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People need hope more than ever. As followers of Jesus, we have this promise in Colossians 1:27.....CLICK HERE

Wednesday-Superior

 

But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

 

Hebrews 8:6-8

 

Don’t ask me why, but I’ve always been a fan of Michaelangelo. It certainly wasn’t because I had lots of artistic talent. I couldn’t (and still can’t) draw a straight line of color inside the lines. My brother had lots of talent, but that part of our family DNA passed me by.

 

Maybe it’s because I went to the New York Words Fair as a kid. My parents paid the wildly high price of $1 to get me into the 140 pavilions spread over 646 acres. And to make sure that we got our monies’ worth, we saw it all in one day.

 

By far, my biggest memory was going through the Vatican Pavilion. After waiting in line for a long time, we stepped onto a conveyor belt. As it slowly moved, we were taken by Michelangelo's Pietà[1].

 

I know that there was music in the background, but for a hyperactive kid from Baltimore, I could have cared less. I was mesmerized. It was probably the only time that day I stood still and didn’t bug my parents. I stopped pulling on their arm to go to someplace else. If the line hadn’t been so long, I would have asked to go through it again.

 

How in the world could he have cut and chipped pieces of that stone out? How could he make it so smooth? And what would he have done if he made a mistake? After all, you can’t just run to your local hardware store and buy some marble filler. You might think you’d get away with it, but someone would find out.

 

I’ll tell you how Michelangelo could carve the Pietà. He could do it because of who he was and what was inside him. He was a talented and skilled artist. Everything that was inside him fed into his creations. All the raw talent that had been trained by his teachers and practice came out and into what he did.

 

That’s the way it is. A superior workman turns out a superior product. A great artist creates great works of art. The voice of a great singer can always be heard above the average voices all around them. A great athlete will always show what they can do in comparison to the also-rans.

 

Jesus is the same way. In comparison to all the other mere human priests, Jesus is more than head and shoulders above them all. He’s fully God and fully man at the same time. And all the things that he does as a priest is way above and beyond anyone else.

 

  • Ministry. Everything Jesus did was set apart, sacred to the Lord. He was more than just another priest doing something that other priests could do. His service was different than any other priest ever did or ever could do. He always, always; always did he saw the Father doing[2]. His work always served others. It always serves the people who are looking towards it.

  • Mediator. This is someone who’s in the middle. In between two different parties and brings them into agreement. They make sures that everyone follows the deal that’s been made. A mediator is someone who restores peace between two sides that have been at war with one another. And Jesus is that one mediator between God and man[3].

  • Promises. To be a real promise, you never keep it to yourself. You have to make the effort and announce your decision to the person you promised. God went to a lot of trouble to tell his better and greater promises to his people. And in Jesus, all those promises of God and more are completely fulfilled. God agrees with them and put’s his word behind them[4].

  • Covenant. When you buy a house or rent a storage space, there’s always a contract. And in this agreement, there are all the promises that both sides are making and promising to keep. This is what a covenant is, a complete agreement between two sides that both have agreed on. And Jesus is the one who stands behind both sides of God’s agreement to forgive us from all our sins[5].

 

Now, there are people who are better than everyone else. They’ve done things that no one else could do. They’ve achieved great things that make them the greatest of all time. And then there’s Jesus. God has lifted him to the highest place and given him the greatest name. Is it any wonder that we’re commanded to bow before him? That we’re to tell everyone that he’s the Lord of all[6]? My only question to myself is what’s holding me back from falling down and worshiping the one and only God? The absolutely most superior God and savior of all the world.

 

Noodling Questions

 

  • What’s your favorite piece of art? Explain.

  • How is Jesus head and shoulders above everyone else?

  • If Jesus really is all that superior, then why don’t we fall down in worship?


[2] John 5:19

[3] 1 Timothy 2:5

[4] 2 Corinthians 1:20

[5] Hebrews 7:22

[6] Philippians 2:10

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