Jesus Christ – Priest

Jesus Christ – Priest

2025 Advent – Week 2

¹ Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ² since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ. ⁴ I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.

⁶ “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, ⁸ because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me.

⁹ “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours. ¹⁰ Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. ¹³ Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

²⁰ “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. ²¹ May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. ²² I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”
^{John 17:1-26 [CSB]}

As we heard last week, the coming Messiah, was to be a Prophet. A preacher and teacher…a proclaimer of God’s Word. He was. He is. He still speaks to us by and through His Word preached and taught…through that same office that He has established in the His Church. That prophetic office that is held by His under-prophets…preachers and teachers—now called pastors.

The Pastoral office is the same office of Christ—but always of and in Him…in and only by His Word. One man made this office—Jesus Himself—but any other man to fill it—he, the man—like me—any pastor, does not make the office, but the office makes the man.

There is no church without the Office of the Holy Ministry—the preaching and teaching office. There is no church without a called and ordained minister of Christ.

You see, Christ formed the church by His Word—preached and taught, from His Office, through the Sacraments.

That office remains… to continue to relay this creative Word…making disciples by baptizing and teaching. [Matthew 28:19].

The church ceases to be when it does not have a Pastor or does not fulfill the work of the office of preaching and teaching and administering the Sacraments.

And it is church even if only one person preaches, then teaches another person… and then baptizing them…to later commune with them.

In light of this, when the Pastor is facing the congregation, He is acting as the Prophet of Christ—the mouthpiece of God—in the stead of and by His command. This is what has to happen, and through this, as Jesus said, in our text:

¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. ²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…

God gave His Word to speak, teach and preach…and people—you and I believe because of their Word—the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament…which is to be preached and taught until the end of time.

We are one Holy and APOSTOLIC CHURCH—from or because of that apostolic Word—the one Jesus is talking about…the one He gave to his disciples—the Apostles…who repeated, preached and taught…who wrote down in the pages of the Bible… (not to exclude the Old Testament, but their interpretation of it!).

…and we believe because of this Word…and because a preacher was sent to preach this Word—as it says in Romans 10. No, no one can believe without hearing the message of Christ.

Okay, I will bet you all have a burning question though? Right?

What about when a congregation is vacant… when a pastor leaves… when he dies or retires…or takes another call?

Is that congregation no longer church? The people are always church as long as they confess Christ. It may not be in that place though. Churches close.

But when God deigns that not to happen… He will provide … there are interim men to fill in….

Until a call is made and a man in put back into that office in that place.

But…back to Jesus…

Was that it… though—Jesus was to just be THE PROPHET?

No, He was also expected to come and be THE PRIEST. As Christ was to be THE PROPHET, He also was to Be THE PRIEST.

Yet from a different lineage than what was set up through Moses’ brother Aaron. Not through the sons of Levi—not of the Levitical priesthood.

He would be the Priest of all priests, as well as He is the Prophet of all prophets… not in the Old Testament way… but in an even older way—a better and more complete way—the order and lineage of Melchizedek—the King of Salem…the Prince of Peace.

Jesus—God Himself…with us as our High Priest forever.

This is someone who would and actually could establish Peace on Earth in Himself…not peace in a worldly sense…not world peace as so many say they want…but peace between God and humanity. There is never any real peace…lasting peace until we are each reconciled to God—from sin…that which always separates us from Him…making us His enemies…reeking havoc in the world…that which takes away peace…brings death and war….

Sin in the world will always keep peace away.

This real and lasting—this eternal peace—is accomplished by and through THE PRIEST. Jesus.

Okay, but how? What does a priest do to get this done?

A priest’s job is to offer sacrifice. He presents offerings for others and himself—representing others and himself to God. A priest is a stand-in for those whom he represents. You, the congregation.

When I am facing the Altar, I am acting as your priest. I was called and installed by you—this congregation—to be your representative—for you to God.

How can I do this? I am in the Office of the Holy Ministry, called by God through you—that office that was set up by THE HIGHT PRIEST Himself. He is and always will be the High priest—the one who offers up THE SACRIFICE for our sin…

Himself!

And that has already been done—accomplished for us on the Cross. There is no sacrifice big enough but God Himself that would and could—and did—still does…take away our sins—the sin of the whole world, in fact.

So then why do we need to have a priest—anyone now—either Christ still…or a pastor if it has been already all done?

Is it because we still sin—and this daily?

We still do need the benefits—the results—of that High Priest, Jesus’ sacrifice. That is for sure! We need them applied to us all the time! Applied for real, physically and in time…here…

So, what gets offered up on this, our local altar?

A sacrifice for our sin! No! That has already been offered up—for all of it—to the Father by Jesus! Once and for All! And accepted.

So, what do we have to give Him?

Listen to King David in [Psalm 141:2]: ² May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering.… [Psalm 51:17] 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. [CSB]

Repentant hearts offered up to God. That is what He wants brought to Him, here in His House.

No, He does not need our good works—but our neighbors do. So many get this wrong. It is not that we Do For God—for Christ, as much as We DO in Christ—with and by and according to His Word…in HIS NAME.

Keeping the Second Commandment. As we are His and Have His Name.

Yes, and God has truly taken them—yes, all our sins—and imbeds them into THE SACRIFICE—into Jesus’ flesh on the Cross. That which was offered up—His Holy and Innocent Body—in that great exchange…our sins for His Righteousness…our unholy offering—the offering of Cain and not Able…the blemished lamb…the unclean thing…

And we are given in place of this, His clean flesh and blood—His purity…His innocence…His heart…His pure flesh and blood…onto us and into us…

Then…and only then can we act…and offer up to God our fellowship…our thank offerings. Then we are all led into His Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies…the great throne room of the King…then we have something to offer…

What was given to us by pure Grace…only then…can I lead you—now that we are all made clean and good…pure and acceptable to God…I lead you as your priest—a junior priest in the service of the Great High Priest—I lead you into His Courts with songs of praise…

Yes, that now… is what we are to and can offer up to Him. The sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving…

Listen to what the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said: ¹⁵ Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. [CSB] [Hebrews 13:15]

And St. Paul says: ¹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. [CSB] [Romans 12:1].

Yes, for we are all a Royal Priesthood…doing what priests are to do. That is what God has made us. St. Peter says with Moses [Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 2:9]– ⁹ …you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. [CSB]

This is what we are. For that we can give Him thanks and Praise. We can sing. He does not care if you croak like a frog. Sing. He commands it. He deserves it. He asks and wants it. He delights in the praises of His people.

²³ Whoever offers a thanksgiving sacrifice honors me, and whoever orders his conduct, I will show him the salvation of God.” [CSB][Psalm 50:23].

Yes, our salvation is great. God Himself our Priest, and that which this great High Priest offered to God, to His Father, all so now He can be our Father in heaven. Salvation unto us has come…and out of the mouth of babes, the Bible says, He will perfect praise. [Psalm 8:2].

Yes, perfect in Christ, our praise is, because He is the infant God, who has come to be with us. And as the Bible says, it is marvelous in our eyes. Praise His Holy Name, O ye, His priests, the church and family of God—praise His Name forever.

Amen.

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