Before continuing this series on the book of Hebrews, let’s run a quick check: Who was the book of Hebrews written to? It was written to Hebrew people (hence, the name), who we may also know of as Israelite people or Jewish people.
So, this book’s original audience was familiar with priests and even the high priest. We might remember the high priest named Caiaphas at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion (whose servant’s ear was cut off and subsequently healed at Jesus’ arrest). Acts 4:6 also mentions a high priest named Annas, while Acts 23:2 and Acts 24:1 mention one named Ananias. In that light, let’s read a few verses from chapter 4.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.4.14-16.NIV
Jesus wasn’t just any high priest: He is a “great high priest”. Hebrews has more to teach us about what made Jesus different from Jewish high priests (the latter being descended from Aaron, Moses’ brother), but I don’t think that we will be surprised to learn that Jesus is greater than they were, even though they also had an honored role established by God.
One of the first things that we learn about what makes Jesus different (from the Jewish high priests who served in the temple) is the fact that Jesus ascended into Heaven. The NIV footnote suggests a more literal rendering of “gone through the heavens”. My understanding is that the Greek culture envisioned three “heavens”:
- The first heaven would be the sky, or what we might call the atmosphere
- The second heaven would be what we call “outer space”
- The third heaven would be where God lives
So, when Paul talks about the “third heaven” in 2 Corinthians 12, and amazing things being heard there, this sounds like the heaven where God resides (even though, in another sense, He is also omnipresent). As a result, this passage from Hebrews 4 sounds like the author describing Jesus going up through the clouds (at His ascension), metaphorically “past” the physical universe of outer space, and into the throne room of God (even if God’s seat of sovereignty isn’t a physical location).
We might remember how the veil blocking the way to the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn in two at Jesus’ death (see Matthew 27:50-53, Mark 15:37-39, Luke 23:44-46); however, while the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement to approach God (see Leviticus 16), Jesus actually sat down at the right hand of God the Father. Per Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.147-148, in a similar manner to how the high priest went from the outside of the temple to the Holy Place to the Holy of Holies, Jesus traveled “three heavens”, in a matter of speaking, to intercede for us in the presence of God.
While I’m not sure if this next point is really a difference between Jesus and the high priests of the Old Covenant, Jesus isn’t some distantly removed being who doesn’t “get” what we’re going through. No, the reality is that He understands us even better than we might understand ourselves. In particular, Jesus experienced the weakness of living in a human body:
- He knows what it’s like to be tempted to do something that looks rewarding but is actually sinful
- He knows what it’s like to be tired, cold, hungry, hurt, sad, and abandoned by friends
- He knows what it’s like to keep going in a body that is exhausted
Think about that: while the details of temptations might be different in the modern era, Jesus understands what it’s like to be tempted in the same fundamental ways that you and I are tempted. It has been pointed out that, while we may be tempted by evil forces, Jesus was tempted directly by Satan…and yet Jesus held strong without sinning. A commentary (Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.150) says, “It is hard for us to imagine how powerful temptation can become, for we collapse before it reaches its peak. He did not.”
Let’s remember that, since Jesus was perfected through obedience through terrible trials, we shouldn’t expect anything different. Sometimes, God delivers us from trials, increasing our faith through more examples of His power and His goodness. Other times, God lets us go through trials, proving that our faith is real. Let’s consider how Jesus lived in our world and experienced its challenges, but now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Then, let’s continue looking at this passage in the next article…
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 8, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 