The Perfect Priesthood

Hebrews 7:11-28, “The Perfect Priesthood”

Qualifications are important. We don’t trust just ‘anyone’ to do what they claim to do. If you require back surgery or a knee replacement, you want a surgeon with sharp schooling and a steady hand. You don’t want someone who “stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night,” (per the old ad). If there isn’t a legitimate basis for them to do what they say they can do, we don’t want them anywhere near a scalpel!

How much more confidence we should want for the qualifications of our Savior and High Priest. If Jesus does not fit the Biblical qualifications for Him to serve as High Priest, how can we trust any priestly work that He claims to do? We need more than simple assertions from men about what He might be able to do; we need solid Biblical declarations from God showing who Jesus is and what He does. That foundation is crucial for our faith.

The writer of Hebrews has already said much about Jesus’ role as our High Priest. In Chapter 2, he wrote of Jesus’ incarnation, becoming a merciful and faithful High Priest making propitiation for the sins of the people (2:17). In Chapter 4, we read of our compassionate High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses, who (though tempted) is without sin (4:15). In Chapter 5, the writer took us through some of the various qualifications for the high priest (how he is to be appointed by God, have compassion, and present offerings to God), demonstrating how Jesus fit them (leaving out one very important issue that is addressed in Chapter 7!). It was at that time we were introduced to the order of Melchizedek (Ps 110:4), when the writer broke off to discuss some other matters pertaining to spiritual maturity and the assurance we have of our salvation.

It is at the opening of Chapter 7 that the writer returned to his discussion of the priesthood, particularly referring to this order of Melchizedek. Before any conclusions could be made, groundwork needed to be laid, and the author gave some background on the historical man named Melchizedek. The sole Biblical narrative describing him is found in Genesis 14, with another brief mention in Psalm 110. What little the Bible says about him is fascinating. This is a pre-cursor to Christ (if not Christ Himself) who is the king of righteousness and king of peace, seemingly without any beginning or end. Most importantly to the writer (at least, to this point) was that Melchizedek was shown to be greater than Abraham, and (by extension) greater than the entire Levitical priesthood. They symbolically paid tithes to Melchizedek, and received blessing from Melchizedek. His own priesthood preceded theirs, never being replaced by them.

In the remainder of Chapter 7, the writer brings this home. Ancient Melchizedek set the precedent for another priesthood – a superior priesthood. Jesus takes that precedent and fulfills it. Not only does He have the greater priesthood; He Himself is the greater Priest. He is perfectly qualified to be our High Priest, and we can have full confidence in Him as our Priest!

Hebrews 7:11–28

• A greater priesthood (11-19).

11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?

1. The author lays out a supposition that carries the argument through the rest of the chapter, that the Levitical priesthood is insufficient. He gives the supposition in the form of a question – the “if” not assuming that the premise was true (that “perfection” came “through the Levitical priesthood”), but rather, assuming the premise is false. [2^nd class condition.] “Perfection” surely does not come “through the Levitical priesthood,” otherwise there would be no need for another priesthood to exist. If the only priesthood required was the Levitical priesthood, why should any other God-ordained priesthood exist? Yet it does. The very fact that God gave another priesthood demonstrates the insufficiency of Levi.
2. This isn’t to suppose that everything about the Levitical priesthood was bad. The author makes the specific point that it was through the Levitical priests that “the people received the law.” The Levites were good, even while being insufficient. Through them, Israel received and learned the law. They were the ones who brought sacrifices on behalf of the people, every animal slain being a symbol pointing to the eventual sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. Their work was good and necessary within Israel, and the writer of Hebrews does not imply otherwise.
3. The problem was that the Levitical priests did not offer “” The term should stand out, as it has been used repeatedly through the book of Hebrews. It has already been used three times to this point; it is used twelve times total in the book. Importantly to our own text, it is used three times in Chapter 7 (vv11, 19, 28), not only spread throughout the section, but bookending it. There is something important about perfection when it comes to the priesthood, something the author of the book is trying to point out. 

12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law.

