Jesus Is Our Mediator

BY Erin Davis

The cross looms large over all of history. Its shadow is cast in all directions—forward and backward, before and behind. Every narrative in Scripture is draped in the gospel.

Think back to the moment the children of Israel decided to worship a golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:1–14). God was poised to destroy them for their rebellion, and His holy wrath was fully justified.

In response, Moses turned to God, aware of how impossible it was for his people to save themselves from God’s just wrath. Unless he intervened, his beloved nation would be destroyed. In the end, the Israelites were spared, not because they were worthy or sinless (they weren’t), but because Moses pleaded for mercy on their behalf to a merciful God.

And yet, Moses’s pleading can’t save you or me from our sin. Moses is gone, his body buried in a secret grave dug by the Lord Himself (Deuteronomy 34:5–7). Humanity’s part of God’s covenant with Moses is broken. We remain as rebellious as our Hebrew forefathers. But this is more than a story about a time when God saved a bunch of silly idol-worshippers. In the light of the cross, the image changes. True gospel hope emerges for you and for me.

“These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, ‘Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.’ But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:5–6, emphasis mine).

Christ is our Mediator, the bridge to the better covenant. We are not—nor could we ever be—holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). God’s wrath toward us is fully justified. In response, Jesus turned to face God, fully aware of how impossible it was for people to save themselves from God’s just wrath. Unless He intervened, His beloved Bride would be destroyed.

At the cross, Christ intervened for us. Yet He is not buried in a tomb. He arose with the power to keep pleading our case. Even now, this very moment, He advocates for us before the Father. He is the Savior who keeps saving us from our sin, the Mediator who keeps making our case, based on His righteousness, not our own.

Beloved child of God, you have been spared. Not because you are worthy, but because Christ advocates for you. Amen.