On Needing an Intercessor

I often read on Messianic sites how individuals need to go through the "son" to reach the "father", or more simply put, you need to go through Jesus to reach G-d. Jesus serves as an intercessor to G-d; without Jesus' intercessory role you cannot have a true connection with G-d. This claim came to my mind as I was praying the Minchah service, the Afternoon service that Jews say on a daily basis. In the Minchah service we read the Ashrei, which is primarily composed of Psalm 145. Psalm 145 is an acrostic poem written by King David, in praise of G-d. One line in particular struck me this day. It was verse 18, which states, "The L-rd is close to all those that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth." As Jews, our relationship with G-d is close, if only we desire it. G-d hears our prayers, we have no need for intercessors. We read throughout the Bible about Abraham, Moses, King David and many others, who had actual conversations with G-d! Not conversations through any thing or being, but direct conversations without any intercessor. This caused me to think of the words spoken in Parashat Ve'etchanan, of a time in the future when we would be removed from the land for committing idolatry and scattered across the world, just as we are scattered in diaspora today. How ever will we form a relationship with G-d then? Will we need an intercessor? Deuteronomy 4: 29 tells us, "But from there you will seek the L-rd your G-d; and you shall find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul." These words are echoed throughout the Bible, in which G-d will always be there for the Jewish people, if only we want this relationship. We do not need an intercessor to come close to G-d. In Exodus, G-d instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that the Jewish people are His first-born son, how much closer of a relationship could we hope to have? Through our prayer and adherence to the beautiful laws that G-d has graciously given us, we have the ability every day to form this incredible relationship with G-d. No Jew needs Jesus, or any other being, to intercede for us. The Bible constantly reminds us that G-d wants us to have this close relationship with Him. It our responsibility, and ours alone, to fulfill our side of the relationship and want closeness with G-d. For every Jew, this opportunity for a personal relationship with G-d is available, if we truly want it, and nothing needs to come between us and G-d for this relationship to be achieved.