1. It makes sense at first glance. If there is an additional priesthood outside of that which is detailed within the law of Moses, there needs to be something done in the law to accommodate that change. It’s the second glance that causes issues. What might make the original Hebrew-Christian audience reading this sit up and cringe (or, at least, raise questions) is the idea that the steadfast law of God might change at all. If, as the psalms declare, “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul,” (Ps 19:7), how could that which is already perfect have a need (necessity) to be changed?
2. Interestingly, there are two different Greek words translated “change” in v12. The first is metatithēmi (μετατίθημι), which might refer to a change in location (i.e., a transfer), a change of condition (as if something is altered), or a change of mind. The second is metathesis (μετάθεσις) which could speak of removal, or of transformation. Obviously, there is overlap in the terms, but there is also nuance that is useful. If the priesthood was to be transferred from Levi to Melchizedek (metatithēmi – changed), then the law needed some kind of transformation (metathesis – change). As will be seen, the Mosaic law is abundantly clear that the priesthood belongs to Levi/Aaron. That is not easily overcome. Some form of change needs to happen, which is why the author spends so much time detailing that change in the chapter (and in chapters to come).
3. In this, what we don’t want to assume is that the author of Hebrews ever implies that there is something wrong with the law. When we get to heaven, we will be able to ask the author of Hebrews (once we finally learn who he is!) if he agrees with Psalm 19:7, and he will undoubtedly give us an enthusiastic yes. The law, as given by God to His people, is absolutely perfect, accomplishing exactly what God intends for it to do. It is still God’s own word, which (even in the words of the author of Hebrews) is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12). The law of God is all these things, being wonderful. But (as is the point that the writer will make), the law is limited as to what it does. And when there is a need for something outside the scope of the law (referring now to the specific covenant given by God to Israel), there must be some kind of Biblical accommodation that allows for the necessary change.
   1. Here is what the author of Hebrews is not doing: he isn’t making stuff up on the fly, claiming it to be a new spiritual revelation, and passing it off as new doctrine for Christians. All that the writer teaches in his book is Biblically based, even when its foundation is found in writings outside of the covenant encapsulated in Deuteronomy. He was asking his readers to consider some monumental changes to their thinking – a true transformation of their thoughts regarding the temple and the priesthood. By no means would he be able to do this by making stuff up, claiming it was shown to him by an angel, or that he came up with some prophecy on his own, unverified by Scripture. No…the writer was going to Scripture for his teaching and logic, even if it wasn’t the normal Scripture people went to when looking for information about the priesthood. But everything he wrote was Bible-based. All of it is founded on the perfect word of God.
   2. So ought to be all doctrine we receive! No Christian should receive claims from men and women about new doctrines that are without basis in the Bible. Just because a TV preacher says he received revelation from an angel doesn’t mean that what he received was Biblical. (For that matter, if he encountered an angel, it doesn’t mean that he encountered an angel of God!) Just because someone claims prophecy, does not mean that it is. How can we know? How can we prove these claims? Paul specifically tells us to “test all things; hold fast to what is good,” (1 Ths 5:21), and that prophecy is to be judged (1 Cor 14:29). How might we test/judge these claims? By the standard of Scripture. The word of God is our final rule of authority. It is the standard by which everything else is judged. 

