Dads, you are the high priest in your family, and if you are eldest in your extended family, you are their high priest. In the Old Testament, God appointed High Priests with significant responsibilities for the Jewish nation and most especially the Tabernacle and Temple. Aaron, Moses’ brother, was the original High Priest. Among many rituals and duties, the one that stands out to me is his annual role addressing his and the sins of God’s people.
The only way to connect with God was done one day a year at the temple, when a blood sacrifice was offered to God by a High Priest on Yom Kippur. No one was to enter the temple to meet with God personally, as there were rules and regulations to follow, as well as spiritual authority given only by God, to meet with him on that specific day. The High Priest would enter behind the veil into the Holy of Holies and offer the sacrifice. It is told that a rope was tied around his foot so that if he died, they could pull him out, as no one could enter without facing death, since they would be a sinner in the very presence of God, not duly appointed by Him.
But over 2,000 years ago things changed. When Jesus was sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the world, the curtain (veil) was torn into two pieces. Now, through our Great High Priest, Christ, we have direct access into the presence of God without fear through the finished work of Jesus. “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn into, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split” (Mt. 27.51).
Thus, the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood! Do we realize just how truly earth shaking this is? We no longer have to go through someone else to have a personal relationship with the Living God. We, the unjust, can now freely, without fear or condemnation, enter into the eternal presence of the Just! Our Great High Priest is now seated at the right hand of the Father, reconciling, interceding and mediating for us, his new temple, the Body of Christ.
And dads, your high priesthood can flourish in your family as you submit to your Great High Priest, daily. Grace upon grace!!