Does Jesus hear our prayers before God hears them?

Answer:

Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews said, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

The word "intercession" translates the Greek word entunchano. It means to appeal or intercede on behalf of another. It does not mean Jesus is standing between us and God, but that he adds his personal appeals with ours. The Holy Spirit does the same thing. "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27). We often don't know how we ought to pray. The Hebrew writer says that Jesus helps as our High Priest using his experience of living as a man among men. Paul says the Holy Spirit helps by taking our deepest feelings and expressing them for us better than we can ourselves. None of this assumes that one of the Godhead hears our prayers later than the rest.

Another verse to consider is: "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (I Timothy 2:5-6). The word "mediator" translates the Greek word mesites. This refers to an arbitrator who settles disputes between two parties. This is referring to Jesus' role in reconciling us to God. "For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation" (Romans 5:10-11). In the process, Jesus negotiated a new covenant between men and God.

"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6).

"And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15).

"to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24).

Jesus' role as a mediator is not about our individual prayers, but about his bringing salvation to mankind.