Sermon series: Let’s Talk About Jesus

Subject: The Priesthood of Christ
(Part 2)

Hebrews 14:14-16
"Seeing then that we have a Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

The book of Hebrews is the only place in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to as a High Priest. The first reference to His priesthood is found in chapter 2, verse 17. "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."
But before becoming our Great High Priest, Christ had to leave heaven’s glory and become a man just like us! "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14) "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
But death could not keep Him! On the third day after His death on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead, victorious and triumphant. After spending forty days with His disciples, He ascended back into heaven to be seated at the right of hand of God! Receiving His eternal glory which He had with His Father before coming to this earth, He fulfilled His promise by sending His Holy

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Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, thus commencing His Church here on earth.
The subject that we want to discuss today is the present ministry of Christ in the heavens. Our text from Hebrews 4:14 states that since Christ passed through the heavens, we have a great High Priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us.
"Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.
For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer.
For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to law;
who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle.
For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."
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 8:1-6)
Observation! As we study from the Book of Hebrews today, we must keep in mind the reason for the writing of the book. Many Jewish believers, having stepped out of Judaism into Christianity, were being tempted to reverse their spiritual course and return to Judaism in order to escape persecution by their countrymen. The writer of Hebrews, who we are convinced is none other than the Apostle Paul, exhorts them to ‘go on to perfection’ (6:1). His appeal is based on the Superiority of Christ over the Judaic system. Christ is better than the angels, for they worship Him. He is better than Moses, for He created him. He is better than the law, for He mediates a better covenant. In short, there is more to be gained in Christ than to be lost in Judaism. Pressing on in Christ produces tested faith, self discipline, and visible love seen in good works.
We must always keep in mind that in Judaism, the priesthood and the High Priest were exceedingly important people in the life of the Jew. In that man was a sinner, only the priest had access to God which was accomplished through the sacrifices and rituals of the tabernacle or temple.

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The priesthood established through Moses, under the direction of God through his descendants, typified the priestly ministry of Christ. He analogies and contrasts between Aaron and Christ provide one of the prominent themes of the Epistle to the Hebrews. As the Priest, Jesus suffered in man’s stead and satisfied divine holiness and opened the way for God to pardon and restore the guilty sinner. "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 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? 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 9:11-15).
But to the Jews who listened to these words, confusion filled their minds. Only descendants of Aaron were allowed to serve in Judaism and Christ was neither from the tribe of Levi, nor from the House of Aaron. So the writer to Hebrews was presented the challenge to prove that Christianity had a far better and higher priesthood than Judaism. And to do this, he turns to an Old Testament illustration from their history. He draws the comparison between Christ and the ancient mysterious priest known as Melchizedec. The story is found in Genesis 14.
Briefly, the setting for this story is this. Lot was a resident of Sodom and a foreign king (Chedorlaomer) came to Sodom, sacked it, and took all the people into captivity. "Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and people.

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"And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Then Melchizedec, king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all." (Genesis 14:14-20)
There is only one other reference to Melchizedec in the Scripture and it is found in Psalm 110:4. "The Lord has sworn and will not relent, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedec."
Most Bible commentators agree that this verse is a prophecy concerning Christ.
Now with this background concerning this mysterious ancient king and priest of the city later to be called Jerusalem, let’s follow the argument that the writer to Hebrews develops to prove the superiority of the priesthood of Christ over the priesthood of Judaism.
Hebrews 7:1 states "For this Melchizedec, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth of all, first being translated "king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually." (Hebrews 7:1-3)
There is much conjecture about Melchizedec. Some insist he is an angel who took human form for a while during the time of Abraham. But the priesthood was a human, not angelic, function. Others suggest that He is actually, not just typically, Jesus Christ Himself, who took a preincarnate form during Abraham’s time. But Melchizedec is described as made like the Son of God, not as being the Son of God.
Let’s just take the story as presented in our Bible as written, and accept the fact at Melchizedec was an historical human being, whose priestly ministry typifies that of Christ, a man whom God designed to use as a picture of Jesus Christ. But we cannot be sure of the details of his identity for those remain among the secret things that belong only to the Lord.

