Jesus - Mediator

"Advocate" by David Bowman

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 12:18-29

TO CHEW ON: "But you have come to... Jesus, the Mediator of the new convenient, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel." Hebrews 12:24

When I hear the word "mediator" I think of union/management problems. A common way of solving them is by mediation, when an objective person seeks to find middle ground on which the two persons or sides who are at odds can agree.

I believe our sense of needing a mediator spiritually arises out of an accurate view of God. In Hebrews 12 the writer reminds his readers of God's appearance on Mount Sinai and how fearfully awesome and other He is. That's where He gave Moses the law, but told the people not to even touch the mountain where Moses was meeting with Him, certainly not climb it, or they would die (Exodus 19:12-13; 20:18-26). "For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!" - Hebrews 12:29 The Message).

Jesus is the go-between, becoming the way to our holy, righteous, can't-stand-one-speck-of-sin God.

• Jesus is our mediator by fulfilling the demand of the first covenant (death for sin — our sin, not His) (Hebrews 9:15).

• He is the only mediator or way to God (1 Timothy 2:5).

• He understood this when He was on earth and clearly taught it (John 14:6).

• His death and resurrection put in place a new covenant which is for more than just the Jews. He has broken down the walls between Jew and Gentile. Now all are welcome to come to God through Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-18).

• Jesus mediates this "better" and "new" covenant (Hebrews 8:6; 12:24.  I love the way the New Living Translation puts it: "You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel."

• His mediation makes a way that we can come to God in the first place, and can keep our relationship with Him when we sin -- by having Jesus as our "Advocate" with the Father when we sin (1 John 2:1).

• He comes into the very presence of God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24).

Doesn't all this make you want to say "THANK YOU!" over and over?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus Thank You for coming to earth and taking my death sentence so I can be right with God. Help me to never get blasé about this. Amen.

MORE: Our role as mediators

There is a passage in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 18:18-20) where Jeremiah reminds God about how he has acted as a mediator between God and the people to which he prophesied.

Can we similarly act as mediators between God and other people (of course I'm not talking of us being mediators in the way Jesus is)? One way I can think of is by praying for them. Can you think of other ways?