Clay in the Hands

We have been working through the book of Hebrews on Wednesday nights for Bible study.  Last night we wrapped up chapter two of that book and in the closing verses we see that Jesus came to earth, lived among us – experiencing all the things we experience – and died a physical death.  By doing this he was able to completely relate to us in every way.

The reason that was important was that Jesus had to become our mediator – our high priest.  Up to that point, the religious system called for sacrifices to God.  People would bring things of value and give them sacrificially to God as a way of showing their remorse for things they had done or to show their gratitude for the blessings God had given.  But every ritual had to be performed by a priest.  To the point that once per year the high priest would go in to the holiest of all places in the temple (the area known as the Holy of Holies where the people believed God actually resided).  The weight of all the sins of the nation were carried by that one man as he entered that place to offer a sacrifice.

But when Jesus came, he did away with the need for all of that.  Hebrews 2:14-18 tells us that Jesus became our high priest.  No longer do we need someone else to offer up praise and offerings and repentance.  We now can go directly to God on our own.  That is huge for a number of reasons.  But the one I want you to think about today is this:  Not only are we free to go to God on our own, but now the responsibility for our relationship with God is solely on our own shoulders.  Before, there was no thought of a personal relationship with God, the people related to God through a priest.  But now we can have a relationship with God and we have no one else to blame if we don’t.

So think about this today, are you taking responsibility today for your relationship with God or are you looking for a priest or a minister to serve as a buffer between you and God to give you the answers.  The responsibility lies with you.