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The accounts of Melchizedec in sacred history are one of the most remarkable proofs of the divine inspiration and unity in Scripture! The whole concept of Melchizedec is an amazing insight into the fact that God wrote the Bible. In Genesis we have only three verses about him. Some thousand years later David makes a brief mention of him in the passage in psalm 110, declaring for the first time that the Messiah’s priesthood would be like Melchizedec’s. After another thousand years, the writer of Hebrews tells us even more about Melchizedec’s significance. He reveals things about him that even Melchizedec, or his contemporary, Abraham, did not know--and of which David had only a glimpse. So we reason that the God who wrote the Book of Hebrews wrote the book of Genesis and Psalms and all the rest of Scripture!
The writer of Hebrews tells us five things about Melchizedec’s priesthood that was superior to the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants.
(1) MELCHIZEDEC’S PRIESTHOOD WAS UNIVERSAL, NOT NATIONAL.
The Levitical (the priesthood from the tribe of Levi) priesthood were priests of Jehovah. The Israelites were Jehovah’s people and the Levites were Jehovah’s priests. The Levitical priests could minister only to Israel and only for Jehovah.
Melchizedec, however, was priest of the Most High God (Elyon, a more universal name for God). It represents God as possessor of heaven and earth, God above all national or dispensational distinctions. The Most High God is over both Jew and Gentile, and is first mentioned in Scripture in relation to Melchizedec.
The significance is this: Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel, but of the world!
His priesthood is universal, just as Melchizedec’s. This was an extremely important truth for Jews who had come to Christ, as well as those who were considering putting their trust in Christ. To them, there was no other priesthood established by the true God but the Levitical, which was restricted to Israel. Here they are reminded that their father Abraham, the first Jew, offered tithes to another type of priest! This priest served the one true God, but he lived hundreds of years before the Levitical priesthood came into existence. It is significant that, immediately after his encounter with Melchizedec, Abraham spoke to the king of Sodom about "the Lord God Most High" (Genesis 14:22), a combination of the covenant and universal names.

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The indecisive Jews were told, in effect, "Even your own Scriptures recognize a priesthood not only that is completely apart from that of Aaron, but that existed long before Aaron’s." This was a powerful argument.
(2) MELCHIZEDEC’S PRIESTHOOD WAS ROYAL.
Melchizedec was himself a king. Four times in two verses (7:1-2) he is referred to as a king. Melchizedec’s universal priesthood and his royal office beautifully typify Jesus’ saviorhood and Lordship, as perfect priest and perfect King! In the passage in Psalm 110, David looks forward to the Messiah who will be both Priest and King.
Because Salem was an ancient name for Jerusalem, Melchizedec ruled over God’s special city, His holy city that was always close to His heart. We are not told when God first considered Jerusalem to be His holy city, but He had a faithful king who was a faithful priest there even in the time of Abraham-many centuries before Israel’s priests ministered there or Israel’s kings ruled there. Kingship is one of Christ’s eternal prerogatives. As "the King Eternal," He was born a King. During His earthly sojourn He asserted His kingship and men recognized His claim. As the "King," He died, and in His resurrection proved His sovereignty. In heaven, He rules as King for the glory of God and for the fulfillment of His purposes. As King, He exercises power in upholding and controlling the world
(3) MELCHIZEDEC’S PRIESTHOOD WAS RIGHTEOUS AND PEACEFUL.
There was no permanent righteousness or peace related to Aaron’s priesthood. Melchizedec, however, was king both of righteousness and of peace. His very name means "king of righteousness." Although we have no historical record of his monarchy, we are told that he ruled righteously and peacefully. Melchizedec, though king of righteousness and of peace, could not make men righteous or give them peace. His priesthood was a better type of Christ’s than was the Levitical, but it was still a type. Only the Divine Priest could give righteousness and peace. "Therefore having been justified [counted righteous] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) That is the necessary order: righteousness and then peace. Christ gives us peace by giving us righteousness. "The work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever" (Isaiah 32:17).
What the blood of bulls and goats could not do, the blood of Jesus Christ did.

