An Intercessor Who Cares

“And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.” (Ex 28:29 AV)

 

One of the most personally edifying studies I have done was on the Jewish tabernacle.  I limited my studies on the temple and the priesthood.  What is almost universally accepted and that which the Bible clearly tells us in Hebrews, is the tabernacle was a form of what was coming.  It was, in a matter of speaking, a word picture of the nature, ministry, and affect of the coming Messiah.  Here, we see the high priest with a vest made of cloth, precious metals, and gems.  Each gem represented one of the tribes of Israel.  The priest was to go into the holy of holies with the breastplate adorning his chest.  Nearest his heart.  He was to approach the mercy seat and place the blood of the sacrifice thereon.  This intercession accomplished a temporary satisfaction for sin until Shiloh (Jesus) came.  What the high priest did above is a wonderful picture of the intercessory work of our Savior!  He has us near to His heart as he approaches the Father.

In the distant past, I had been surrounded by lawyers.  Regardless of the specialty of their practice, very few took a personal interest in their clients that went beyond the case involved.  Much like a doctor who is more of a clinician than a physician, lawyers are more about winning the case than the personal experience of their clients.  Perhaps it is supposed to be that way.  Perhaps they are supposed to compartmentalize their emotions while dealing with a client's case lest their emotions cloud their judgment in practicing the finer points of the law.  When I worked as a superintendent of a large office building full of lawyers, there was a handful that broke that mold.  I could tell simply by how they treated me.  I was a minimum wage maintenance guy who was working his way through Bible college.  No college degree.  Nor formal training.  Performing a menial job.  What did they have to be impressed with?  However, there were a few who truly treated me like a human being rather than something or someone they needed for the simpler things of life.  Specifically, there are two that come to mind.  John was a real estate lawyer.  He was one of the nicest and humblest fellas you would ever meet.  The other shared space on the same floor as John.  He actually ran a practice with a few junior associates.  I cannot remember his name, but I can distinctly remember his face.  He is the one that really jumps out at me because he was an established attorney who was well known in the county.  If there was ever someone who would ignore my presence, it would be someone like him.  But he didn’t.  He actually engaged me in conversations.  He offered his service free of charge if I ever needed it.  I took away from these two men and others like him that having a legal representative who cared about me or my situation is far better than someone who is simply going to argue my case on the merits of the law.

The writer of Hebrews states, “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb 7:24-25 AV) The writer is referring to Jesus Christ, who is our chief advocate, before our heavenly Father.  What is the difference here?  Well, it would be one thing if our Savior dispassionately went to the Father simply to argue the merits of our case to acquire some relief.  But this is not the case.  Like a doctor and lawyer might compartmentalize their emotions to keep from burning out, our Savior does not have to.  His attributes are without limits.  So, His mercy and love can never burn out.  He placed us close to His heart as He approaches the Father that He might argue our case with passion and care.  He is not dispassionate.  He is not neutral.  He is all in with His heart covered by our needs.  When we consider a Savior who has our case closest to His heart, regardless of how it might turn out, we can rest assured He cared!  Sometimes, that is sufficient for the situation.  It should always be sufficient to the situation!