Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. --
One of the greatest mistakes we can make about Jesus is to limit his work to dying on the cross. He was once a sacrificial lamb; he is now a great high priest.
When we think only about the cross, we reduce Jesus to an historical figure, and we reduce salvation to being little more than a second chance. "He paid for your sins with his life, back there, two thousand years ago," we sometimes say. "He gave you another chance, so don't mess up again." This admonishment creates enormous pressure on us to live a life worthy of Jesus' incredible sacrifice. But it doesn't matter how hard we try to demonstrate our gratitude, or how many chances we get, we are still going to sin. That's because we're addicted to it.
This is why the gospel story doesn't stop with Good Friday. After rising from the dead, the Son of God ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father. From there he intercedes on our behalf, as a priest who appropriates the sacrifice of his life in the past for the sins of our life today. That doesn't just mean that Jesus has our tab covered. It also means that like a great priest he is "not unable to sympathize with our weaknesses," but tenderly leads us deeper into the life-changing grace of his Father. So Jesus is not done with you.
-- Craig Barnes