A Great High Priest and an Open Throne of Grace
Hebrews pivots from warning to assurance. Believers have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens: Jesus the Son of God. His exaltation does not make him unsympathetic; he has been tested in every way relevant to human temptation, yet without sin. Therefore the congregation is told to hold fast its confession and to approach the throne of grace boldly for mercy and timely help. This “drawing near” language will become one of Hebrews’ central worship themes. Access to God is not casual entitlement; it is priestly access opened through the compassionate Son.
Who Jesus is — Hebrews explicitly calls Jesus the great High Priest. He is not a Levitical priest copied onto Christianity: Hebrews develops a different, enduring priesthood through Psalm 110 and Melchizedek, with Jesus both offering and interceding.