Our Great Intercessor Today

By Brenda Poinsett

“Dad is not doing well. Every minute I have with him is important, plus I am very sick,” wrote Candace (name changed). “I am trying to get better, but I just can’t get there. I have cried and prayed all I can; I don’t know what to think. What is God doing?”

Her father was dying, and she was experiencing frequent hospitalizations due to her autoimmune disease. The combination was getting her down. Candace couldn’t make any sense out of what she was experiencing.

I emailed this reply: “Don’t think. I know that sounds like strange advice, but I’ve found when you are going through something like you are, it is better not to try to figure out what God is doing. Let God be God, and rest in the knowledge that Jesus is praying for you. And someday, when this is long behind you, you will come to an understanding.”

Many of us go through times of vulnerability when we feel as if we are losing our grip on the rope of faith. We may feel disconnected, confused, weak, helpless, fearful, defenseless, or even desperate. Peter went through such a time in the midst of his denials of Christ and right before Jesus died. But eventually Peter became a powerful preacher and a leader of the early Church.

What made the difference? Jesus’ intercession! Jesus prayed for Peter and for others while He was here on earth. When Satan asked to sift the disciples like wheat (Luke 22:31–32), Jesus prayed in advance for Peter’s faith not to fail. It is something He still does—for us.

Jesus’ Intercessory Role

Jesus’ love and concern for His followers never stopped. His praying continues “in heaven” where He sits “at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty” (Heb. 8:1). In this position, the resurrected, ever-living Savior intercedes for us as our high priest. He represents us to God the Father.

While there are verses relating to this role scattered throughout the New Testament, we learn most about Jesus’ intercession in Hebrews. This book was written to Jewish Christians, who, though they were believers of long standing, were declining spiritually and considering returning to their Jewish religious roots. The author urged them to stay true to Christ and not fall away. He understood they had been subject to persecution and reproach. But to help them deal with this, the writer reminded them that Jesus had “endured the cross” and survived “its shame” (12:2). He encouraged them to take heart because Jesus was now serving as their high priest, as someone who could help them in their time of need (4:14–16, 5:1–5, 12:2–3).

The Hebrews would have raised an eyebrow at the idea of Jesus being a priest. According to Jewish law, the priests were to come from the tribe of Levi and the high priest was to be a descendent of Aaron. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, a tribe that had nothing to do with the priesthood.  Anticipating this question, the author of Hebrews reminded them that a priest didn’t always have to come from the tribe of Levi. He took them back to a priest before the law, back to the priest that Abraham honored with his tithes. This priest was Melchizedek (Heb. 7:5–10, Gen. 14:18).

• He was without beginning and end.
• He had no genealogy like the Levitical priests.
• He was the one and only priest in his order.
• He was both a king and a priest, and he held these offices directly from God.

Jesus is like Melchizedek. He has no beginning or end. He’s the Alpha and Omega. There’s no one like Him; He is unique. He is the “King of kings,” and most importantly, Jesus was appointed by God and designated as our high priest who lives forever to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:20–22).

Our Sympathetic High Priest

As the Hebrews considered Christ’s credentials, another question might have occurred to them; it would have to me. How could Jesus represent us? Part of a priest’s work is to represent people before God, to present their cases. To adequately do this requires sympathy and understanding.

Could Jesus, who is “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26), really understand what we deal with?

A priest needs to be sensitive to the needs of those on whose behalf he ministers. He has to feel compassion toward them and understand their circumstances. Here, too, Jesus is qualified.

• He was “made like them, fully human in every way” (Heb. 2:17).
• He “suffered when he was tempted” (2:18).
• He is able “to empathize with our weaknesses” (4:15).
• He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are” (4:15).
• He “learned obedience from what he suffered” (5:8).

Jesus sympathizes with us and exercises mercy toward us because He knows what human life is like. He even understands what it means to be subjected to pressures that encourage sinning. Being God’s Son may have made His personal victory over sin a foregone conclusion, but that doesn’t minimize the reality of His temptations. Jesus experienced temptations just as we do. He understands us. Consequently, we have “a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God” (Heb. 2:17).

As a sympathizing, God-appointed high priest, Jesus serves God, and He serves us. The Bible speaks of Him as an intercessor, a mediator, and an advocate. Personally, I think of Him as my lawyer. Many times, I’ve explained my side of things to Him and then prayed, “Jesus, plead my case.”

What kind of cases does Jesus take to the Father? For what does He ask when He represents us?

