Hebrews -- Holding on to Jesusਨਮੂਨਾ

The Mysterious Priest

Have you ever had something that kept you from what you wanted? You wanted to go somewhere but the only road was closed. You wanted to lay out on the beach, but a storm rolled in. You wanted to buy something but the store just ran out of stock. It can be very frustrating when obstacles prevent something good from happening. This is also true in a spiritual sense.

When it comes to giving your life fully to Christ, everyone encounters some obstacle that stands in the way of complete surrender. For some, it’s an intellectual barrier: They need to be convinced that God’s way is the most logical and reasonable. For others, it’s an emotional or experiential hurdle: They need to know that God’s way is the most loving and trustworthy before they will surrender fully. Non-Christians have obstacles that prevent them from accepting Christ, but even Christians have obstacles that keep them from taking next steps and moving into spiritual maturity. This is true now and it was also true in the early church. Those obstacles are overcome, or they linger and prevent next steps from taking place.

In Hebrews 7, the author addresses one significant obstacle that particularly Jewish believers (and nonbelievers) were having a difficult time with: the priesthood of Jesus. These early Christians believed in Jesus as Messiah, but struggled with the idea of Him as High Priest. Why? One reason is that Jesus wasn’t from the tribe of Levi or the family of Aaron, the lineage required for priests under the law of Moses. To address this, the writer of Hebrews brings up an often-overlooked figure from Genesis 14: Melchizedek, king of Salem and “priest of the Most High God.” When Abraham defeated the coalition of kings who had taken Lot captive, he gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek, who blessed him. This moment was far more significant than we might think. It showed how Melchizedek held a position of spiritual authority even over Abraham, the father of the Hebrew and Jewish nation.

Melchizedek’s name means “king of righteousness,” and as king of Salem (an ancient name for Jerusalem), he was also “king of peace.” In him, we see a rare combination: both king and priest, something God did not allow in the Levitical system, where kings and priests had separate roles. This makes Melchizedek unique and a distinct foreshadowing of Jesus, who also would hold both titles in perfect unity. Unlike the Levitical priests, who received tithes by command, Melchizedek received them voluntarily from Abraham. This shows that his priesthood was superior to the Levitical one, which came much later. Even more, since Levi (and the entire priesthood) was still “in the loins” of Abraham at that time, it’s as if the whole Levitical system acknowledged Melchizedek’s greatness and authority through Abraham’s act of giving.

So why does this matter? Because Jesus is a priest not in the order of Aaron, but in the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4 prophetically says, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” This shows that God always intended to establish a greater, eternal priesthood, one not bound by lineage, law, or mortality. Unlike the priests under the law of Moses, Jesus’ priesthood is not based on heredity, but on the power of an endless life. The Levitical priests lived, served, and died. But Jesus lives forever. His priesthood is unchangeable, unshakable, and eternal. That means our salvation is also secure and permanent. The priests’ sacrifices offered temporary atonement for sin. Jesus, the Great High Priest, offers a single sacrifice that is good for eternity.

Hebrews 7:25 (ESV) puts it beautifully: “Therefore He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Notice it doesn’t just say Jesus saves from the uttermost, but to the uttermost. There is no limit to His saving power. Because He lives forever, His priesthood never ends, and neither does His ability to intercede on our behalf.

One great question or thing to reflect on related to this is identifying what your obstacle is. Just as the Jewish believers wrestled with Jesus’s qualifications as High Priest, many today are stuck on their own intellectual or emotional roadblocks, questions about miracles, creation, suffering, or God’s justice. Don’t ignore these questions. Wrestle with them. Seek truth. Ask hard questions with a heart open to answers. Take steps to learn and understand from people who have gone before you. The author of Hebrews didn’t dismiss the Jewish Christians’ concerns; he addressed them with Scripture, reason, and revelation. In the same way, God invites you to bring your questions to Him. But don’t let your obstacles become permanent roadblocks. Work through them, so you can move on to maturity in Christ and experience the fullness of His eternal priesthood.