God has gone to great lengths to restore the relationship for which we were originally created. We were made to know God, to glorify Him, and to enjoy Him forever. Only Christ, the perfect High Priest, makes a way for us to accept the invitation of the Father to come into His presence. We cannot get there any other way. The fact that Jesus is necessary releases us from the burden of performance and allows us to rest in the fact that not only is Jesus perfect, but His perfection also means He is sufficient.

For further consideration: What was the role of the priest in ancient Israel, and how does Christ fulfill that role? In what ways in Christ’s priesthood superior to the Aaronic Levitical priesthoods? What was lacking in these previous priesthoods? How does the permanence and the perfection of Christ’s priesthood impact our relationship with God? How does Jesus function as a mediator on your behalf? How should His intercessory role as mediator affect the way we pray? Why is Christ’s sacrifice better than the sacrifices offered in the law? How does the sacrificial system in general and Christ’s sacrifice in particular demonstrate the costliness of sin and the seriousness of sin?