redemption cost. They are not “leaving Him on the cross” as we have stated. To them the crucifix is the most symbolic picture of His suffering love and sacrifice. Having read that, I can understand why they do it. I am strictly thinking of myself when I say this, but it is wise to “seek first to understand” before making any judgements or coming to any conclusions. Even if we don’t agree in the end, it’s still good to be heard. You know what I mean?
hsnpoor on July 5, 2016 at 4:46 pm
I do, GAgirl, and I don’t want to think of myself as unteachable or judgmental (though I’m sure I can be both on any given day of the week), but I’m not moved in my conviction that religious symbols that leave Jesus on the cross are not giving a full and complete witness of what Jesus did on that cross to a world that NEEDS to know the full story. I can’t help but think of the Mel Gibson movie “The Passion” and it’s utter failure to reach & touch even believers. It didn’t have a chance with non-believers. The horridness of what happened on that cross is absolutely unbearable without the resurrection. Perhaps it’s a matter of perspective, but for me, without the resurrection being attached to Jesus’ crucifixion, He may as well have been another unblemished animal sacrificed on the altar. It was His victory over the grave that gave His sacrifice meaning. And, if in so saying, I am being judgmental, well so be it. I don’t require that everyone agree with my viewpoint, but one would hope viewpoints can be expressed without being labeled. And while I’m on the subject, if one is so inclined to be understanding of ALL the different religions/beliefs in the world today, that is certainly their right and prerogative. I, personally, am not at all so inclined. I know THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life. I find it a full-time vocation to pursue what I know. Please excuse me if I choose not to muddy the waters, as it were, by acquainting myself and studying counterfeits that will only offer confusion where the Lord has already given me clarity and I promise to return the courtesy.
hsnpoor on July 5, 2016 at 5:13 pm
I just re-read what I wrote and I want you to know I’m not yelling at you GAgirl….I love you dearly. I don’t actually mean to be yelling at anyone, but as I re-read, it feels like all the letters were capitalized and though I may have meant it that way, I didn’t mean to express myself that way. My later comments in this post were actually directed to crossman61 and I trust they will be taken in the spirit intended.
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Lol…I was wondering when you were going to show up again, Kim. Your passionate response is no surprise to me…and it’s very welcomed here. 🙂 First, let me just reiterate by saying that the “making judgements and being teachable” comments were strictly for me when I said that. I do have the tendency to become dogmatic about things that I’ve not taken the time to learn more about. Today’s image in the devo was one. I have never asked a Catholic about the crucifix …never researched on my own until today. I just made the assumption that it was wrong—that they left Jesus on the cross. What I learned gave me understanding about “why” they choose to do that. The gospel is about the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. You’re right–that is the complete story….and it must be told in full. But I think that every piece is a powerful part of the whole. Because the Catholics choose to remember Jesus’ passion through this symbol doesn’t mean they have missed the entirety of the gospel (though I do have many questions concerning their teachings, which I won’t go into here). Also, you mention Mel Gibson’s movie as a failure. I beg to differ. I think that it opened the eyes and hearts of many people. It opened conversation. It caused people to investigate more about this Jesus who would subject Himself to such horror for mankind. I liked how he chose to end the movie. We know the full story, but what of those who watched that didn’t and wanted to know more. God works in all kinds of ways…using all kinds of methods. It was also an opportunity to take unbelieving friends and then have that conversation with them after. That’s what I think crossman61 meant when he spoke of being “understanding” of others’ beliefs. Understanding what and why they believe what they do opens the door for dialogue and witness. We don’t have to agree to understand. It’s not a compromise. It’s having the Spirit of meekness and gentleness…being open to listen and learn while giving a reason for the hope that is in us. I don’t know about you, but I want that.
