Hebrews 4:14 starts off a new section in the letter which stretches all the way through to Hebrews 10:18. The basic theme of the section is that the Lord Jesus Christ is better than the priests of the old covenant. And that's very important, because it was those very old covenant priests that the Hebrews were tempted to drift back to. They were tempted to go back from high priest Jesus to high priest Aaron. And that, of course, would be a big mistake.

In this morning's section, the writer makes a series of comparisons between the old covenant high priests and our new covenant high priest, Jesus Christ. v1–4 are all about Aaron and his fellow high priests of the old covenant. They tell us how they were selected, what they were like, what they did, and so on. v5–10 are all about Jesus, our great high priest. They tell us how he was selected, what he was like, what he did, and so on.

v1 is an excellent summary of the job of a high priest. The high priest represented men and women before God, offering sacrifices on their behalf when they sinned. It will help to remember that.

i An appointed high priest

v4 shows that Aaron and his sons were the God-appointed high priests of the old covenant. v5–6 show Christ as the God-appointed high priest of the new covenant. He did not appoint himself. He was appointed and called by God, God the Father. That's crucial because it means that he has every right to be our high priest. And therefore you can trust him with your life.

Actually, v5–6 go further. The quotations from the Old Testament there show that Jesus is the God-appointed king as well as the God-appointed priest. In this, he is like Melchizedek (see Genesis 14:18). Therefore, Jesus is greater than Aaron! It's sheer folly to drift away from him.

ii A benevolent high priest

v7 takes us to Christ's sufferings in the Garden of Gethsemane. We read movingly of what our Lord went through there. And by penning those words, the writer is showing that he is a sympathetic high priest, a benevolent high priest, a high priest who understands us and who cares for us. We see something similar about the old covenant high priests in v2, though in their case, they were subject to moral as well as physical weakness.

At Gethsemane, our Saviour knew that he, in all his innocence and purity, would have to take the depravity and fallenness of mankind upon his shoulders. He knew that he would have to submit himself in the place of sinners to the full fierceness of God's wrath. He knew that that would be an experience to be compared with no other in the horror of its torment, and his whole being shrank from it; yet he also knew that it was inescapable if the purpose of his coming was to be fulfilled. He knew that he would feel the most disintegrating experience any man or woman could ever feel: separation from the love of God. He knew that he would endure our hell so that we can enter his heaven.

What that means is that our Saviour understands us. When you suffer, Christian, Jesus is not a detached observer. He's been through worse. He's been through Gethsemane. He's been through Calvary. And he suffers along with you. Isn't it good to have a high priest like that?

v7 raises a question, doesn't it? In what sense was Jesus' prayer heard? After all, he still died. The key is in the words "reverent submission". Jesus was heard because of his concern for the honour of God, because of his concern not to displease God. He submitted his prayers to his Father's will. Prayers like that will always be answered! God's will was done, and Christ was given the strength to see it through. Is that what your prayers are like? Is your first concern when praying for the honour of God? Is your first concern when praying that God should not be displeased? Then your prayers will be answered.

iii A clean high priest

v8–9 show that Jesus was obedient and perfect. And as such, he stands in sharp contrast with the old covenant high priests. Compare v3.

Once again, then, we're seeing that Jesus is better than Aaron and his fellow priests. After all, for our high priest, we want a winner, don't we? We want someone who is free from sin. We want someone who is perfect. We want someone who is clean. We don't want a fellow sinner, a fellow loser. Jesus is just the high priest you need.

What is more, v8–9 show that in incident after incident of suffering, Jesus learned obedience. He grew in his experience of obedience. He increased in first-hand knowledge of obedience. For Jesus, obedience is not just theory; it's practice. He was never disobedient, but he learned obedience in practice. And that's great. Who would you want as your high priest? Someone who knows the theory of obedience to God despite suffering, or someone who's been there? The latter. And that's Jesus. He learned obedience, undeviatingly conquering every temptation and trial thrown at Him. He's the ideal high priest, not a loser like Aaron, not a mere theorist, but someone who's been there, someone who's conquered every temptation and trial and who can help you to do the same. Christian, don't drift from Him.

iv A delivering high priest

v8–9 also show that Jesus is a delivering high priest, a high priest who delivers us. He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. And as such he is the fulfilment of the great purpose of the old covenant high priests which we saw in v1.

But notice carefully what v9 actually says. It says that Jesus is the source of eternal salvation for those who obey him. So that eternal salvation is not for everyone. It's for those who obey him. So the question you need to ask yourself is this. Do you obey Jesus Christ?

What does it mean to obey Jesus Christ? It means that you must obey the command of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel tells you to repent of your sin. It tells you to trust in Jesus. And that's what you must obey. Obeying the gospel will inevitably lead to a lifetime of further obedience to God. But obeying the gospel is always the first step.

So have you obeyed the gospel? Have you repented of your sin? Do you trust in Jesus Christ? If so, he is your high priest. Nothing could be better than that! If not, Jesus is not your high priest. But he can be! Obey the gospel and he will be! Don't wait any longer. Come to Christ. How comforting it will be to know that he is your great high priest!