CHRIST'S PREPARATION FOR THE PRIESTHOOD.
By J. O. Corliss
THE infinite love of God gave His Son Jesus to die for the human race. John 3:16. After His death He was seen to ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9), where He went to fulfil, or complete, all things. Eph. 4:10. That is, He returned there to perform the work of restoring all things to the condition they were in before sin appeared to mar the handiwork of creation. This work required Him to assume the office of priest, in order that He might minister in behalf of sinners before the Ruler of the universe. But to fill this place required the highest possible qualification, and it was therefore necessary for even Christ to pass thru a peculiar preparation before entering upon it. Whoever would occupy such a position must be perfect, so that he might not have to make an offering for himself, as tho he were a sinner. The qualification was, therefore, to be “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” True, before coming to earth to show Himself man's Saviour, Jesus held a most exalted position. When the worlds were created, He was with Jehovah as one brought up with Him. Prov. 8:23-30. He was indeed called God, and was the very Word thru whom was accomplished the entire creation. John 1:1-3. Every throne, dominion, principality, and power, thruout the infinite realms of the whole universe were His by virtue of His act in creating them, so that He was truly above everything, and the upholder of them all. Col. 1:16, 17. But all this perfect greatness, while being all that was possible to be as Creator and Upholder of material things, was not sufficient to meet the demands of sin. The guileless purity of heaven could not remain unsullied in contact with anything so vile, and therefore if man, infected by sin, was to be restored to the pure image of his Maker, he must be recovered by infinite power, yet in a way to preserve the immaculate innocence of that power. This could be done only by the Creative Power condescending to enter the fleshly condition of those who were to be drawn from the depths of degradation, and then as one of them, die in their stead, tho having no guilt of His own. 2 Cor. 5:21. So the Word became flesh, and dwelt among men. John 1:14. The Lord did not take on a kind of flesh which was exempt from temptation, but He was born of a woman (Gal. 4:4), and made in the “likeness of sinful flesh.” Rom. 8:3. He who had been infinitely rich became extremely poor, that the poverty of the sinner might be exchanged for heavenly riches. 2 Cor. 8:9. He who had been in the form of God, and was Ruler of the universe, took the form of a servant, after the usage of men. In this garb He submitted to the common lot of men, and yielded up His life as one of the lowest, even as a malefactor. Phil. 2:6-8. Inasmuch as the wages of sin is death, and Jesus was to suffer in the place of the sinner, it became necessary for Him to partake of the same nature as those who had incurred the penalty of death because of their sins. Otherwise He would not be able to die, and then be restored to life and power by heavenly energy, as necessary steps toward a preparation by which He might destroy the author of death. Heb. 2:14. By thus taking a place in the human family, Christ allied Himself so closely to it that He was not ashamed to call its members “brethren.” Heb. 2:11. Not only did He not despise, or abhor, “the affliction of the afflicted” while with them in the flesh, but in His song of rejoicing, when the mighty throng of the saved shall appear before the throne of heaven, He will declare, in the midst of the assembled universe of men and angels, the name of Jehovah as a God of love. Verse 12. The marks of the crucifixion, which will forever remain on Christ's person as an everlasting reminder to the saved of His humility in behalf of their redemption, will also be a sign of the eternal retention of that humanity which He assumed for their salvation. Thus humanity, in its noblest and most perfect form, will be carried into the highest heaven, to remain there thruout the eternal ages. So before He could minister as priest in behalf of those whom He would forever call brethren, Christ assumed their nature, in order that He might be tempted as they were, and learn by actual experience the suffering of humanity under the agony of sore trial, and thus be able to help every one, under all phases of human temptation. Heb. 2:10, 17, 18; 4:15. Not only was Christ tempted like man in meeting the contradiction of sinners against Himself, but in this He “resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” Heb. 12:3, 4. He went to the very depths of human suffering and sorrow. When His spirit was overwhelmed, He looked about to find some one who would recognize4Him and sympathize with Him, but no one cared for His welfare. Ps. 142:3, 4. At last, when the climax of His earthly work was about to be met, He called the three disciples who had formed the inner circle of His acquaintance, and asked them to watch with Him while He prayed in Gethsemane. But these could not, or did not, enter into His soul-trouble, but sought repose while He wrestled with the greatest temptation of His existence. While pleading in agony for strength to pass thru what He so much dreaded and feared (Heb. 5:7), bloody sweat issued from the pores of His flesh and fell to the ground. Luke 22:39-46. But this was not the full extent of His abasement. Soon He was nailed to the cross, and there, without a pitying eye to give Him consolation, He was mocked and maltreated until the cruel reproach broke His saddened heart. Ps. 69:20. But this last scene was the final pledge of His sure exaltation. As it was necessary for Him, as high priest, to be provided with blood with which to perform the duties of His office, that necessity was supplied in the crowning act of His earthly pilgrimage. “The blood-drops of agony that from His wounded temples flowed down His face and beard, were the pledge of His anointing with the ‘oil of gladness,’ as our great High Priest.”—Desire of Ages, p. 734. J. O. CORLISS.