He lives for ever to intercede for us!
Paul addresses his Letter to the Hebrews to the Jewish people who continued to follow
the traditional religious rites. According to Thomas Aquinas, Paul’s intention is to explain
that “The priesthood of Christ has greater efficacy than the priesthood of Old Testament“
(Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 367).
Previously, there were many priests because eventually every human priest dies.
Thomas states that, in nature, everything corrupts. Thomas thinks that the sun might be
an exception and so it might be a sign of spiritual things because, at least to the
available science at that time, the sun never seemed to corrupt” (Commentary on the
Letter to the Hebrews, 368). Nevertheless, Paul’s point is that a person can’t put his
hopes on something that is not going to last.
Thomas summarizes Paul’s thought: “The priest who is Christ is immortal, for He
remains forever as the eternal Word of the Father, from Whose eternity redounds an
eternity to His body” (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 368).
In the Letter to the Romans, Paul wrote:” Christ, rising from the dead, dies now no
more” (Rom. 6:9). Thomas affirms: “Therefore, because he continues forever, he holds
his priesthood permanently. Therefore, Christ alone is the true priest” (Commentary on
the Letter to the Hebrews, 368).
It is true Christians have designated intercessors but Thomas reflects “… others are His
ministers: ‘Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ’ (1 Cor. 4:1)
(Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 368).
Paul emphasizes that Jesus’ priesthood is eternal. Thomas asserts: “His efficacy lies in
the fact that the cause is more potent than its effect; therefore, a temporal cause cannot
produce an eternal effect. But Christ’s priesthood is eternal … Therefore, Christ is able
to save for all time. But this could not be done, unless He had divine power”
(Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 370).
The Letter to the Hebrews states: “He, because he remains forever, has a priesthood
that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God
through Him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them” (Heb: 26-27).
Christ doesn’t approach the Father in the way that one human person goes to a distant
person. Thomas explains how Christ, in his human nature went to the Father: “Christ is
not distant from God… in his human nature according to which it befits him to come to
God, because in it … he does not go from a state of guilt to a state of grace, but he
goes by the intellect’s contemplation and by love and by the attainment of glory. In his
divine nature … he goes to God by himself (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews,
371).

Thomas clarifies that if Christ were only human he could not go directly to the Father but
because he is divine, he goes in his divinity: “For if He were pure man, He could not go
by himself: ‘No one can come to me, unless the Father who sent me draw him’ (Jn.
6:44)” (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 371).
Because Jesus is divine, he lives forever: “He shows the excellence of his nature when
he says, always living; for otherwise His priesthood would come to an end: ‘I was dead
and behold I am living forever and ever’ (Rev. 1:18)” (Commentary on the Letter to the
Hebrews, 372).
Jesus forever makes intercession for us. Thomas understands the nature of Jesus’
intercession: “He makes intercession for us: ‘We have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, the just’ (1 Jn. 2:1). He interposes for us, first, his human nature, which he
assumed for us by representing; secondly, his most holy soul’s desire, which he had for
our salvation and with which He intercedes for us” (Commentary on the Letter to the
Hebrews, 373).
Thomas applies Jesus’ intercession to our placing our faith in him: “Another version has,
‘coming by him,’ and then those whom he saves are designated, because they come to
God by faith in him: ‘Being justified, therefore, by faith, let us have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom also we have access by faith into this grace’
(Rom. 5:1)” (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 373).
The Letter to the Hebrews declares that Jesus is “holy.” Thomas reflects: “For holiness
implies purity consecrated to God: [The angel said to Mary} ‘Therefore, also the Holy
One which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God’ (Lk. 1:35); [the angel
tells Joseph] ‘That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:20) (Commentary
on the Letter to the Hebrews, 375).
The Letter to the Hebrews speaks of Jesus as being “innocent.” Thomas notes: “Christ
was completely innocent, being One Who did not sin’: ‘I have walked in my innocence’
(Ps. 25:11) (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 375) Thomas considers Jesus
to be the paschal lamb: It shall be a lamb without blemish’ (Ex. 12:5)” (Commentary on
the Letter to the Hebrews, 375).
Hebrews asserts: “He must be separated from sinners.” Thomas considers the truth in
this assertion: “Christ was perfectly separated from sinners: ‘Blessed is the man who
has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly nor stood in the way of sinners’ (Ps. 1:1).
This is, of course, true in regard to a like life: ‘His life is not like other men’s’ (Wis:15)”
(Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 375).
However, Thomas notices that when Jesus relates with others, there is a difference:
“…. but not in regard to His dealings with others, because ‘He conversed with men’
(Bar. 3:38) and this with a view to their conversion: ‘Why does your master eat with
sinners?’ (Mt. 9:11)” (Commentary on the Letter to the Hebrews, 375).

Thomas instructs that Jesus’ offering of Himself satisfies for all the sin of the world: “For
He did not offer for His own sins but for ours: ‘He was wounded for our iniquities’ (Is.
53:5). Nor did He offer for us frequently, but only once: ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1 Pt
3:18). For His one offering is enough to take away the sins of the entire human race.

Denis Vincent Wiseman, O.P.