You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5, ESV)
You are being built into a holy priesthood! Today, when we think of priests, we might think about a Catholic priest. But if we are to understand what Peter is talking about in this verse, it is important to understand the Biblical concept of a priest.
In Bible times, priests were from the tribe of Levi. The priests were descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. They were appointed by God to offer animal sacrifices at the temple on behalf of the people. After they had offered the sacrifices, they offered absolution of sins to the people who had brought their sacrifices.
The priests served as mediators. They offered the sacrifices on behalf of the people to God. And they offered forgiveness on behalf of God to the people. You could not experience God’s forgiveness and grace without a priest. What this meant was that many people were disconnected with God if there was not a priest around. They would often make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to visit the Temple and the priests and reconnect with God.
Because Jesus is our great high priest, we no longer need a priest as mediator. We have our mediator. He is Jesus. Through the cross, he offers us forgiveness. Because of Jesus, we have direct access to God. We don’t need anyone else to pray for us or make a sacrifice on our behalf – not a priest, a pastor, nor a saint. We don’t need to make a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem. God is with us through Jesus.
This is so amazing! Through Jesus, we can meet God directly – whenever we want and wherever we are. And like priests of the Old Testament, we now represent God to the people around us. It is a great privilege.
Reflection
- What does it mean to you to have direct access to God?
- How can you use your direct connection with God to benefit others?
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for making me a part of the priesthood of believers. Thank you for giving me direct access to God. I am grateful that I can call on you at any moment and know that you will listen and hear me. Amen.
Leave a Reply