“Jesus, a priest like Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but
by the sheer force of resurrection life — he lives! — ‘priest
forever in the royal order of Melchizedek’ … Jesus!
—a way that does work, that brings us right into
the presence of God, is put in its place.”
(Hebrews 7:15-16,19 The Message)
Thoughts… You’ll have to read this whole chapter, slowly and absorbingly, I might add, plus several chapters surrounding this one to grasp what the writer of Hebrews is getting at, but here is the gist of it: He is going to great lengths to remind his readers that Jesus is all they will ever need! He is the all-sufficient, indestructible one.
The problem was, these Hebrew believers were facing increasing hostility for their faith in Christ, and some of them were being tempted to fall back in line with the old system of Judaism. So the writer sets out to convince them of the superiority of Christ’s priesthood over the old Levitical system of priests and sacrifices. One of his strongest arguments was that even way back in the Old Testament, the father of the Jewish faith, Abraham, even gave tithes to Melchizedek, a type of Christ, thus proving Jesus is greater than the Jewish system.
Throughout this entire letter, the writer makes a splendid and convincing case for Jesus Christ, our faithful high priest. Among the many things that he teaches about the priesthood of Jesus, here are three that ought to encourage you today, especially if you are going through a challenging time:
First, as a high priest, Jesus is on your side.
Hebrews 6:19-20 says, “We have this hope [in Jesus] as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.”
Knowing that Jesus is on your side gives you an incredible emotional and spiritual strength to live the victorious Christian life, especially during trying and tempting times.
Second, as a high priest, Jesus will provide the power for you to stay the course.
Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
You ever wonder what Jesus is doing now? That verse clearly says he is continually before the Father, representing your cause. What a thought—Jesus is your personal intercessor making sure the Father grants you everything you need to stay faithful and live victoriously.
And third, Jesus is more satisfying than any other temporary fix that you might be tempted to trust.
Hebrews 9:27-28 says, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people.”
Trusting in any other person or religious system would be settling for an infinitely distant second best. In fact, if you were to put your trust in any other, you would be relying on a system that frankly can’t do a thing to give you eternal life. Jesus is the only one who can save!
Do your realize what good news this is? Jesus is your personal high priest, and it doesn’t get any better than him. So go ahead and cling to him. He won’t disappoint!
Prayer… Lord, how awesome that you even live to intercede for me. What encouragement and strength that brings to my spirit. I offer up my gratitude to you, O faithful High Priest. You are worthy to be praised.
One More Thing… “Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.” — George Whitefield
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