Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he… makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
How can sinners like us ever come near to a holy God? We are told here that Jesus is standing in the gap making intercession for us. Sin once stood between us and God as a barrier, but now Jesus stands between us and God, not as a barrier, but as a bridge. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18).
Notice Isaiah uses the present tense: He “makes intercession.” This is the constant and continuing work of Jesus. This is what He is doing in heaven right now and what He will continue to do for His redeemed people until all are brought safely home.
“He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and He is interceding for you. He is speaking to the Father on your behalf. He is bringing your needs before your Father in heaven. Thomas Manton said, “It is a privilege for us to pray to God, but it is a much greater privilege to have God praying for us.”
This does not mean that Jesus is on His knees in heaven agonizing in prayer as He did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Rather, He is seated on the throne, and whatever He commands in heaven, the Holy Spirit delivers on earth. Robert Murray M’Cheyne wrote, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies.”
The Son of God is interceding for you. You cannot hear Him, but Jesus is praying for you. And Jesus gets what He asks for, so everything you need will be yours.
Can you imagine what Jesus might be praying for you right now?
