The Weekend, September 26 –
The weekend means we have one reading over these two days.
Today we pick back up in the book of Hebrews reading 7:1 – 27. After you’ve
read the passage, please come back that we can look at it again.
He had ended the last section with an encouragement to the struggling believers
to hang on to their faith in Jesus Christ – “where Jesus has gone as a
forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek” (6:20). It is the third time this intriguing man –
Melchizedek – has been referred to. We had made a couple of notes about him
previously but now all of chapter 7 reflects on Jesus and Melchizedek. We are
entering into foreign territory, which looks back to a historical section of
early Genesis. Melchizedek is not a prominent character in Genesis but enters
into the scene during the time of Abraham. The author of Hebrews brings the
story out to make the case that Melchizedek is a type of Christ. Typology is
seldom used in the New Testament, but when it is used, it requires us to return
to the source to understand the background that is brought from the past into
the present context. The writer of Hebrews uses the story of Melchizedek to
make the case that Jesus is superior to the Old Testament Priesthood.
The story in Genesis comes from Genesis 14:18 – 20, and
involved Abraham taking his household of servants and rescuing many people ,
including his nephew Lot, from a band of Canaanite raiders who had taken them
captive. Abraham was successful and brought back all who had been taken captive
and as well much spoils. When he arrived back in his land, he was met by a King
named Melchizedek who offered Abraham bread and wine (a detail the author of
Hebrews omits) and blessed Abraham.
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most
High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed
him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by
translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of
Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God
he continues a priest forever” (7:1-3).
Abraham gives to this King/Priest a tenth (tithe) of all his
spoils; and at that point, Melchizedek disappears from the narrative, not to
surface again until much later in Psalm 110 – the most often quoted Psalm in
the New Testament.
The typology to Christ is in both the narrative and the
nature of Christ. Melchizedek is introduced to us as the King of Salem, which
was the ancient name for Jersulem. His name is made up of two words, which
translate to mean “King of Righteousness”. Melchizedek resembles Jesus in that
he appears in the Scripture without any background from generations before him.
Melchizedek is a King, but also was a priest of the “Most High God.” Even
though he had this prestigious background, he enters the Scripture in both a
modest and humble way – even as Christ emptied himself in his incarnation, and
entered into the world both humbly and quietly. As Jesus – in his nature – is
without beginning or end, Melchizedek also came without a beginning or an
ending. This is the typology that the writer wants to show us that Melchizedek
foreshadows Jesus’ coming.
“See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch
gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the
priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people,
that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But
this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham
and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is
blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but
in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even
say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he
was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him” (7:4-10).
This is the main point of his argument. No one was more
revered in Jewish history than Abraham, yet the fact is that when Abraham met
Melchizedek, he honored him as both King and Priest, thus showing himself the
lesser to Melchizedek. Abraham is called the “Father of Israel,” and from Him
came the Levitical Priesthood. It is an argument from the lesser to the
greater. In the various forms of Biblical blessings, it is always the Superior
who blesses the Inferior. The implication is clear – the Levitical Priesthood,
still to come from the descendants of Abraham, are lesser to Melchizedek’s role
as “Priest of the Most High God” and “King.” Jesus, the Incarnate
Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, and seated at the Father’s right
hand, is a greater Priest than anything, or anyone, of human religion.
All of this might seem strange to us, but the readers of
Hebrews were Jewish believers who were going back and forth about who Jesus was
and whether or not he was the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. The
question the writer anticipates is, “why was Christ Jesus’ work unique?”
“Now if perfection had been attainable through the
Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further
need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of
Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is
a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.
For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from
which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was
descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing
about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the
likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal
requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible
life. For it is witnessed of him, ‘You are a priest forever, after the
order of Melchizedek’” (7:11-17).
Jesus did not come from the tribe of Levi, but the tribe of
Judah. Yet, the exaltation of Christ Jesus, by the Father, after the
resurrection, is the testimony of His indestructible life – a life eternal. At
the end of the argument, he quotes from Psalm 110:4, when David prophesied in
the Psalm of the promised Messiah to come – “you are a priest forever, after
the order of Melchizedek.” The argument has been completed, and Jesus
stands as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Levitical Priesthood.
The key for us is that Jesus fulfilled the Law and has
blessed us with Grace, Mercy, and Peace. He blessed us, keeps us, and brings us
all the way home, because of his indestructible life and his sacrificial power
to save.
“For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its
weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other
hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God…The Lord
has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’” This makes
Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant…but he holds his priesthood
permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, 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” (7:18-19, 21-22, 24-25).
Finally, he summarizes the argument to finish this reasoned
argument. Jesus is superior in three specific ways to the Priesthood of Israel.
First because he is sinless, something that no priest could
ever say – “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high
priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above
the heavens” (7:26).
Secondly, Jesus is superior not only because he did not
offer sacrifices, but was himself the sacrifice offered once and for all – “He
has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his
own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when
he offered up himself” (7:27). No Priest could do that, for they had first
to offer sacrifices for their own sin before they could offer sacrifices for
the sins of the people.
Lastly, Jesus is superior because he is the perfect Son of
God - “For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the
word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been
made perfect forever” (7:28). All other priests were temporal, serving as
sinful humans until their own death. Jesus alone is eternally effective for us.
Interestingly, the word “Priest” in Latin is the word “Pontifex”,
and it means “bridge-builder”. Jesus Christ came into the world as our
Great High Priest – “the guarantee of a better covenant…able to save to the
uttermost those who draw near to God” (7:22, 25). Jesus is our bridge
builder. The one who is the way over from our sinfulness to God’s righteousness
– freely given by grace through faith to all who walk over the bridge.
Peace
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