"THE HOLIEST OF ALL" part XXXVII

THE HIGH PRIEST BEARING GENTLY WITH THE IGNORANT.
Hebrews  5: 1 - 3  For every earthly high, priest, being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:  Who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring, for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity ( weaknesses ); And by reason thereof is bound, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

Continuing with the Fourth Section
Hebrews 4: 14 - 5: 10
Jesus Our High Priest More then Aaron

BY THE REV. ANDREW MURRAY


We know how much the Epistle has already revealed of the true humanity and sympathy of the Lord Jesus. In chapter 2 we read: It became God to perfect Him through suffering; Since the children are sharers of flesh and blood, He also in like manner partook of the same. It behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren. In that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor (aid, help) them that are tempted. And in chapter 4  we have just heard: We have not a high priest who is not able to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has in all things been tempted like as we are. And yet the Truth is counted of much importance, that once again our attention is directed to it. It is not enough that we have a general conviction of its Truth, but we need to have it taken up into our heart and life, until every thought of Jesus is interpenetrated by such a feeling of His sympathy, that all sense of weakness shall at once be met by the joyful consciousness that all is well, because Jesus is so very kind, and cares so Lovingly for all our feebleness and all our ignorance.

Let us listen once again vary closely to what the word teaches. Every earthly high priest being taken from among men, is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Here we have the work of a high priest, and the first essential prerequisite for that work. His work is in things pertaining to God; he has charge of all that concerns the access to God, His worship and service, and has, for this, to offer gifts and sacrifices. And the requisite (necessity) is, he must be a man, because he is to act for men. And that for this great reason that he may be one who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring, for that he himself also is compassed with weaknesses; and who by reason thereof is bound, as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins. At the root of the priestly office there is to be the sense of perfect oneness in weakness and need of help. In priestly action this is to manifest itself in sacrificing, as for the people, so for himself. And all this, that the priestly spirit may ever be kept alive for the comfort and confidence of all the needy and weary he must be one who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring. This then is the description of the condition of all earthly priests no matter the religion or religion system in which he is to function.

Glory be to God for the wondrous picture of what our Lord Jesus is. A priest must be God's representative with men. But he cannot be this, without being himself a man, himself encompassed with weaknesses, and so identified with, and representing men with God. This is why Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for a little while. The high priest is to offer as for the people, so for himself. Offering for himself was to be the bond of union with the people. Even so our Blessed Lord Jesus offered (see verse 7), prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, yes, in all that, offered Himself to God.  And all this, that He might win our hearts and confidence as one who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring. God has indeed done everything to assure us that, with such a High Priest, no ignorance or error need make us afraid of not finding the Way to Him and His Love. Jesus will care for us, He bears gently with the ignorant and erring.

Have we not, in our faith in the Priesthood of Christ, been too much in the habit of looking more at His earthly work than at His heart? Have we not too exclusively put the thought of our sins in the foreground, and not sufficiently realized that our weaknesses, our ignorance and errors that for these too a special provision has been made in Him who was made like us, and Himself encompassed with weaknesses, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest, who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring. Oh!, let us take in and avail ourselves to the full of the wondrous message: Jesus could not ascend the Throne as Priest, until He had first, in the school of personal experience, learned to sympathize and to bear gently (as with long sufferings and great patients ) with our feeblest. And let our weakness and ignorance henceforth, instead of discouraging and keeping us back, be the motive and the plea which lead us to come Boldly to Him for help, who can bear gently with the ignorant and erring. In the pursuit of Holiness our ignorance is often our greatest source of failure. We cannot fully understand what is taught of the Rest of God, and the power of faith, of dwelling within the veil or of Christ dwelling in our heart. Things appear too High for us, utterly beyond our reach. If we but Knew to Trust Jesus, not only as He who made propitiation for our sins, but as one who has been specially chosen and trained and prepared, and then elevated to the Throne of God, to be the Leader of the ignorant and erring, bearing gently with their every weakness! Let us this day afresh accept this Savior, as God has here revealed Him to us, and rejoice that all our ignorance need not be a barrier in the Way to God, because Jesus takes it into His care and keeping.

1. Oh! the trouble God has taken to win our hearts to Trust and confidence. Let us accept the revelation, and have our hearts so filled with the sympathy and gentleness of Jesus, that in every perplexity our first thought shall always be the certainty and the Blessedness of His compassion and help.
2. How many souls there are who mourn over their sins, and do not think that they are making their sins more and stronger by not going with all their ignorance and weakness Boldly to Jesus.
3. Do learn the lesson: the whole Priesthood of Jesus has but this one object, to lead us Boldly and joyfully to draw near to God, and live in fellowship/intimacy with Him. With this view Trust Jesus as definitely with your ignorance and weakness as with your sins.