March 4, 2025

March 4   Hebrews 2
In the Old Testament the high priest was the mediator between God and man.  The problem was the high priest was not completely innocent of sin. The high priest himself was flawed and not pure.  Jesus comes as a man as the new mediator between God and man.  Jesus as mediator could bring the perfect mediation because he never came as a representative of man as one who was also sinful as a man.  Rather as a man without sin he was able to pay the wages of sin, which is death, on our behalf as a substitute.  
What is amazing about Jesus is that on a mission to rescue us from sin he got to see the ugliness of sin firsthand, and he experienced some of the problems we faced firsthand.  He was betrayed and abandoned by friends in time of need.  He was falsely accused of wrongdoing even in the midst of helping people.  He was compassionate towards others and some people accused him of being bad because he was willing to meet with and help those who were in bondage to sin and to do so by actually meeting with them and spending time with them showing he cared.  
So, Jesus as high priest was able to make atonement for our sins not by sacrifice of a lamb, or a ram, but rather by lying down his life. He became the once and for all time sacrifice to atone for our sin past, present, and future. It also gives us comfort in knowing that when we talk about our hurts and pains in life, he can relate to the challenges of being human and living in a fallen world.  He loves us, he cares for us, and he understands our hurts and pains.