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Jesus and Melchizedek - Hebrews 7:1 - 27

 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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