13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

1. Two simple facts are stated and were undisputed, regarding the tribal ancestry of Jesus and how it related to the role of the priest. The first is that Jesus (being the “He of whom these things are spoken,” and “our Lord”) is not of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah. No one from Judah had ever “officiated at the altar,” for the simple reason that the ministry of the altar was not given to Judah, but to Levi. And that is the second fact: of the tribe of Judah, “Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.” From Exodus through Deuteronomy, there is not one word from Moses ever linking the priesthood with the tribe of Judah. Every ordinance spoken by Moses (given him by Almighty God) referring to the priesthood was always referring to the tribe of Levi, and specifically, the lineage of Aaron. Keep in mind, not even Moses was a priest. Although he was Aaron’s brother, Moses was the chosen prophet of God and even acted symbolically as king in Jeshurun (another name for Israel ~ Dt 33:5), but he was not the priest. That ministry belonged to his brother Aaron and to Aaron’s sons.
2. So what? What does it matter that Jesus came from Judah and the priesthood came from Levi/Aaron? In terms of the law, it matters quite a bit! Our God is the righteous God, the non-contradictory God. He is not a God of confusion. If God declared the priesthood is given to a tribe other than Judah, yet the Messiah is to come from Judah while also acting as priest (Ps 110), that presents an obstacle that must be addressed. (And this is exactly what is addressed in the passage, again, from the pages of the Bible.)
3. The fact that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah (by necessity, as the Messiah was to be the rightful heir of David, who was of the tribe of Judah), emphasizes one other similarity between Jesus and Melchizedek…something that is crucial to the argument of the writer of Hebrews: the men combine the offices of king and priest. Remember that not only does Melchizedek’s name translate to “king of righteousness,” but his actual role was that of king of Salem (the precursor to what would be known as Jerusalem). Melchizedek was both king and priest, something otherwise impossible in the Mosaic law. The law specifically designated Levi as the priestly tribe, while prophecy within the law showed the royal scepter of monarchy belonging to Judah (Gen 49:10). Although there were historical high priests who served as guardians for young kings (i.e., Jehoiada & Joash, 2 Chr 22-23), being valued counselors for certain kings (Hilkiah & Josiah, 2 Ch 34), there was no way for a Levitical priest to be Likewise for the king in the reverse direction. The Davidic king might perform some religious functions in the form of leading prayer, writing psalms of worship, gathering the people for worship, etc., but the king was never permitted to act as priest. The classic example is Uzziah who tried to burn incense in the temple, and was punished by God with lifelong leprosy (2 Chr 26). Although Uzziah was mostly a good king (very good!), his usurpation of the priestly functions went too far. – All this changes with Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is not a priest of the order of Levi/Aaron; He is a priest of the order of Melchizedek. In that order, tribal origin does not matter, because that priesthood is outside the family of Israel altogether. It is neither dependent on the covenant made with Israel, nor the tribal makeup within Israel. Being separate from it, it becomes fully acceptable for the king to be priest, and vice-versa.
   1. These offices come together in Jesus, and only in Jesus. We cannot be priests in the order of Melchizedek, because (among other things), we are not kings. We are members of a royal priesthood and holy nation (1 Pet 2:9) because of our inheritance in Jesus, but He is King; we are not. Even among kings of the earth, Jesus stands apart because He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He alone thus fits the qualifications of the Melchizedekian priesthood. We look to Him alone.

