Hebrews 5:1-4 reminds us that mankind has always needed a priest, to offer sacrifices for sins. In the Law of Moses, priests came from the tribe of Levi. But in Hebrews chapters 5-7 we learn that Jesus was “designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” Even the author’s original audience had a hard time grasping this critical truth.
You see, the Levitical priesthood established by the Law of Moses had limitations. They were appointed from the tribe of Levi, but this blocked them from rulership (7:14). The Levitical priests were numerous, but they had to be, because “they were prevented by death from continuing” (7:23). They were human and thus could “deal gently with the ignorant” (5:2), but this also meant they had to offer sacrifices for their own sins before offering sacrifice for the people.
But the Hebrews author notices that in Psalm 110, written centuries after Moses, God made an announcement regarding the coming Son of God, the Messiah: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Clearly, God was going to provide something even better than the Levites; “for if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood … what need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek?” (7:11).
Melchizedek appears only in a short blurb in Genesis 14:17-20:
After [Abram’s] return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer … Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 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.” [Abram] gave [Melchizedek] a tenth of all.
From this, the Hebrews author shows that a priest according to the order of Melchizedek is greater than a priest according to the order of Levi.
- First, Melchizedek was not just a priest but also a king (7:2), indeed king of peace and king of righteousness (7:2). No Levite could be a king.
- Second, no mention is made in the Genesis text of Melchizedek’s parentage, genealogy, birthdate, death date (7:3). This is not because he was some kind of bizarre immortal (I’m quite certain Melchizedek had a normal mom and dad), but because these facts and figures were meaningless for his qualification for the priesthood. God withheld these facts to make Melchizedek appear a fitting type of the coming Christ, the divine Son of God, who also is a priest on the basis of God’s own authority rather than a genealogical table (7:15-17). Even more importantly, by withholding any mention of his death, God made Melchizedek a type of the deathless Christ who holds His priesthood forever (7:23-25).
- Third, Melchizedek is greater than Levi. Since Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe, and the Levites are Abraham’s descendants, in a manner of speaking Levi gave Melchizedek tithes (7:9-10). Furthermore the fact that Melchizedek blesses Abraham proves again Melchizedek’s superiority (7:6-7).
- Thus, Christians possess a great advantage, to have the Levitical priesthood replaced forever by our Savior Jesus. Now that Jesus is on the job, no separate human priesthood is necessary!
- What’s more, “when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also” (7:12). If the Law of Moses were still in force, Jesus, from the kingly tribe of Judah, could not be a priest at all. But thanks to God’s decree, “there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect) and … a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God” (7:18-19). The Law addressed sin, but only provisionally, through animal sacrifices offered by fallible human priests. But “Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant” (7:22). Jesus, a perfect priest who holds His office permanently, offered His own perfect blood, and brought it into the actual presence of God to make real atonement. Jesus alone “is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (7:25). Praise God for such a superior priest!
—John Guzzetta