David Koberstein
Active Member
Jesus taught us to address our prayers to the Father. He said, "Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven...'" (Matthew 6:9).
Yet we have a problem, Who are we to speak before the King of the universe? How does a mortal and sinful man dare to
make requests before God? As disciples of Yeshua, we need not worry. We can come confidently before God because,
according to the New Covenant, Jesus is our mediator in prayer.
There are two possible kinds of mediator. One kind, which we might refer to as an intermediary, is a go-between. When such
an intermediary is present, the two parties communicating remain separate and speak only through the third party. In contrast,
a true mediator is one who brings two parties together, reconciling them and eliminating the distance and barriers between
them. By these definitions Jesus is the true mediator, not an intermediary. His righteous life, sacrificial death, and post-
resurrection intercession on our behalf pave the way for us to have direct access to God our Father with no barriers and no
person in our way.
First John 2:1 calls Jesus our "advocate." The ancient rabbis used this word to explain a pattern they noticed in the book of
Leviticus: one must always bring a sin offering first before a burnt offering. Why would this be? Why couldn't a person offer
a burnt offering alone? The rabbis explained it by comparing it to a person who wishes to bring a gift to the King but does
not have the King's favor. According to the rabbis, a sin offering is like an advocate who enters the King's palace first to gain
his favor on behalf of the person. Once the advocate has gained the King's favor, the person may bring his gift. The advocate
uses his own standing and merit to provide the petitioner direct access to the King.
Likewise, a sin offering comes first because it provides reconciliation. It paves the way for the burnt offering, which is an
expression of love. Paul taught in a similar way about Jesus when he said, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no
sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Did Jesus become sin? How does this even
make sense? By reading this verse with the mindset of the Hebrew language, it becomes clearer. The Hebrew word for "sin"
is also the word for "sin offering." Yeshua/Jesus was without sin, so he became a sin offering on our behalf. Like a sin offering,
he reconciles us to God through his own merit and by acting as our advocate.
Shalom
Yet we have a problem, Who are we to speak before the King of the universe? How does a mortal and sinful man dare to
make requests before God? As disciples of Yeshua, we need not worry. We can come confidently before God because,
according to the New Covenant, Jesus is our mediator in prayer.
There are two possible kinds of mediator. One kind, which we might refer to as an intermediary, is a go-between. When such
an intermediary is present, the two parties communicating remain separate and speak only through the third party. In contrast,
a true mediator is one who brings two parties together, reconciling them and eliminating the distance and barriers between
them. By these definitions Jesus is the true mediator, not an intermediary. His righteous life, sacrificial death, and post-
resurrection intercession on our behalf pave the way for us to have direct access to God our Father with no barriers and no
person in our way.
First John 2:1 calls Jesus our "advocate." The ancient rabbis used this word to explain a pattern they noticed in the book of
Leviticus: one must always bring a sin offering first before a burnt offering. Why would this be? Why couldn't a person offer
a burnt offering alone? The rabbis explained it by comparing it to a person who wishes to bring a gift to the King but does
not have the King's favor. According to the rabbis, a sin offering is like an advocate who enters the King's palace first to gain
his favor on behalf of the person. Once the advocate has gained the King's favor, the person may bring his gift. The advocate
uses his own standing and merit to provide the petitioner direct access to the King.
Likewise, a sin offering comes first because it provides reconciliation. It paves the way for the burnt offering, which is an
expression of love. Paul taught in a similar way about Jesus when he said, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no
sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Did Jesus become sin? How does this even
make sense? By reading this verse with the mindset of the Hebrew language, it becomes clearer. The Hebrew word for "sin"
is also the word for "sin offering." Yeshua/Jesus was without sin, so he became a sin offering on our behalf. Like a sin offering,
he reconciles us to God through his own merit and by acting as our advocate.
Shalom
