Topical Bible: Jesus, the Christ: Mediation of by Aaron

Bible > Topical > Jesus, the Christ

◄ Jesus, the Christ: Mediation of by Aaron ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of mediation in the Bible is a profound theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. However, the roots of this mediatorial role can be traced back to the Old Testament, particularly in the figure of Aaron, the first high priest of Israel. Aaron's role as a mediator between God and the Israelites prefigures the perfect mediation accomplished by Jesus Christ.

Aaron as Mediator

Aaron, the brother of Moses, was appointed by God as the first high priest of Israel. His primary role was to act as an intermediary between God and the people. This is vividly illustrated in the Day of Atonement rituals, where Aaron would enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the sins of the nation (Leviticus 16). Aaron's priestly duties included offering sacrifices, burning incense, and blessing the people, all of which symbolized the reconciliation between God and His people.

The Book of Hebrews in the New Testament draws a direct parallel between the priesthood of Aaron and the superior priesthood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 5:1-4 states, "Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is beset by weakness. That is why he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was."

Jesus as the Perfect Mediator

While Aaron's priesthood was limited and imperfect, it pointed to the need for a greater mediator. Jesus Christ fulfills this role as the perfect high priest. Unlike Aaron, Jesus is sinless and does not need to offer sacrifices for His own sins. Hebrews 7:26-27 declares, "Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself."

Jesus' mediation is not limited to the earthly sanctuary but extends to the heavenly realm. Hebrews 9:11-12 explains, "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands, that is, not of this creation. He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption."

The Significance of Jesus' Mediation

The mediation of Jesus Christ is central to the Christian faith. Through His sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus bridges the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity. 1 Timothy 2:5 affirms, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." This singular mediation ensures that believers have direct access to God, a privilege that was symbolically represented in Aaron's priestly duties but fully realized in Christ.

In summary, Aaron's role as a mediator in the Old Testament serves as a foreshadowing of the perfect mediation accomplished by Jesus Christ. While Aaron's priesthood was a temporary and imperfect solution, Jesus' priesthood is eternal and perfect, providing believers with a direct and unbroken relationship with God.

Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 16:48
And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Ninth Day. Holiness and Mediation.
... Holiness and Mediation. ... And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear
the ... holy; we are holy, we have received a new holy nature in Christ Jesus. ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/ninth day holiness and mediation.htm

Twenty-Sixth Lesson. I have Prayed for Thee;'
... It is Christ that died: yea more, who is even at ... In the incarnation and resurrection
of Jesus the wondrous ... what the Godhead has to give: His mediation on the ...
/.../with christ in the school of prayer/twenty-sixth lesson i have prayed.htm

A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification, by Faith in Jesus ...
... that was in Adam before, and that we lost in him by the fall, was such as might
stand with perfect ignorance of the mediation of Jesus Christ: for Christ was ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a defence of the doctrine.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... Son in saving them by his atonement, mediation, and intercession ... therefore I was
not coming aright to Jesus Christ. ... Did not Aaron fall; yea, and Moses himself? ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

Election and Ordination of Bishops: Form of Service on Sundays.
... by us, pour down the influence of Thy free Spirit, through the mediation of Thy
Christ, which is committed to Thy beloved Son Jesus Christ; which He ...
/.../constitutions of the holy apostles/sec ii election and ordination of.htm

Entire Sanctification as Taught by Peter.
... spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Again, "Ye ... temporal blessing
also, through the mediation of an ... that is called of God, as was Aaron.". ...
/.../clark/the theology of holiness/chapter viii entire sanctification as.htm

Scriptural Types.
... to offer sacrifices must bring them through the mediation of the priests of Aaron's
line. ... since the end of these ordinances is Jesus Christ, they shadowed ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

The Copies of Things in the Heavens
... for the then present, and by the mediation of the ... lighted by the touch of the great
Aaron, and His ... an intended prefiguration of the great work of Jesus Christ. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the copies of things in.htm

Psalm CX.
... government, by which, through the mediation of His ... the priesthood after the order
of Aaron hath already ... every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ the Lord ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cx.htm

The Lively Stones. Rev. W. Morley Punshon.
... that is higher than the ordination of Aaron. ... Sacrifice for the guilty, mediation
for the far-off ... up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.". ...
/.../king/the wesleyan methodist pulpit in malvern/the lively stones rev w.htm