Category: High Priest

Our text continues the discussion of Jesus Christ as our legitimate and superior High Priest. In these verses, the writer establishes the qualifications for High Priest. He notes that the position is one who serves as a spiritual leader in man’s relationship as it pertains to God. His qualifications allow him to be compassionate towards men, and to appease God. It is important to note that it is God who appointed these men to serve; it was not a self-proclaimed position.

In this way, Jesus qualifies as our High Priest. He too is our spiritual leader. One important part of His office is that he too can be compassionate because of His humanity, (4:15). However, His sacrifice for the sins of man are greater because He Himself was guiltless “who committed no sin… who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:22,24).

Jesus too was ordained as priest by the Father. It was not by His own authority. He was called by God. “Called by God as High Priest ‘according to the order of Melchizedek’” (5:10).

Paul uses Christ’s position as the Christian’s High Priest to encourage faithfulness to God. The points are these:

Jesus has passed through the heavens. This references His leaving the earth to return to God’s right hand, receiving His exaltation. He is the Son of God. (This declaration is another indicating His divine nature, as it makes Him equal to His Father). See John 5:18.

His efficacy as High Priest comes not only because of His deity, but also because of His humanity. As a man he was tempted as we are, so He can sympathize with us as we pray. We note that Jesus did not sin, but that does not indicate anything other than his strength and righteousness. He was a man with the same physical frailties and desires as our own. Temptations were suffered by Him, (cf. Matthew 4:1-11) and yet He did not sin.

These truths are why we may be confident of Jesus as our mediator. This is why the Hebrew writer called upon his readers to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need” (16). Praise God for sending His Son to earth for us!

A discussion of the Two Tabernacles and the ordinances of divine service mentioned in Hebrews 9.

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Question: What do we know about Melchizedek? Answer: Not much. The king of Salem is found only in Genesis 14.  We  know he was a king; He was a priest of God Most High (18); He blessed Abraham (19); Abraham paid a tithe to him (20).

Melchizedek’s Importance: 

• He was a type of Jesus Christ. We know nothing of his lineage, nor his birth or death. As such it is said of him by the Hebrew writer, “having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually” (3). Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, who ever lives as our High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

What we learn from Melchizedek:

• Christ’s priesthood is greater than that of the Levitical priesthood, “but he whose genealogy is not derived from them [the sons of Levi] received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better” (6-7).
• Jesus’ coming as a new high priest, proves that the Levitical priesthood was not perfect, otherwise there would be no need for Jesus to serve as High Priest (11).
• “The priesthood being changed, of necessity there is a change of law” (12). Jesus was from Judah so could not serve as a priest under the Old Covenant. The priestly tribe under the Old Covenant was Levi. Our hope is better as we draw near to God through our great High Priest, Jesus Christ!

Certain unique characteristics of Christ make Him the great and sufficient High Priest for us today. Note the points made by the Hebrew writer in chapters 4 & 5.

Jesus passed through the heavens (4:14). This makes Him great.  His ascension and exaltation (cf. “the firstfruits”, 1 Corinthians 15:23) indicate that His position emanates from the Father in heaven.

Jesus can sympathize with the weakness of men (4:15).  All have been tempted and sin (cf. Romans 3:23). Jesus is uniquely qualified to offer a sacrifice for sin because of His Deity, as seen in the preceding point. But also as One who has been tempted like we have, “yet without sin” (5:15).

He was appointed by God. (5:1-4).  No high priest can simply appoint Himself to the position. In the Old Testament, God appointed the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron for this important work. The High Priest was the one to offer the sacrifice for the sin of the people. Under the New Covenant the Father appointed Jesus, after the priesthood of Melchizedek as uniquely the High Priest for all of humanity (5:5-6).

Jesus is uniquely qualified and has been perfected by His death, resurrection and ascension. He has become the “author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest…” (5:9-10).

After Matthew records the departure of the young Jesus to Egypt (a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1), the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem, and finally the death of Herod; an angel appeared to Joseph to return with the child and His mother back to Israel.

However, Joseph was afraid to return to Judea because the son of Herod,  Archelaus was reigning the place of his father.  Apparently Joseph’s fear was legitimate as God warned him in a dream about the danger there, and Joseph instead turned to Galilee.

The city of Nazareth was where Joseph settled, and where Jesus was raised. In fact, he was often referred to and known as Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament.  Nathanael, in John 1:46 asked about Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Indicating the city did not have a good reputation in Israel at the time.

This was also a fulfillment of a prophecy concerning the Christ. “He shall be called a Nazarene”, which was written hundreds of years previously, in Judges 13:5.

In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul wrote, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Nothing is surprising about this text. It relates an obligation that we have to support the Lord’s work in a systemic and regular way. It denotes the Lord’s day as the day when the collection will be taken. We know this to be the day that Christians came together to worship the Lord (cf. Acts 20:7). I states an obligation that we help those in our number (other Christians) who have a physical need (cf. Galatians 6:10).

This is the only place in scripture where there is a pattern established for this financial obligation we as Christians are given toward the Lord’s work. There are other places which give authority to practice benevolence, to support efforts of evangelism and to edify the church, but here alone is the passage that tells us how money is to be gathered in the local church.

What remains is for us to do our duty in a manner that the Holy Spirit prescribes. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

A wonderful lesson is taught in Hebrews 7, concerning our priesthood under the New Covenant. It surpasses in greatness the priesthood of the Jews, which existed as a type of what would come in the last days. The Hebrew writer argues this truth in a very interesting way. By using Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

Who was Melchizedek? We know his title and significance, but nothing of his life. In fact, he is described in the text as being “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life…” (7:3). This does not mean that Melchizedek was more than a man, it is simply noting that Melchizedek exists in the narrative of the Old and New Testaments to teach something about Christ. We don’t know or need to know anything about where he came from. We don’t know when he was born, or when he died. We just know him to be both the king of Salem and a priest of the Most High God. Because of this lack of information regarding Melchizedek in the pages of the Bible, it is as if he, “remains a priest continually”, thus foreshadowing the eternal nature of Christ’s priesthood. Continue reading “The Priest of God Most High” →

A discussion of Psalm 110, the Psalmist identifies the coming Christ as one who would serve as both King and Priest, and rule with a rod (indicating authority and strength).

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Aaron, the older brother of Moses, was appointed to be the first High Priest of the nation of Israel. This was an office established by God under the Old Covenant, the Law that God gave to Moses to govern the Jews. Aaron was the first of many men who served in this capacity before Jesus. He was a descendent of Levi, hence the priesthood is known as the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood. Put simply, these were mere men, themselves guilty of sin, who yearly had to offer the blood of bulls and goats for atonement, first for themselves, and then for the people of Israel, (cf. Leviticus 16:1-5).

In the letter to the Hebrews, the Holy Spirit makes clear the differences between Jesus as High Priest, and those who went on before. Consider the following: Continue reading “Comparing High Priests” →

(1 John 2:1-2), “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

The problem is, and always has been sin.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23). God determined to solve the problem of sin by sending His only begotten Son as a sufficient sacrifice. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17).  “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12-14).  Of course, this was in the mind of God since before the creation of the worlds (cf. Ephesians 1:4). Continue reading “The Advocate” →