The Passage: Hebrews 7:23-28

Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus’ priesthood is permanent. He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.

So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God’s presence in heaven itself. Unlike the other high priests, he doesn’t have to offer sacrifices for his own sins everyday before he can get around to us and our sins. He’s done it, once and for all” offered up himself as the sacrifice. The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. But this intervening command of God, which came later appoints the Son, who is absolutely externally perfect.

My Randomish Musing:

I feel very conflicted about this passage. “Perfectly fits our needs.” This is the phrase that arose and it seems like 1) a lie and 2) a selfish impulse.

For instance, take my need for healing. How does Jesus fit that? I believe 100% that Jesus can heal me. I believe that his followers can channel that healing. It is possible. I’ve seen it done. It’s just not happening.

Perhaps I have my “need” wrong. Perhaps what I “need” is more faith, or more hope, or more serenity? Perhaps Jesus would appear to fit my need better if only I better understood my need? Or there’s always the old standby that my need for healing has already been met at the cross and will come to fruition in the sweet by and by – but this is not really comforting. At the Friesen’s place this would surely get the “pat answer” buzzer. Frankly, as an answer, it sucks.

It also seems selfish, somehow, to demand that Jesus fits my needs. What? Is he Stretch Armstrong? Is he made of silly putty? I’m grateful for Brian McClaren’s “7 Jesuses I Have Known.” I think the breadth of who Jesus is helps many souls come to his embrace. But I’m not sure it’s fair to shop around like that – to ask him to be all things to everyone, to try and force a round peg into a sometimes square hole and then to expect it to morph and fill all the gaps.

The writer of Hebrews seemed pretty sure about all this–about this atonement theory of Christ as sacrifice. But it makes me wonder – maybe he, like I, was just doing his best to make sense of the whole mysterious mess. Maybe he was just whistling in the dark.

One thing I do know – I love Jesus, even if he doesn’t perfectly fit my needs. I love him so much, I’m not even gonna make him cram himself into my need-shaped hole….’though the door is open, just in case he cares to come on in and soften the edges a little.