Hebrews 4:14-15
14 September 2025
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
So we come now to this section, which is in some ways clearly continuing and finalising an argument that has been made over the past two chapters in the Book of Hebrews. On another level, this is beginning the next big, new theme in the Book of Hebrews, namely that the Lord Jesus is the Great High Priest. We're going to be thinking, as we introduce this subject in more introductory detail here this evening, what it means for Jesus Christ to be the Great High Priest.
Now, let's just quickly identify the structure and the flow of the argument that we have in Hebrews chapter four, because you'll notice in verse 11, and then at the end of verse 14, and then the beginning of verse 16, three times we have this exhortation which says, "Let us..." Verse 11 begins, "Let us therefore strive to enter that rest." Verse 14, at the end, says, "Let us hold fast our confession." Verse 16 begins, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace."
This is important to note because the first of the "let us" exhortations is sort of the end point application to the teaching of the rest that we have in Christ. So think about what we saw in chapter three. We saw that Israel fell in the wilderness because they were a generation that rejected God due to their evil, unbelieving hearts. And so therefore, instead of crossing the River Jordan and entering the promised land of God, they fell. We contrast that with the time of the new covenant, which is the time now. And where is our rest? Our rest is based, verse 10, upon the work that Jesus has done and the fact that He has rested from His works. What are the works of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, this is the life-saving message of the Gospel. So, not because of you or me, but because of Jesus and Jesus Christ alone, there is rest. And so therefore, verse 11, "strive to enter that rest." This is an exhortation for what we are to do in our obedience to the Lord because of Jesus and His completed work.
Then we come to this section in verse 14, introducing this new theme of Jesus as the Great High Priest. This is a theme now that is so significant because it is teaching us about one of the key ways of who He is and what He has done. So, if we're sitting here and thinking, "Well, yeah, I know Jesus, He's the Saviour of sinners," that's great; that's a good, crucial start. But then if we were to draw this out further, what does it mean for Jesus to be, for example, the Great High Priest? Would we be so sure and so confident in our understanding of this doctrinally? This is what from verse 14 here and into the next chapters we are going to be unpacking in significant detail, because this book is one of the glorious opportunities we have to have a deepening understanding of the doctrines of who Jesus Christ is.
So, if we are to consider, as we saw in verse 10, Jesus rests from His completed works. One of the significant works that Jesus has done is His priestly work because He has this High Priestly office. And if at this point we're wondering, "Well, I don't know this word priest, I don't know the meaning of high priest," well, this is exactly what we are going to be introducing as we work through these two verses today.
Now one other thing just to mention, even though we are introducing a new topic in the Book of Hebrews, this priestly language has appeared briefly already. For example, in Hebrews 2:17, it says that Jesus had to be made like His brothers in every respect "so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest." So it says it in 2:17. And then in Hebrews 3:1, it says at the end, "Consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest, of our confession." And now here in Hebrews 4:14, it says, "Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." So the author to the Hebrews has made reference to this High Priest. And now as we come to it again, we're about to unpack it. And even what we have in these two verses we'll be dealing with this afternoon, verses 14 and 15, are quite significant in what they will introduce. Now, in chapter eight of our confession of faith, it unpacks that Christ is the mediator between God and man. So we have God, we have man, and Christ is the mediator. And He holds the offices of prophet, priest, and king perfectly. And His office as priest, as this Great High Priest, is something that we have some of the clearest teachings on in the New Testament here in this section in the Book of Hebrews.
As we deal with Hebrews 4:14-15, we're going to be covering two key points. Number one, from verse 14, we're going to consider what Jesus has achieved as our Great High Priest. And then number two, from verse 15, we'll consider how He achieved it on this earth. So two things we'll consider this afternoon. Number one, what Jesus has achieved as the Great High Priest. Number two, how He achieved it here on this earth.
So if we come to verse 14, we're considering first what Jesus has achieved as a Great High Priest. And we'll see that everything in verse 14 is unique and exclusive. Now, what do we mean by that? Well, let's just go through it briefly. First of all, we see that there is no other high priest who is called 'great'. This is the One who is called the Great High Priest. That is unique. There are other high priests, as we're going to think about, but this is the Great High Priest that we're dealing with. First of all, Aaron, Melchizedek, other priests that we see, they are not given the title 'great'.
