Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. [Hebrews 5:1 NLT]
This verse presents us with questions? Like how does God interact with humans? Are there things that only certain people can do? These questions deal with words like clergy, laity, sacred and secular. The questions hit to the heart of why Jesus came and how the Holy Spirit works in us.
The topics of priests and sacred work is one that goes back to early times. Ancient ones felt unworthy or unable to interact with God so they appointed priests. Their mindset was that only certain people had what it took to talk to God. This idea was destroyed when God came in the flesh.
Jesus did not appoint religiously trained, or particularly holy, people to represent him on earth. In doing so he made sacred the the unsacred and he qualified the unqualified. Christ removed the middleman. The notion of priests vanished. Everyone is a priest. Each is called to ministry.
Help us Lord to discover what we are called to do (be it plumber or pastor) and do it well.
... this devotion is part of a series about the book of Hebrews.
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