Our Mediator
September 2, 2001
Dear Friends,
What exactly is Jesus doing now?
This question was first posed at Bible school this summer by Bro. John Launchbury. If you asked me this question just before hearing his thoughts on the subject, I would have probably said something about his role as “mediator” and left it at that. If pressed further, I might have said something about sitting at the right hand of God and acting as a high priest. All of these answers would have been technically correct and Biblical. However, if pressed further about exactly what these phrases meant, it would have started to break down.
Ever since then, I have been conducting my own surveys on the subject. When I ask people the question I receive several common answers. The most common response is that Jesus acts in the role of a mediator. When I ask them to define what exactly mediation entails, you hear that Jesus acts almost like a translator. We pray to God and Jesus passes on the message. The reasons for this fall into two categories. First, our unholiness will not allow God to receive us directly. Second, Jesus takes our prayer and “adjusts it” or “fills in the blanks” to make it appropriate for God’s hearing.
Another thing you will hear is that Jesus pleads our case before God. In a labor dispute, often a mediator is brought in to negotiate a settlement. In this instance, Jesus pleads for God’s mercy for us because he knows what we are going through. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15)
Two other answers I have heard on the question are that Jesus is waiting for his return to earth. Technically speaking, “waiting” is doing something, but is certainly not the most active of pursuit. The last answer was that Jesus was in charge of the angels.
All of these answers present certain difficulties which we hope to develop and examine in more detail in the coming weeks. However, the answer is important. We are not talking about an abstract concept, but the role of our living Lord and Master. What Jesus is doing now is as important as what he has done for us in the past and what he will do for us in the future.
One of the main problems we have with the view that Jesus translates our prayers to God is that fact that Jesus states that he will not do it. “At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” (John 16:26-27) In addition to the main point that Jesus will not pray to God for us, we see the reason behind it – God loves us so we don’t need Jesus to perform that role.
We also know that God hears all prayer. It is true that there are certain instances where God says he will not hear prayer, but most people agree that it means that God will not heed the prayer of the wicked rather than he is oblivious to it. Also, we can readily prove from the centurion Cornelius that God hears the prayers of non-baptized individuals.
This will give you something to think about! We will pick up here, Lord willing, next week!
Have a great week!
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