Second, no other high priest passes through the heavens. Note what it goes on to say in verse 14, "The great High Priest who has passed through the heavens." If you see any language of priests, high priests in the Old Testament, they're not passing through the heavens. This Great High Priest is. And then also we see no other priest is the Son of God. Again, look at verse 14. It names Him, "Jesus, the Son of God." Now, this is a fitting introduction to the latest contrast between the Old and New Covenants. Think of some of the contrasts we've seen so far in Hebrews. We've seen the contrast between angels and Jesus. We've seen the contrast between Moses and Jesus, even briefly, Joshua and Jesus. Now we have priests of the Old Covenant contrasted with Jesus, the Great High Priest. This is the latest of these contrasts. And even this one verse already, everything in that verse sets Jesus apart from all these other priests. Even if you don't have any idea what it means to be a priest, we can see the language here and that what He's doing is different and it is superior; it is supreme what Jesus is doing here.
Now, this is a magnificent thing to declare because in dwelling on verses like Hebrews 4:14, we magnify the Lord and Saviour of our lives, Jesus Christ. He is our Great High Priest. He has passed through the heavens. Consider the magnitude of this language. And that's exactly what we are dealing with here as we consider this first point: what Jesus has achieved as the Great High Priest. So let's just go through these in some more detail regarding the High Priestly role. And the first thing we need to do, and we'll deal with this in much more depth when we get to chapter five, is briefly introduce what a priest does, what a high priest, even more specifically in this context, does.
So if we consider in the time of the Old Covenant, in the Old Testament, we have a chosen people, Israel. God has chosen and set them apart. But what is the problem with this people? Like you, like me, everyone who has lived on this earth, bar Jesus, all are sinners, cut off and separated from God. And so the most holy God looks upon this unholy, undeserving, unworthy people, and how can He then accept anything that they do? Well, this is why every year there was a specific day set apart where a high priest would enter into the most holy place of the tabernacle and would offer sacrifice for Israel's sins. And the sacrifice that was offered was to be as a covering for Israel's sins, to make atonement (the theological word) for Israel's sin. So it would act as a covering for the sins of the people that God could look at that sacrifice and it be acceptable. And so therefore, there was an atonement for Israel's sin.
At the same time, it is important to stress that even though high priests would be making yearly sacrifices for God's people, the high priest could not make the ultimate transforming sacrifice that would get anyone into heaven. So if you're thinking, "Oh, well, these high priests are doing something important, they're making atonement for sin," well, yes, they are, as a means of covering Israel's sins, but it is not transforming their hearts. And it's important to have this in mind. So we have this picture of what a high priest would do. A high priest would be one who acts as a mediator between God and the people of Israel. And the high priest would also bring the sacrifice for Israel's sin. So, two things: the high priest is a mediator between God and the people of Israel, and the high priest would also bring sacrifices for the people of Israel.
Now we come to in verse 14, the language of Jesus as the Great High Priest. And here we have the difference of Him being great. Jesus, as we've already noted, is also the mediator between God and man. He is also the One who will bring sacrifice. But crucially, note this: He Himself is the sacrifice. And this is how Jesus Christ will represent His people to God. Because we are sinners, we are cut off and we are separated from God. And so Jesus comes to this earth. This is God coming in human flesh. And He comes not only to represent His people to God, but He becomes the means by which this is possible. He Himself will be sacrificed on a cross. Now, that's a marked difference between the old covenant where we have animal sacrifices which act as a temporary covering. Here we have the Lord Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest.
And it says also then as the verse goes on, "The great High Priest who has passed through the heavens." Now, this could be a reference to His ascension, going through the skies, the stars, to the third heaven, as we thought about in 2 Corinthians 12. Or it simply could mean He goes straight to heaven, as it says at the end of 1 Timothy 3:16, that Jesus was "taken up in glory." Either way, this is telling us something significantly different. The priests in the Old Testament, they would enter into the man-made tabernacle as God had stipulated. But in the time of the new covenant, Jesus isn't going into a big, nice, holy building like this. He is going to heaven itself. Think how significant this is. He has passed through the heavens. Christ has entered heaven itself. This is the High Priest who in Hebrews 7:16 has an indestructible life. And it's why in Hebrews 9:24, it describes Jesus as having "entered, not into holy places made with hands, but which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf." And it goes on to describe Jesus as the "once for all" sacrifice. Here we are having this contrast. Here we are beginning to introduce and unpack how Jesus Christ has achieved what He has as our Great High Priest. Because He has come to this earth, He Himself has sacrificed this life, and this life has now passed through the heavens, and He is now in heaven itself.
