Hebrews, Part 6, Our High Priest
18So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. 20Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:18-20)
One of my favorite parts of the Book of Hebrews is the author’s way of establishing Jesus as the final High Priest. Just a reminder of who the High Priest was in the ancient Jewish faith: the High Priest was a descendant of Aaron from the Tribe of Levi, who stood as the highest figure in the religious hierarchy. The High Priest was the only person allowed to enter the Inner Sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept and where the ancient Israeli’s believed the presence of God existed. The High Priest would offer the atonement sacrifice for the entire nation, perform all the ancient rituals, and be the mediator between the other priests and the people of Israel. Click here to read a quick article on these ancient religious figures. I found the end of this article very interesting as the author writes:
The office of the high priest vanished from Jewish life when the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and the reason for that is because Jesus has taken on the role of High Priest for all of mankind. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain separating the Holy of Holies with the rest of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. Jesus opened the door for anyone to approach the throne of God through their belief in Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Son of God. Jesus’ crucifixion was the final sacrifice to atone for all of mankind’s sins: past, present, and future. As the verse above states, Jesus has already gone in the inner sanctuary for us. He is our eternal High Priest.
But what is the order of Melchizedek?
He’s another reason I love the Book of Hebrews. Melchizedek was first mentioned way back in the Book of Genesis (Chapter 14) as the King and High Priest of Salem (which in Hebrew means “peace”). Melchizedek greets Abram (Abraham) after Abram takes a small army of 318 of his trained servants and successfully carries out one of the earliest recorded unconventional warfare tactics. Abram’s army attacks Kedorlaomer’s army during the night, defeating them and sending those that survive fleeing into the wind. Abram did this because Kedorlaomer had kidnapped Lot, Abram’s nephew. As Abram is returning from battle, King Melchizedek greets him and gives Abram a blessing. In return, Abram pays tribute to Melchizedek by tithing a tenth of all the goods his army had recovered from the battle (establishing the expectation of tithing 10% of our income back to God). There are some that believe Melchizedek was Jesus, as this mysterious King and High Priest appears out of the land of Canaan, yet serves the God of Abram, “God Most High”, at a time in human history when not many even know of God’s existence. Click here to read an article that explains the relationship between Abraham, Melchizedek, and Jesus, far better than I could do.
Jesus is our eternal High Priest. He stands in the Holy of Holies as our great mediator between us and God. Come to Jesus and see what He can do. Give Him your sins; He will give you His blessings. Give Him your fears; He will give you His courage. Give Him your weaknesses; He will give you His strength. Give Him your heart and He will fill it with His love. Jesus stands in the inner sanctuary waiting for you. Remove the curtain and find your hero in the room.
Common Sense Reborn 