15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

1. There is an interesting contrast between vv14-15. In v14, it is “evident” that Jesus’ genealogy is that of Judah; in v15, it is “far more evident” that “another priest” has arisen. The Greek terms are interesting, as they are variants on the same root word referring to what is evident/clear (πρόδηλος ~ κατάδηλος). The difference between the two is slight, but can perhaps be seen in what was previously apparent in the Mosaic law. When it came to the lineage of the Messiah arising from Judah, that was clearly evident beforehand. It was commonly prophesied, being an essential part of the Davidic covenant with God. This was something all Israel expected. But then something happened in history which fundamentally changed perspective on other prophecies: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection makes other things evident (even “far more evident”) – things which might not have been as clear in the past, but now as plain on the noses on our faces. Jesus’ resurrection changes the way we look at Melchizedek, particularly at the announcement of his endless priestly order in Psalm 110:4. The endless (i.e., resurrected) life of Jesus automatically demonstrates that He fits the pattern of another priesthood…one not dependent on one’s birth from the tribe of Levi.
   1. Would this have been immediately evident to David at the time that he wrote Psalm 110? Probably not. He wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t necessarily understand all the theological implications of everything that he wrote. Certainly, David understood that he was writing of his own descendent as the Messiah (“The Lord said to my Lord,” Ps 110:1), and no doubt, David was familiar with the Genesis 14 account about Melchizedek, understanding the baseline idea that the Melchizedekian priesthood would last forever, being somehow connected with the Messiah. David had at least a fundamental notion that the Messiah would live forever, as that was an essential part of God’s covenantal promise to him. 2 Samuel 7:12–13, “(12) “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. (13) He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” The basic facts were known to the ancient king; how those facts would be accomplished was most likely a mystery. It is doubtful that David understood how long it would be after his death until the Messiah was given. David probably didn’t have a clue of how exactly the Messiah’s throne would be established forever (particularly when he later compared God’s promise to him with the revelation God gave him of Psalm 22!). He knew that it would happen, but likely did not know how it would happen. 
   2. It would have been the same way with other scholars in Israel, as well as other faithful men and women who studied the Tanach (Law, Prophets, Writings). They would see prophecies that almost seemed to compete with each other. On one hand, the Messiah would have a victorious everlasting kingdom; on the other hand, the Messiah was supposed to suffer and be rejected by His people. How could this be? – This is where the clarity of Jesus’ cross and resurrection comes in. When Jesus rose from the grave, all of a sudden, these other prophecies made sense! Yes, the Messiah was rejected; but yes, He also is victorious. Yes, the Messiah would be killed; but yes, He also lives forever. Things that were evident in the past now become far more evident in the light of Jesus’ resurrection.
   3. We could say something similar about the gospel. People think many different things about Jesus. Some imagine Him to be a revolutionary – others, a meek moral teacher. The resurrection changes everything! The fact that Jesus rose from the dead demonstrates Him to be Lord, Almighty God in the flesh. The resurrection is clear evidence of His deity. The resurrection is clear evidence of the truth of Christianity. The resurrection puts the lie to every other religious system, or claim to God. Any potential doubt that Jesus is actually the only way to God is put to rest through His resurrection from the dead. The fact that Jesus lives (and lives forever) is clear evidence the gospel is true! [It is evidence that must be addressed, and responded to!]
2. How does Jesus’ resurrection relate to the Melchizedekian priesthood? It is the very sign of this priesthood! Look again at Psalm 110:4 quoted here: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” The Melchizedekian priesthood is a forever-priesthood. It is an eternal priesthood. (“Forever” being the Greek word for eternal ~ aion/αἰών). It points to, and requires, an eternal, physical life. And how can one know if a life is actually eternal, rather than just really long to eventually die? When the life is victorious over the grave, having defeated the grave…and that is exactly what Jesus did in His resurrection. When He rose from the grave, He rose from the grave forever. Death has no hold on Him, because Jesus defeated death. Thus, His resurrection is proof of His “endless life,” which itself verifies the Melchizedekian priesthood.

18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

1. This takes us back to the premise of v11: the Levitical law is insufficient. When it comes to our need for true and eternal salvation through the promised Messiah, the law of the Levites falls short. It is weak and unprofitable. That isn’t to say that it is bad; only that it is limited. We need “perfection” (v11), but the law makes “nothing perfect” (v19). The Levitical priests could do much for Israel in offering sacrifices unto God for temporary atonement for sin, but the priests could never take away sin. They could never receive full and total forgiveness for sin. The Levitical priests had a good and holy purposes…but offering perfect salvation was not one of them. In that, they were as weak and unprofitable as any other religious solution. The law falls short on this account. So, if we cannot hope in the law, we must hope in something (Someone!) else who can draw us “near to God.” What do we need? Real hope, a “better hope.” The true hope which is offered through the Melchizedekian priesthood. (The true hope that is offered us in Jesus!)
2. Question: Is all the law set aside? Is it irrelevant? If so, how can we reconcile that idea with Paul’s teaching that the law is good (Rom 7:12)? For that matter, how can we reconcile this with Jesus, when He said He did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, and that not one thing (jot nor tittle) would pass from the law until all was fulfilled (Mt 5:17-18)? As with all Bible interpretation, all Scripture must first be interpreted within its own context. Jesus spoke of the fulfillment of the law, and He Himself is that fulfillment. Paul wrote that the law is holy and good in that it teaches us what sin is, even if it is limited in what it can do about it. The law shows us our sin; it does not solve it. To the Galatians, Paul wrote that the law is our tutor (our school master) to take us to Christ to be justified by faith. But once faith comes, we no longer need the tutor (Gal 3:24-25). All of this shows a consistent pattern, each Scripture in its context: the law shows us our need for Jesus, and Jesus fulfills our need. – It is no different in Hebrews 7. The whole context in this passage is that of the priesthood. The Levitical priesthood was established by the law for the people within the covenant of law. But what happens if that covenant is set aside, or even fulfilled? What happens when there is a people in a new covenant (as Chapter 8 will demonstrate)? At that point, the law of Moses governing the Levitical priests cannot help us. We who are not included in the Mosaic covenant, are not governed by Mosaic law. (As principles, yes; as ordinances, no.) Even church-age born-again believing Jews are not currently governed by the Mosaic covenant. After all, there is currently no temple, no animal sacrifice. (At the time Hebrews was written, the temple still stood, but it wouldn’t stand for much longer.) Today, there is one body of believers in Christ: the church. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, how Jesus has broken down the middle wall of separation between Jew and Gentile, making one new man from the two (Eph 2:14-15). Jesus does not have multiple bodies on earth during this present age/dispensation; He has one: the church. Once the church is raptured to Himself, the covenant of law will be re-established with a new temple during the Great Tribulation…but that is not now. Now is the age of the Church, with the Levitical priesthood (along with its laws) temporarily annulled/set aside.

