“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” Hebrews 4:14

Hebrews says that Jesus is our high priest, but why do people need a high priest?

People who grew up in Catholic or Anglican churches, with priests as part of their religious experience may know the answer to this question better than those of us who grew up in some Protestant traditions. Most Protestants are taught that all believers share in the priesthood and are personally responsible to study the Bible, pray and worship.

Catholics on the other hand believe that their priests are called and trained to assist them in their relationship with God. Priests serve at the altar as mediators between God and people during Mass, they hear confessions and pronounce forgiveness for sins. They also teach people what the Scriptures say and how to pray.

Whether we are Catholic or Protestant, Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the great high priest for us all.

Priests Help People Deal with Sin

God created the office of priests and Levites to help people understand the law he gave to Moses. Once people learned what sin was and recognized that their sins separated them from God, they needed the help of the priests to be reconciled to him.

The Apostle Paul said that before the law was given people didn’t have a concept of sin or its consequences. It was when God told people the difference between right and wrong that they saw their sin and knew they were lawbreakers. It was the law that labeled people as sinners.

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have known what sin was except through the law . . . We know that the law is spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.” Romans 7:7-14

Paul lamented that he was helplessly enslaved to sin. Under the Law he had to bring the priests blood sacrifices to atone for his sins, an unending process that felt hopeless.

Jesus, a Priest Like Melchizedek

But God created another priesthood, too, and Jesus was part of it. The writer to the Hebrews elaborates on the God-ordained priesthood of Jesus in two places in today’s reading, Hebrews 5:1-10 and 7:1-28. Jesus was a priest like Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who seemed to appear out of nowhere and then disappear after his priestly work was done.

Jesus was a member of the tribe of Judah, not Levi, and his heritage disqualified him from being a priest – unless God chose to give him a special priesthood like the one Melchizedek had. Psalm 110 foretold the authority God would give Jesus the Messiah to be a king and a priest.

“The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies . . . The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’”

Jesus was qualified to be Israel’s king by being born into Judah, the tribe of kings: “The Lord will extend your scepter from Zion.” And he was qualified to be the high priest by divine proclamation from God the Father: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’”

Who was Melchizedek?

To understand who Melchizedek was, we have to remember who Abraham was. Abraham was the righteous, obedient man God called to be the father of our faith. Through many encounters God revealed himself to Abraham and taught him to worship the one true God.

At one point, God helped Abraham defeat a huge army led by four hostile kings. Abraham brought home their hostages and a great deal of plunder from the battle (Genesis 14). Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High, met him on the way. He gave Abraham bread and wine and blessed him, and Abraham responded by giving Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder he had captured.

Melchizedek was not a priest descended from Levi, the tribe of priests, because the tribe of Levi would not appear for three more generations. The Levite descendants of Abraham were “still in the body of their ancestor,” (Hebrews 7:10). But Abraham, who had never met one of God’s priests before, honored Melchizedek as the priest of God.

The Unique Priesthoods of Jesus and Melchizedek

Like Melchizedek, Jesus did not trace his lineage from Levi, and like Melchizedek, Jesus has a life that began in eternity and continues in eternity. He is a priest forever, resembling Melchizedek whose story had no end in Scripture.

“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, [Melchizedek] remains a priest forever.” Hebrews 7:3

God established two priesthoods: the Levitical priesthood that has had countless members, and the Order of Melchizedek that has only two members –  Melchizedek and Jesus Christ – appointed by divine proclamation and continuing without end. But Jesus is immeasurably greater than Melchizedek.

“Because of the oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant . . . because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:22-25

Jesus Our Perfect High Priest

“Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26

The Levitical priests offered sacrifices brought by the people to atone for their sins. But the priests were sinners, too, and before they could serve the people they had to atone for their own sins.

Jesus wasn’t like them; he never sinned; he was “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners,” . . . and so . . . “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 7:27

The sacrifice Jesus offered for the sins of the people was unlike any Levitical sacrifice ever made:

“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Hebrews 7:27

Jesus, the perfect priest, also became the perfect sacrifice, offering his own body to atone for the sins of all humankind.

Training the Perfect High Priest

Jesus never sinned, but he was tempted and tried — just like every other human being. His perfection was honed by his obedience in the most challenging circumstances anyone ever faced. We know Satan did his best to undermine Jesus at the start of his ministry in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, but Satan showed up constantly after that, too, ever seeking to destroy the Son of God.

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.” Hebrews 7:7-8

Because Jesus passed every test and was approved by God, the sacrifice he made on our behalf is completely acceptable to God. Our hope of salvation rests with this perfect high priest.

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become the high priest forever.” Hebrews 6:19-20

It’s Time to Grow Up, Believers!

The author of Hebrews couldn’t understand why anyone who knew these things about Jesus would be content to remain a spiritually immature Christian.

“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! . . . Therefore, let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity.” Hebrews 5:12, 6:1

People who continually revisit the basic truths of the Gospel and are never sure about them, put Jesus back on the cross over and over again. They keep him nailed there while they waste time thinking about whether to fully believe in him. They should be following the living Savior who has left the cross and is calling them to join him where he is at work in the world today.

Don’t be a lazy believer; be like Jesus! Do the work he did: face the trials of life and prove your faithfulness by submitting to God’s will for you. Look around and find mature believers who can help you.

“Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 5:12

You will grow up in Christ and be ready for “solid food [which is] for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14