For verse 14 declares this One who has passed through the heavens is "Jesus, the Son of God." This is who it is that we come to worship. He is Jesus, the Son of God, the One who came to this earth, born of a virgin without sin. And it's why in Matthew 1:21, it was told of Joseph that he is to "call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." That's why He has the name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. And that's the human name which is given. He also has His messianic title, which is Christ, namely the Messiah. So He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is who it is that we worship and we stand knowing who we are as fallen and condemned sinners.
So if we want to understand the magnitude and the weight of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we just need to spiritually, metaphorically speaking, look in the mirror and recognise who we are and see the insurmountable problem that you have. Because the justice of God demands perfection. Just as we consider in a court of law, there is a requirement for the law to be upheld. And if someone has broken the law, then they are deserving of punishment. Every one of us are lawbreakers of the law of God and are therefore guilty before God and deserving of eternal damnation in hell. And upon realising this, can we then dwell on and reflect on the significance of what it means for Jesus Christ to become our Great High Priest, for Him to make a way for us to have a relationship with God?
Have we contemplated what it means for Jesus to be made nothing in coming in the flesh, emptying Himself in order to become a man? Have we considered what it means for Him to enter into this sin-stained world and to face being accused, being spat on, being rejected, being abandoned? Have we reflected on what it would mean for Jesus in His perfect, sinless life to die a brutal death, a crucifixion on the cross, that He was not deserving to die? Have we reflected on the fact that when Jesus was languishing on that cross, that God the Father was burning with righteous anger against the Son because of the sins of you and I, His people? The reason why God is angry with the Son on the cross is not because of any imperfection with Jesus, but because at that point Jesus was bearing the imperfections, the sins of His people.
Oh, brothers and sisters, have we reflected on the fact that Jesus Christ is that sweet-smelling sacrifice, that aroma which satisfies the righteous wrath, the righteous anger of the Father, that justice would be satisfied by the slaying of the Son? And if anyone is wondering, "Well, why would the Father allow His Son to be crucified?" the reason is because the bridegroom is laying down His life for His bride. You and I, we are that bride. And Jesus lays down His life for us. "Oh, but I'm not deserving of that. I'm no perfect bride." Absolutely you're not. Look at us. Look at what we are. And yet, brothers and sisters, look at what we are, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are His bride. And it's all because of Christ and His saving grace. That's why we matter. That's why what we do as the Church matters. It is all and entirely because of this saving message of the Gospel and by which we understand here: Jesus Christ is that High Priest, the Great High Priest, because He is the mediator who represents His people, us, to God. How does He do it? How can He do it? By laying down His own life as a sacrifice for sinners, because this is what satisfies the justice of God. And it is why when He is then buried in the tomb as one who is dead, He will rise, because the reason there is death is because of sin. And on the cross, Jesus Christ dealt with sin. He crushed it and therefore He is alive. And that's the Gospel. That is the life-saving message of the Gospel. And this is why as Christians, as a minister of the Gospel, the call to sinners is not "Come into this building and be religious." That will not satisfy the righteous anger of the living God. But Jesus Christ has. So look to Jesus, repent and believe. This is the message. Because Jesus Christ is the sacrifice. He is the High Priestly sacrifice.
This is how He achieved it. And this is why at the end of verse 14, we are exhorted to "hold fast our confession." Now, how can we do that? Because when Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross, the curtain which in the old covenant separated sinful man in Israel from the most holy God, holy and unholy, was torn in two from top to bottom. And we can now come to God our Father. Upon what foundation? This Gospel foundation. That is your confession of faith: the confession of faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone. And how do we hold fast to that? How can we possibly hold fast to that? Well, let me give you an analogy.
Suppose you are with your child or you're with a young child and they're trying to scramble up a hill or a mountain, and they're struggling to do it. And you grab hold of their hand and you're pulling them up. What is that young child doing at that moment? Well, they're holding on. They are holding on for dear life. But the reality is, if it is not for that adult, that father, holding that child, they will drop. And the only reason by which, the only way and means by which we hold on to this confession this very hour is because God has a hold on you. And that is because of the Gospel, because of His grace. The only reason you are alive spiritually as one who is born again is because He has a hold of you. And that is a precious and joyful message.
And so we come in the remaining time to verse 15, "For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Now, there are three sort of sub-points to this verse. And the first one is that "we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses." Now, it's a bit of a double negative, so it's quite a head scratcher. But effectively what we are seeing here is we have a High Priest who is able to sympathise with our weaknesses. Now, this is where we come to both the incredible blessing of the humanity of Jesus Christ, but also the divine power of Jesus Christ, all rolled into this one declaration. He is able to sympathise with your weakness, Christian.