• A greater Priest (20-28).

20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The LORD has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”), 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

1. The author makes the simple point that Jesus was made priest without an oath, but the author does it from several angles. First, he states it in the negative. Then, he provides a contrast with the Levites. Then, he restates it in the positive, shoring it up with the quote from Psalm 110:4. This was something he didn’t want his readers to miss, so he looked at it in every way that he could. – What is the big deal about God using an oath to declare Jesus as priest? It shows a stark difference with the Levites. The Levitical priests inherited their ministry via birth. Their commission was not re-sworn to them in every generation. In fact, God never swore the priesthood to them. Look through the Bible… God swore to give Israel the land and the covenant (Gen 24:7, Exo 6:8). God swore that Moses, due to his misrepresentation of God, would not enter the Promised Land (Dt 4:31). But as to the priesthood, the Bible is clear that while God gave it to Aaron and his sons, God never gave it to them via an oath. – Contrast that with Jesus. With Jesus, God did make Him a priest via His oath. God swore to give this to Jesus, thus, it comes with the utmost authority and precedence. It is a higher priesthood than that of Levi, based on God’s oath alone.
2. What else does God’s oath do? It gives us a guarantee of our salvation. This is the point of v22. God’s oath made Jesus a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. And because Jesus is forever that priest-king (king of righteousness, king of peace), the priestly work He does is forever/eternal. The covenant we have with God (the new covenant, as detailed in Chapter 8) is guaranteed through the eternal priesthood of Jesus. He Himself is the “surety” of our “better covenant.”
   1. It isn’t the main point of the passage, and it is mentioned almost in passing…but how wonderful! The covenant God makes with us to forgive us our sins, make His children, and grant us eternal life is not based on us. It is not secured in us. (If it was, it would not be secure at all!) It is secured by Jesus, with Jesus Himself as our guarantor. Young adults often don’t have any credit history, which makes applying for a car loan difficult. Often, creditors will ask for a co-signer to the loan, someone who would guarantee the payments will be made. They are the guarantors for the loan. Jesus is our Guarantor. Not that He co-signs with us, expecting us to make the payment; Jesus has already made the payment in full, and He brings us into relationship with God based on His own payment (and character, and person). Apart from Jesus, we’ve got no promise of blessing in God; in Jesus, we are guaranteed our salvation because Jesus Himself guarantees it!

23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.

1. Although there were many priests of the lineage of Aaron, each of them at a (literal) expiration date. Death inherently limited the ministry of the Aaronic priests. How different it is with Jesus! Jesus’ resurrected endless life ensures an everlasting priesthood. His own ministry is “unchangeable” by death, as He “continues forever.” He is the one Priest who conquered death, and He is the only Priest that we need.

Excursus: Melchizedek and Mormonism.

