The doctrine of mediatorship

1. The earliest and most basic concept of mediatorship is found in Job 9:2,32,33. The word “daysman” in Job is the hiphil participle of jackach, and this word in the hiphil [being causative active] means to arbitrate. In the participial form it means an arbitrator. The arbitrator, by the way, is a technical word in the participial form and it means someone who can lay his hands on both. The original form, mokiach, means someone who reaches out and puts his hands on both. This technically means someone who is equal with both parties in the mediation, and this is the problem that Job states — party of the first part, God; party of the second part, man. Obviously, then, this sets up the hypostatic union for Jesus Christ is truly man and He is God, and therefore He is qualified as the only mediator.

2. A mediator removes disagreement or estrangement between two parties and brings them to a common goal. A mediator interposes between two parties as equal or the friend of each. By so doing reconciliation is effected. Mediatorship results in reconciliation of God and Man. The Father is propitiated by the mediator; man is reconciled on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

3. The mechanics of mediatorship are found in 1 Timothy 2:5,6.

4. Relationship to the Mosaic law. The relationship between mediatorship and the Mosaic law is discussed in Galatians 3:19,20. The Mosaic law served as a temporary measure until Christ could become incarnate. Jesus Christ had to become man, and as the God-Man in hypostatic union He went to the cross and took our place and bore our sins. The Mosaic law was merely a temporary measure until the mediator became incarnate. In the meantime the Mosaic law under the supervision of the mediator was taught by angels to Israel.

5. The identification of the mediator of the new covenant — Hebrews 9:15,16. Christ is identified as the mediator. His mediation was accomplished through His work on the cross.

6. We have relationship of the blood to the mediator in Hebrews 12:24. The blood of animal sacrifices were shadows portraying the work of Christ in bearing our sins and providing reconciliation between man and God.

7. Obviously, therefore, a conclusion is called for and the conclusion is found in our passage, Hebrews 8:6. Christ our high priest is the mediator of a better covenant which deals with realities rather than shadows. The shadow covenant anticipated the coming of Jesus Christ but the new covenant is the coming of Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins as an efficacious sacrifice. In other words, He fulfilled His own priestly ministry.