December 23: Mediator
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
When I find myself contemplating the meaning of Christmas, I imagine baby Jesus. He is wrapped in a blanket and sleeping in his mother’s arms. She just sits there; gazing at this little miracle God has given her. I wonder did she have any idea that this baby, so tiny and fragile was her only hope of being reconciled to God?
When God lead Israel out of Egypt, the people had seen his power on display. But they were afraid and so requested that Moses be an intermediary between them and God (Exod. 20:18-20). They knew intuitively that entering the presence of an utterly holy God would result in death given their fallen nature. In the Law of Moses, only Priests from the tribe of Levi could minister in the Temple, and the High Priest alone could enter the Holy of Holies. It was here that the priest would offer sacrifices to God each year on behalf of Israel. But there was a problem. The priests themselves were sinful by nature and they would still eventually die. The priests had to first make atonement for their own sins before they could act as mediator between God and Israel (Hebrews 9:7). What God’s people needed was someone without sin, who could mediate on their behalf forever and offer a perfect sacrifice. What was needed was a once-and-for-all type sacrifice.
In 1 Timothy 2:5, Paul writes, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” For those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, He is their mediator. He fulfilled the office of priest forever. In him you have become a child of God and he intercedes on your behalf to the Father. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and his resurrection declares that in him, the Father’s just wrath had been entirely satisfied. Whether Mary knew it or not, she was tasked with raising the child who would be her perfect and eternal mediator. Just as Mary was, we also fall short of the glory of God. Today, you need Jesus to be your mediator too.