For all the mystery surrounding Melchizedek, one thing we know for certain about his priesthood is that it cannot be claimed by men or ‘churches’ for their own priestly orders, as is the case with the Mormons. (Mormons call themselves “The Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-Day Saints.”) They claim that Adam was the first to have the Melchizedekian priesthood (rather than, you know, Melchizedek!), and that it was taken away from the earth following the apostolic period, being conferred again upon Joseph Smith through miraculous revelations. [1]

Aside from the rest of the heresies in the cult, the clear teaching from the book of Hebrews is that, aside from the original Melchizedek (who might have been Jesus), there is only one priest of the order of Melchizedek: the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone was given this priesthood with the oath of God. He alone confirms it through His resurrection. While we benefit from His priesthood, we ourselves are not Melchizedekian priests. The LDS (Mormon) doctrine is wrong, and even blasphemous. It puts men into the same order as our Lord Jesus, thus demoting Jesus and promoting men. – This is consistent with the rest of Mormonism’s heretical theology. Despite their claims, they are not Christians. They might share some ethical values promoted in the Bible, but they do not worship the same Savior.

—

Of Jesus’ unchanging, forever ministry…

25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

1. Jesus’ life means that Jesus is “able to save.” And when Jesus saves, He doesn’t save part-way; He saves “to the uttermost.” How long is He able to do it? Forever, because “He always lives.” What does He do in His forever-life? He makes “intercession” for “those who come to God through Him.” It doesn’t get better than this! What do we need? A qualified high priest. How long do we need Him? As long as we exist. Think about it: we don’t need Jesus only for this life, as long as our hearts continue beating here on this earth. We need Jesus for far longer. We need Jesus into eternity, because eternity is what is on the line for each of us. As long as Jesus saves us, we are saved; but if there happened to be a moment that Jesus’ work of intercession would be gone, so would we be immediately consumed in the wrath of God. We don’t just need Jesus’ work of salvation for the next 5-10-20 years; we need Him for the next 2000, 2Million, 2Trillion years!
   1. Thankfully, Jesus will never leave. His work will never run out. Remember from v24, He has an “unchangeable priesthood.” In v25, we are told “He always lives.” Jesus is never going to disappear. His intercessory work on our behalf will never falter, never fail. It will endure into eternity, being ever effective unto our eternal salvation.
   2. That isn’t only good news for heaven; that is good news for now. There will never be a day when you run out of the grace of God. You won’t wake up one morning to find Jesus saying, “Sorry, bud. You used it all up. I’ve got no more priestly ministry left for you.” When you belong to Jesus, abiding in Jesus, having faith in Jesus, then you forever belong to Him. He will always intercede on your behalf. His grace is always available to you.

26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

1. It is suitable (“fitting”) to have Jesus as our High Priest, because He is pure. You can’t ask for a priest better than Jesus. Was Aaron holy? To an extent, by the grace of God…but he wasn’t perfectly holy. No earthly Levitical priest was perfect because no human is perfect. But that is the kind of priest we need. We need someone who is like us, in that He understands us – but we also need someone who is different from us, who doesn’t fall the same way we do. That’s Jesus. He is like us in that He is also human, fully understanding our weaknesses toward sin. But He is unlike us in that He is God, being perfect in every respect. The author of Hebrews lists a few of these character traits:
   1. He is “holy,” speaking of piety, being devout.
   2. He is “harmless,” literally saying He is “not evil,” or guileless.
   3. He is “undefiled,” requiring no ritual to make Him pure, for He is inherently pure.
   4. He is “separate from sinners,” not in the holier-than-thou, ‘looking down his nose at us’ kind of separation. Rather, Jesus is separate from us simply because He has no sin. Although He took our sin upon Himself, He has never (nor will ever) experience the act itself of sinning against God. 
   5. He is “higher than the heavens,” translated by some Bibles as “exalted,” probably referring to Jesus’ nobility and glory far surpassing the heavens. Though He came to earth to dwell among sinners, He has been raised to the highest place, deserving of highest honors.
   6. Bottom line: No priest has a better character than Christ. He is the best there is, the best that will ever be. This is the priest we need, the one who can minister on our behalf into eternity.
2. Because of Jesus’ perfect purity and glory, He has no need to offer sacrifices for Himself. Other priests had to do this on a daily basis. Because they sinned every day, they needed to offer sacrifices for their own sins every day, before they could offer sacrifices on behalf of others. Not Jesus. His one sacrifice was Thus, our Priest is also our propitiation. 

