From Master Craftsman to High Priest

“When He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him, as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.” Prov. 8:29-31. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation . . . . All things were created through Him and for Him.” Col. 1:15-16.

Before He was born into the world, Jesus was God’s only begotten Son. At that time He was the master craftsman. He was before God’s face and rejoiced in His inhabited world. He envisioned all sorts of animals, creating some like this and some like that. He envisioned every kind of plant, and created them. No two leaves on a tree were made alike. We could say that He was Designer as well as Creator. He played before the Father’s face and rejoiced in His inhabited world.

This alone could not satisfy the only begotten Son. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; He did not want to be the sole heir. Phil. 2:6. His delight was with the sons of men. It was His desire that we should be His fellow brethren—joint-heirs with Him. For this to be possible Jesus had to become like us and consecrate a new and living way through the veil (the wall of division)—which is the flesh. Heb. 10:19-21. He had to become our High Priest, our Advocate and Mediator.

As we have already seen, in order for Jesus the master craftsman to become our High Priest, He had to undergo an intensive training—education, because being a High Priest was so much greater than being a master craftsman. He received this training in a body like ours. He had to experience life in the flesh just as we do. He voluntarily gave up being like God, and was found in fashion as a man. And when He had completed His training, which consisted of doing God’s will in a body like ours, “. . . He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek.’” Heb. 5:7-10. Then He was no longer the only begotten Son, but the firstborn. “You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” Heb. 1:5-6; 5:5; Rom. 8:17,29.

“Today I have begotten You.” This was the day on which He arose from the dead. This is the gospel we must proclaim, “concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Rom. 1:3-4; Acts 13:32-33.

The fact that God could raise Him from the dead was proof that Jesus had successfully completed His education—that He had been tempted in all points, just as we are, yet without sin. Death could have held Him if He had transgressed even in the smallest thing. But instead of the flesh gaining power over Him in temptation He overcame sin in the flesh; and when He died, He said, “It is finished!” The Just One died for us who are unjust, that He might bring us to God. 1 Pet. 3:18. It was a blameless and spotless Lamb that had been offered up, and in this blood God has established the new covenant. Through the power of the blood of the everlasting covenant God brought up from the dead that great Shepherd of the sheep. Heb. 13:20.

“The blood of an everlasting covenant.” The covenant He made when He came into the world, was: “To do Your will, O God!” He did not come to do His own will, but the will of Him who sent Him. My will is my life. It is no longer I who live when I give up my will, but He whose will I do lives in me. Gal. 2:20. In other words, Jesus had to lay down His life as the “Son of Man” so that the Father could live in Him.

When we lose our life, our blood flows. When the blood of Jesus flowed it was evidence that the covenant had been kept. By the power of the blood of this covenant the God of peace could bring up from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep.

“The blood of an everlasting covenant!” The first covenant was not everlasting; but the new covenant is, because it leads us to that which is perfect: doing God’s will. According to this we can understand that we cannot be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ unless we first present ourselves for obedience. 1 Pet. 1:2. Then we also understand Peter’s exhortation to conduct ourselves in fear throughout the time of our sojourning, because we have been bought at a price.

Jesus is also described as our forerunner (Heb. 6:20), and since Jesus had to receive His greatest training in a body like ours, we also realize the great opportunities we have in our body. We become His brethren—joint-heirs. He was the firstborn; He is no longer the sole heir. Rom. 8:17.