His Intercessory Concerns

While the Bible doesn’t give a list of all Jesus intercedes for on our behalf, His intercession seems to revolve around three areas:

1. Our sin and transgressions. When we sin, our fellowship with God is interrupted. We feel disconnected from Him. Being separated from God is a dreadful feeling. Yet, because Jesus pleads for us, we don’t have to worry about a breach in the fellowship being permanent. If we confess our sin, Jesus is “an advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1). Fellowship is restored. Jesus makes reconciliation for the sins of His followers; therefore, we can be confident that nothing can ever permanently dissolve our relationship with God.
2. Our faith challenges. In life, we experience difficulties due to our humanity and the nature of this world—difficulties like Candace was experiencing. These difficulties weaken our faith because what we experience defies understanding.  We also face challenges in being earnest, effective Christians in a hostile environment. We get discouraged. Our anchor of hope feels less “firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19). Scripture reminds us that when we are up against hardship, troubles, persecution, famine, and danger, Jesus is “interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34).  Therefore, we can count on His prayers when we find ourselves in overwhelming situations, when pent-up tension grips us like a vise, when we can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, when we’re filled with anger because progress isn’t happening fast enough, when we experience ridicule for our beliefs, or when we are encountering spiritual warfare. There’s a limit to our ability to endure. But with Jesus there are no limits. Just as He prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail, Jesus will see that our anchor holds when we can’t hold on any longer.
3. Our service challenges. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus interceded for His followers (including us!) the night before His death (John 17:6–26). He prayed for them to be united as a group (17:11), to have the full measure of His joy (17:13), to be protected from the evil one (17:14–15), and to be sanctified with His word of truth (17:17)—all needs that continue for us today as we try to be effective Christians. How thankful we can be that He still intercedes for us in these glorifying ways.

From these three categories, we can conclude that Jesus’ intercession seems to revolve around spiritual concerns, “matters related to God” (Heb. 5:1). In other words, don’t count on His praying to help you win the lottery! A Christian should never assume that Jesus’ intercession is some kind of insider’s advantage to get anything you want because Jesus is on your side.

But we can—and should—count on His intercession to help us stay connected with God, to weather life’s challenges, and to serve God effectively. Jesus will pray about these things whether we are aware of it or not because He is a faithful high priest. But our awareness and acknowledgment of His intercessory role in our lives increase the benefits—particularly with regard to our own praying.

Praying with Jesus

Acknowledging Jesus’ intercession brings relief. “When you reminded me of Jesus’ intercession, I immediately relaxed,” Candace told me after her father died. “I hadn’t been able to do that since Dad was told he had but a few weeks to live. I still don’t know ‘why,’ but I stopped feeling as if I had to know.”

For me, the relief is in not feeling as if the outcome of my prayers for myself or for others is totally up to me. If I don’t pray, then. . . . Or, if I falter, God’s not going to answer. . . .

If we’re honest, sometimes praying can be a burden—as if the result is totally dependent on us. Knowing that Jesus is interceding takes away the loneliness and spreads out the responsibility. This doesn’t mean we quit praying or take the attitude of “just let Jesus take care of it.” Our prayers are important and have a purpose. Yet there is comfort in knowing we do not pray alone.

The more we acknowledge Jesus’ intercession, the more we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Heb. 4:16). Jesus as our high priest makes God more approachable—even when we may feel God would not understand.

That’s the way I felt for many years. My father’s favorite word was no. So I assumed God would be the same way. Until I learned otherwise, I couldn’t bring myself to ask God about some things I wanted or needed. I was certain He would say no. But because Jesus “put on skin” and walked around on earth dealing with human circumstances and difficulties, I learned I could count on Him to understand and to plead my case.

I also knew Jesus would interpret my need in accordance with God’s will because He perfectly knows the mind of God. We don’t always have the spiritual discernment we need when we pray for ourselves or for others. Our perspective is limited; what we want may not be best in light of God’s long-range plan. What we consider God’s will, may not be God’s will. Jesus knows, though, and argues our case accordingly. This frees us to be ourselves when we pray. We don’t need to worry about whether we’re expressing ourselves appropriately or seeing all the possible ramifications to our requests.

Still a Mystery

Now, exactly how Jesus intercedes, I don’t know. His intercession is not necessarily expressed in words, the way we often pray or expect others to pray. Neither is it with strong crying and tears such as He prayed on earth (Heb. 5:7). Rather, He prays with kingly sovereignty. Perhaps in some way—known only to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—divine communication takes place.

However the intercession occurs, the process is mindboggling. That Jesus intercedes for believers around the world is something that truly deserves the description of awesome. This realization increases my praise and worship, prompting me to say, “Thank You, Lord, for Your prayers. Thank You for interceding for me and for others.”

I marvel at being the recipient of such love and mercy. You mean me? You mean with millions of others to care about, Jesus prays for me?

BRENDA POINSETT is a speaker and author of several books, including Reaching Heaven: Discovering the Cornerstones of Jesus’ Prayer Life (available at prayershop.org). Her website is brendapoinsett.com.