28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

1. Although the law is good, when it appointed men as priests, it could appoint only those who were available. Of course, the only men available were sinful men, men full of weakness. This was part of the weakness of the priestly law itself (v18). But that is one more reason why the oath of God concerning the Melchizedekian priest is so much better. Although the law made priests out of weak, sinful men; the oath of God gave us the pure and perfect Son as our Priest.
2. And it is His own perfection which ties together this whole section. In v11, we saw that perfection did not come through the Levitical priests, although perfection is what we require. In v19, we saw that the law doesn’t make anything perfect, for that is not its function. Regarding perfection, it is weak and useless. But in v28, we find that Jesus is perfect, and “has been perfected forever.” What we need is perfection. We do not have it – we cannot achieve it nor earn it. But without the work of a perfect High Priest, we have no hope in God. Jesus is that perfect High Priest, forever appointed by God on our behalf, performing exactly the work we require.

Conclusion:

One of the potential downfalls of many evangelical Bible studies is that we always want to see ourselves in the text. We look for what it says about us, rather than first looking at what the text says. The truth is that it isn’t always about us. We aren’t always the intended audience. Although we can (and should!) find God’s intended application for our lives in a text, we shouldn’t first look for us in the text. First, we should look for what God was saying to the original audience in the original context. 

In this case, God’s word was given to Christians from a Hebrew background, and the author had a very difficult argument to make in front of faithful Hebrews. He had to argue why the priestly system commanded in the perfect law of God (and the only system they ever knew) was insufficient, and how even God’s word predicted a better priest…one that the rest of the nation didn’t naturally expect, but should now be obvious when looking back on Jesus.

That might be a tough argument to make, but it was important…even vital, to make it. Until these Hebrew Christians understood the Biblical validity of Jesus’ priesthood, they would have much reason to distrust the rest of the doctrines of Christianity. Instead of seeing it as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, they would see it as a different religion entirely, and go back to what they always knew.

So, it makes sense why the writer would spend so much time on these issues, carefully detailing the Biblical reasons why people (Jew and Gentile alike) can know that Jesus has a God-ordained priesthood, becoming our perfect High Priest despite His lineage from Judah. From a Jewish perspective, that is an important argument to make! 

That said, is Hebrews 7 meant only for a Hebrew audience? Or does it have any application to a (mostly) Gentile church? Of course it does! After all, it isn’t only those from the tribes of Israel who require the work of a high priest. The priest was there to atone for the sins of the people – the priest was there to serve as a mediator between the people and God – the priest was there to intercede on behalf of the people to God. Do not Gentiles require this as much as Jews? Do not Gentiles require a Biblically qualified priest as much as Jews? Of course! Think about it: If Jesus did not qualify as the perfect High Priest for Israel, then neither would He qualify as the perfect High Priest for the church. If Bible offered no support for Jesus to serve in the priestly role, then He would offer no priestly service for either Israel or the church. Unless Jesus perfectly fit Biblical qualifications and prophecy, He would not be the true Messiah…and we would have no hope.

It isn’t only Israel’s confidence in Jesus’ fulfillment of Scripture that provides a foundation for their faith in Him; it is ours, as well.

Beloved, we don’t just have ‘maybe-confidence’ that Jesus fits the qualifications of the Bible to save us. The idea that Jesus is both the qualified King and the qualified Priest is not mere assertion, an article of faith without foundation. It is the Biblical truth – it is a surety – it is established fact. We have every reason to hope in Christ, trusting Him as our “better hope,” because the oath of God and His physical resurrection testifies of His qualifications. Yes, we have faith, but we have informed reason for our faith, reason that is demonstrated in the Bible.

[1] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/melchizedek-priesthood?lang=eng