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The Levitical sacrifices lasted only until a person sinned again. Jesus’ sacrifice lasts through all eternity! Christ came to give us His righteousness that we might be at peace with God. Melchizedec pictured that!
(4) MELCHIZEDEC’S PRIESTHOOD WAS PERSONAL, NOT HEREDITARY.
The Levitical priesthood was entirely hereditary, through Aaron. Melchizedec’s was personal. From the beginning of the Aaronic priesthood, genealogy determined everything, personal qualification nothing. If you descended from Aaron, you could serve, if you did not, you could not. Consequently, the priests often were more concerned about their pedigrees than their holiness!
That Melchizedec is said to have been without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life does not mean that he came from nowhere. It simply means that in the Old Testament record nothing is said of his parents or origin.
The point in Hebrews is that Melchizedec’s parentage and origin are irrelevant to his Melchizedec priesthood. Whereas to the Aaronic priesthood genealogy was everything, to the Melchizedec priesthood it was nothing. In this, Melchizedec was a type of Christ, not because Jesus had no genealogy but because Jesus’ genealogy was not significant in regard to His priesthood. To be sure, Jesus’ royal genealogy is important. It is given in some detail by both Matthew and Luke. Matthew’s gospel, in fact, begins as "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ" (1:1). But His lineage is not traced to Aaron or Levi, but to Judah. Jesus Christ, though God’s own Son, was not qualified for the Levitical priesthood. Like Melchizedec, as far as His priesthood was concerned, He had no priestly genealogy and He needed none. Jesus Christ was chosen as a priest because of His personal worth, His quality. He was chosen because of who He was, not because of where He came from genealogically. Jesus "has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life" (Hebrews 7:16). Like Melchizedec’s Jesus’ qualifications were personal, not hereditary.
(5) MELCHIZEDEC’S PRIESTHOOD IS ETERNAL, NOT TEMPORARY.
Individually, a priest served only from the time he was 25 until he was 50. No priest, no matter how faithful, could serve more than 25 years. Collectively, the priesthood was also temporary. It began in the wilder

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ness, when the covenant with Moses was made and the law was given. It ended when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70. The Levitical priesthood was for the Old Covenant and only for the Old Covenant, the covenant law.
Melchizedec’s priesthood, however, had no such time or dispensational bounds. He abides a priest perpetually. It is not that he lived forever, but that the order of priesthood in which he ministered was forever. If he had lived forever, he would not be a type but a part of the reality. The fact that we have no biblical or other record of the beginning or end of Melchizedec’s personal priesthood simply symbolizes the eternality of his priestly order. It is a type of Christ’s eternal priesthood. Christ, "because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:24-25).
Jesus is a priest like Melchizedec. His priesthood is universal, royal, righteous and peaceful, personal and eternal!
The Holy Spirit demonstrates that Melchizedec is greater than Levi and Aaron, progenitors of the Levitical priesthood, by showing that this priest-king is better than Abraham, the progenitor of both Levi and Aaron.
The writer to the Hebrews takes his argument one step further: "Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils." (7:4).
Abraham, father of the Jewish people, gave tithes (a tenth) of his war spoils--his choicest spoils--to Melchizedec. The Levites received no inheritance of land, as did all the other tribes. They were to be supported by a tithe from their brother Israelites. Even before they existed, those to whom tithes were paid had themselves paid a tithe to another priesthood, proving that this priesthood was superior to theirs! The Jews paid tithes to priests who all died. Abraham paid tithes to a priest who, in type, lives on. Since no death is recorded of Melchizedec, his priesthood typically is eternal. In this, his priesthood is clearly superior to that of Aaron.
To a Jewish person, Paul’s argument for the superiority of Christ’s priesthood was flawless and convincing. For the Christian, our hearts should rejoice in knowing that we have a Great High Priest who sympathizes and responds to our prayers and worship!