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It seems appropriate to follow “The Ascension Of Jesus Christ” with a study of His intercessory work. The
scriptures certainly link together His ascension and intercession. Look carefully at Hebrews 9:24. It says, “For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of God for us.” Clearly it states that Christ ascended into heaven, but it also declares that He
appeared there for us. It means that in heaven Christ intercedes with the Father on our behalf.
What a wonderful thought. Christ meets with the Heavenly Father and there represents us as He pleads our
cause. Who could possibly fill such a vital position better than Christ? After all, He has a perfect knowledge of God our
Father and us. So when we go to the heavenly Father in prayer or have some great need, Christ is able to intercede on
our behalf. But we must remember that His intercession always expresses God’s perfect will for our lives. Romans
8:27, says, “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:27). As you can see, the intercession of Christ is very important to us.
Like many other important subjects of the Bible, it has its origin in the Old Testament. Ezekiel wrote of a person
who would “stand in the gap” as a go between. He said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up
the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30). Job
also reminds us of the importance of a “daysman” (Job 9:33). A daysman is someone who speaks in the behalf of another
and goes to the aid of someone in need. Clearly, both passages can be applied to Christ and His intercessory work.
He stands even now in the “gap.” Christ is our “daysman.” Perhaps we can better understand this heavenly work if we
look at His intercessory work on earth.
The New Testament provides many passages for our consideration. They tell how Christ interceded for others
through prayer. Even though they may not use the word, they clearly reveal that Christ was engaged in the work of
“intercession.” One such passage reminds us that our Lord prayed for Peter. Jesus said, “But I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). The preceding verse reveals that
satan wanted to destroy Peter. Then, Jesus assured Peter that He had prayed for him. Without that intercessory prayer of
Christ, the life of Peter and those whom he strengthened would have been dramatically different.
On another occasion Christ interceded in behalf of His disciples. Jesus knew that soon He would leave them, and
their hearts would be filled with grief and loss. So Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16). Christ prayed to the Father that He might send a
comforter to help them. That prayer was an intercessory prayer, and in answer to it, the Holy Spirit was sent to comfort
them and us. We have no way of knowing how often Christ has interceded in our behalf for the blessed comfort we so
desperately need.
Later on and shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus said, “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which
thou hast given me; for they are thine” (John 17:9). Apparently He was not only referring to the disciples, but to
all the redeemed chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Because the Father gave them to
Christ in the covenant of divine grace (John 17:6), He interceded by prayer for them and us. Now in heaven, He
continues to intercede for all saints.
There is yet another occasion when Jesus prayed an intercessory prayer. On that occasion He sought forgiveness
for those who nailed Him to the cross. Before His death, Christ spoke to His Father these memorable words, “Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). You may remember that the Romans crucified Jesus at the
request of His own people. Pilate seemed reluctant to put Jesus to death because he saw nothing in Him deserving such
a horrible penalty. Pilate said, “...I find no fault in him” (John 19:4). Yet the Jews were insistent, “...away with him, crucify
him...” (John 19:15) they shouted! As hateful and cruel as they were to Him, Jesus prayed an intercessory prayer for
them. That would have been very difficult for most of us, but it showed the grace of our Lord.
There was yet another task before Him that would be even more difficult. The Old Testament directs our attention
to a different aspect of the intercessory work of Christ. Look at the words of Isaiah 53:12. He said, “Therefore will I divide
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death:
and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
The prophecy declares that Christ would make “intercession for the transgressors.” This time it would not be by His
prayers but through His death. He fulfilled that prophecy when He suffered and died for our sins. Unquestionably,
redemption was His most important intercessory work while He was on earth.
Though He did intercede while here on earth, the bulk of His intercessory work did not begin until His return to
heaven. Although Jesus is no longer with us in body, He continues to intercede for us. After almost two thousand
years, day and night, He is still going to the Father in our behalf. He knows our hearts, intentions, motives; and yes,
He knows our sins and weaknesses; yet, He continues to intercede for us. With that in mind, let us consider a very
important question and its revealing answer. Paul asked, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). Many will
surely condemn us, and rightly so, for we have all sinned. But thank God, Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose
again for our justification (Romans 4:25). Having accomplished redemption, He then ascended to be seated at
the right hand of the heavenly Father where He now intercedes for you and me. We may rest assured that He ever
lives, and as long as time goes on, He will never stop interceding for those He saved by grace. The writer of
Hebrews said, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to
make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). It is not clear as to how often Christ intercedes for us, whether it is
constantly or for occasions of special needs only. But it is apparent that He has and will continue to intercede for us, as
long as we need Him to do so.
Conclusion
May our hearts give praise to Christ for all His intercessions on our behalf. His intercessory work is far more
important that any of us have imagined, and yet we are altogether unworthy of it. As we trust His intercessory work,
let us remember to thank Him daily for these most generous gifts of grace and love. Jesus is, now and always, worthy of
our undying love and commitment to His worship and praise. May the intercession of Jesus Christ stir our souls within and
motivate us to do more that pleases and honors Him.
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