23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
The second reading this Sunday is from the letter to the Hebrews and concerns Christ in his role as the perfect high priest. Under the old covenant, there were many priests because, being purely human, they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus Christ, although completely human, is also divine, existing forever and so there is no need for a continual priestly succession. Jesus has defeated death and is the one and only true priest whose priesthood does not pass away. Therefore, we learn in verse 25, he can save those who come to God through him.
Seated at God’s right hand, the position of greatest honor, Jesus actively intercedes for us throughout time. This, of course, does not mean that God is vindictive, seeking always to punish sinners and that Christ negotiates with him to change his mind. This goes completely against scripture. God is all-knowing and all times are present to him. We must guard against seeing God in human terms and thinking we can bargain with him. Furthermore, scripture teaches us that God is love so why would he focus on punishment? Quite the contrary, for he made his own Son high priest to intercede for us – the most effective intercessor possible since no sin is beyond his power to forgive.
In verse 26, Hebrews lists five qualities that make Jesus the unique high priest: he is “holy”, “blameless” (without sin), “pure” (without any flaw, like the lambs offered for sacrifice in the temple), separated from sinners (Mary Healy explains this idea well: “He is separated from sinners, not in the sense that he segregates himself from sinners but in the sense that his human nature, totally transformed by divine life, can no longer be affected by sinners as it was during his passion”) and, finally, he is “exalted above the heavens” (he lives with God the Father).
Earlier high priests had to offer sacrifices every day, both for their own sins and for those of the people. Indeed, every morning and evening, they offered a pure lamb with flour and wine. An annual sacrifice of atonement occurred each year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This consisted of a bull followed by a goat (the scapegoat) on whom the sins of all the people was symbolically placed. However, Jesus’ one sacrifice does not need to be repeated for it is, in and of itself, complete and eternally effective. Why? Because he offered himself. In Christ, the priest and the sacrifice are identical: the gift and the giver are one. Unlike the animals of Old Testament sacrifice, he fully chose to offer his life to save us.
St. Joseph's Paris: Bible Study Website 