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 5:35 pm
And no, I didn’t “hear” you yelling, sister. Didn’t take it that way at all. I felt your passion! 🙂
hsnpoor on July 6, 2016 at 12:38 am
Thank you, GG, she said in all sincerity, meekness & humility. Meekness….not my strong suit by a long measure. Pray for me, please, because I can’t even begin to form my lips to offer that prayer for myself.
gagirllive on July 6, 2016 at 9:17 am
I will, Kim…as I continue to pray that for myself. It’s my daily meditation…”Humble yourself, humble yourself…” And He gives me plenty of opportunities! 🙂
hsnpoor on July 6, 2016 at 11:33 am
You know, GG, I was thinking about what you said re: how “The Passion” was received in your “neck of the woods” and how different the reception was in my “neck of the woods”. The response here was that people were infuriated, believers and non-believers alike. I’m sure that wasn’t a universal reaction here, but it seemed to be the reaction among people who populated the landscape of my life then. Those who didn’t know the Lord were by no means receptive to a conversation. If anything, they were moved further out of the realm of conversing on the subject. Literally, “turned off”. As I was thinking about this dichotomy of reactions, I began to praise God because I’m retiring in 2018 and plan to move to Alabama to occupy family owned land that has been passed down from one generation to the next. I’ve lived the majority of my life in CA., although, I went to college in Atlanta. I loved Atlanta, but it was really different from say, Birmingham or Memphis or other Southern cities. It felt more like LA, than The South, if you know what I mean. From our conversation, I feel like I’ll be moving to, not just a quieter place, but a gentler one and as I get older, that sure sounds good to me! Blessings to you!
gagirllive on July 6, 2016 at 12:11 pm
That’s interesting, hsnpoor. Yeah, in my neck of the woods the movie was very well received. In fact, several churches, including mine, did a free showing as an outreach. I honestly can’t imagine why any Christian would have objections to it. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on that one. The actor who played Jesus, Jim Caviezel, is a strong believer, and I remember an interview that he did telling about its personal impact as well as the many lives it touched. He has a great testimony on the billygraham.org website if you’re interested. I love the movie and I’m thrilled to see how God uses these faith films to reach people. I guess living here in the so-called Bible – belt gives me a different perspective. It may be a little gentler down here. I hope your move down South will open the door for great things for you, Kim! You’re a special lady!
hsnpoor on July 7, 2016 at 11:24 am
Thank you, GG!
crossman61 on July 5, 2016 at 1:24 pm
I totally agree with some of you , about the symbol we see here. But I don’t think we should be offended by it !! should we ? I think everyone knows Jesus really is not still there ? I believe the religion that uses this symbol, really is not meaning to belittle what Jesus did for us all . I believe they go much deeper , although many times I have read 2 Corinthians 5:21 depending on which translation you choose KJV, NASB, NIV. and others are similar . 21 He made Him who knew no sin , to BE SIN for us , that we MIGHT become the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus knew what He was up against before he went to bear His Cross. He could see what was ahead of Him . it was not only the physical beating/torcher he was facing but also the Spiritual Battle he was facing !! He who never Sinned was about to BECOME SIN !!! I don’t think any of us can truly grasp what this meant? Before he was arrested he was in great anguish , In the Garden of Gethsemane He was looking at the cup he was about to take . He asked the Father to take It from Him. HE was under great Stress I don’t think any of us can truly understand , He was sweating like drops of Blood !!! I am so Thankful He did this for us all . Lord Help us all to be more understanding of all the different religions/beliefs in this world today. and may you help us to only keep you first , and not what we Think is right in your eyes . Have a Blessed Day
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 1:35 pm
I like what you’ve shared here, crossman61. It is truly amazing that Christ BECAME SIN for us. We cannot comprehend the depth of His suffering on every level. I have not understood nor liked the image of why the Catholics display the crucifix until today. Lord, may I always be discerning, yet teachable!
crossman61 on July 5, 2016 at 3:21 pm
gagirlive I like how your view changed before I posted . And what you said that it is wise first to understand, than to be understood , being teachable is a great thing!!! James 4:6 God opposes the proud but gives Grace to the humble .
gagirllive on July 5, 2016 at 3:31 pm
Oh, Amen and amen again, crossman61! I never want God opposing me! 🙂 “Teach me, Lord” is my daily prayer.
godlove on July 5, 2016 at 4:41 pm
Indeed, Marvin, we have a Great and Eternal High Priest who intercedes for us right from beside God our Father. How wonderful is it that He understands our temptations and sympathizes with our weaknesses, as He forgives our sins! And He’s waiting for us to come closer to Him to find mercy and grace from Him to help us in our time of need. That time for me is ALWAYS! I need His mercy and His grace always, every instant, every minute, and every day. As the hymn goes,
“I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior!
I come to Thee.”
Thanks Marvin, very timely devotional for me, I needed this today.