Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and had no idea what to make of it? For me, Hebrews 7 is that passage. I’m certain I read this passage at least four times searching for clarity. Who is Melchizedek? What is the Levitical Priesthood? These are a few of the questions that hindered me from seeing the meaning behind this sort of history lesson the author of Hebrews Chapter 7 presents to us.
In order to have the context necessary to understand this passage, it’s important that we backtrack a few verses. Let’s look at Hebrews 6:19-20:
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become the High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
These two verses explain the why behind Chapter Seven. When this letter was written, many new Christians, specifically Jewish converts, had difficulty understanding Jesus’ authority as a “high priest." It was difficult for them to grasp Christ’s ability to “go behind the veil” for us. According to Old Testament Law, priests were chosen from a single familial line in the tribe of Levi. This priestly line is called “The Order of Aaron,” and originates from Moses’ older brother Aaron, from which its name is derived. Jesus’ earthly ancestry originates from the tribe of Judah. So, with that knowledge, it’s easy to see why the Jewish people had such a hard time grasping how Jesus had authority on Earth to do things like performing miracles on the Sabbath, as in Mark 3:1-6.
So, how does the author reconcile what seems to be a violation of the law by Jesus himself to the early church? This is where Melchizedek comes in. Melchizedek was a priest who lived at the same time as Abraham long before the Levitical Priesthood was ever established. Scripture even describes his genealogy as unknown. His authority as a priest came directly from God the Father and transcended even that of Abraham, as Scripture describes Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek. Is any of this sounding eerily familiar to another priest in the New Testament? Jesus received his priestly authority from God himself just as Melchizedek did thousands of years before. This is why the author describes Jesus as coming from the seemingly higher order of Melchizedek in verse 11, solidifying Christ’s authority as a priest.
All of this begins to make more sense as we progress through the chapter into verses 20-28. Here, the author is laying out the basis of the New Covenant that was established through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
In paraphrasing, Jesus “swore an oath” (vs 21) to be our priest and intercessor forever. Where human priests from the Order of Aaron were imperfect, having to make sacrifices daily for both themselves and others, Christ, who was made priest from the order of Melchizedek, established a new and better covenant in which He committed a single but everlasting sacrifice. His perfection and holiness establish a new and better way to receive grace and forgiveness through a relationship with Him. This chapter effectively explains how the hope we have in Jesus and His new covenant can be “both sure and steadfast” as described in Hebrews 6:19.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.