Now, what does that mean? And what does that look like? Well, first of all, it means dwelling on the fact that Jesus did live on this earth. So if any critic of Christianity is coming in to say, "Well, this religion has got nothing to do with my life and my circumstances and my problems," this is the message that God Himself has entered into this humanity, this world, and He didn't do so as one who is the divine being who is vastly superior to anything that is human. Divinely speaking, He is infinitely superior. But in becoming a man, He became like us. He was one who ate food like us. He was one who slept like us. He was one who experienced and endured hardships, upset, trial, affliction. He faced all of it. And so in your problems, the struggles that you have right now, Jesus sympathises. This means He understands and He has compassion.
Now think what a comfort this is. This isn't some pie-in-the-sky piety. Here we are talking relationally speaking. Right now in your life, what you're going to be waking up to, the burdens on your shoulders tomorrow morning, Jesus, literally, on a theological level, on a practical level, on a relational level, He understands that and He is there with you. Speaking personally, what an immense comfort that is, because Sunday nights into Mondays are always the worst for pastors, because you're thinking about all of your church's problems. And for me to know that Jesus Christ is there and He understands and He is with me, what can that mean to me? When we look at the people nearest and dearest to us in our lives and how important and how cherished our loved ones are in the care that they have, in the sympathy that they have, the understanding that they have, how much that means to us, particularly in times of trial, the warm embrace of a loving wife, which can be compared to nothing else on this earth. Well, we think of that relationally here on this earth and consider on an even more profound level, on a spiritually significant level, where literally, in every way, Jesus Christ will not let you down. In every way, He is there and He understands even more than the people closest to you in this earth. That's what this means when it says He is able as the One to sympathise with our weaknesses. And O Christian, as we have spent time dwelling on the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest, may we be comforted to know that in how He has achieved this, we then see what it meant here on this earth and what this then means for us now here on this earth. What a comfort this is. What a comfort.
So that's the first thing. Then we go on to "but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are." Now, if this was the first time we were being introduced to this, this would be a sermon in and of itself, just this point. But we've already dealt with this subject at the end of chapter two. So let me just summarise and remind. What does it mean for Jesus to be tempted? Well, when the devil tempts someone, even Jesus, he is seeking to entice, to do something which is against God's will. But unlike with us, where we are desiring to do sinful things in the heart, in the life of Jesus, He desired and sought to do and longed for no sinful thing. So everything came from the outside when Jesus was in the flesh in this world. So in that way, Jesus has been tempted in every way.
Now, some people have made the foolish argument to say that because Jesus hasn't given in to temptation, He's not exactly a man like we are, because He was perfect and we're imperfect. But brothers and sisters, what we then see is that we're looking at the One who is the perfect man. Think of the contrast between someone who resists temptation and the other who doesn't. Chocolate cake on the table, don't eat it. The first person eats it within two seconds. The second person, they resist the temptation. Are you going to say the second one is less of a man? This is what we have. When Jesus was in that wilderness and being tempted, having not eaten for 40 days, we would have crumbled like a pack of cards. But what does Jesus do? He stands strong upon the Scriptures because this is who He is. He has been tempted in every way. But as we see crucially at the end of verse 15, "yet He is the One who is without sin."
He's without sin. And that is the crucial point, brothers and sisters. That is how we know we can trust Him. That is how we know we have such an intimacy with Him. That is how we know He will never let us down. Because of who He is and what He has done, literally, in laying down His life, being raised from the grave, passing through the heavens, to be seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high today as the One who reigns as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. This is who Jesus Christ is: the One who was without sin. And we worship Him. We praise Him in our lives. And it is because of the Gospel, because of this life-saving message. Today we are simply introducing the subject of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest. But even in these two verses, we are dealing with what He has achieved. And what He has achieved is making the way of salvation for sinners like you and I. And He is the way of salvation. He is the way. He is the truth. He is the life. And nobody comes to God the Father except through Him. That is what He has achieved as the Great High Priest. And how He achieved it on this earth is by living a sinless life. He was tempted. He faced all of the experiences that we experience. And yet He is the One who knew no sin. He did not sin. There was no sin in Him. And because there is no sin in Him, He is the One, the only One qualified to be the sacrifice for sinners. Because the One who is clean, upright, righteous, Jesus Christ, takes the sins of those who are unclean, unrighteous, and undeserving upon Himself on the cross. And for all who are in Christ Jesus, saved by His blood, Jesus is the Great High Priest for them. That is the message of the Gospel. That is your hope. That is my hope in Him and in Him alone. And in this we have the Gospel and the introduction to Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest.