Hebrews 8:1-2
The author states his main point: "we have such (referring back to the superior priestly order of Melchizedek) a high priest, who sat down forever (indicating that he is no longer offering sacrifices because his one sacrifice was enough for all people - if they accept it on their behalf - for all time. This means that his sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices offered in the old, levitical order) at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven (indicating the superior position of Christ as compared to the position of the earthly, levitical priests. Jesus has authourity and favour), and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being (making this tabernacle with its accompanying law or covenant, priestly order, and high priest superior to the the one made by human hands with its accompanying law, priestly order and high priests)."
What an amazing picture of Jesus! He is our priest. I no longer have to go through human mediators to get to God. I now have direct access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus. He mediates my access to the Father. His sacrifice has made it possible for me to be forgiven of all my sins for all time. His sacrifice demands that God, in his justice, not hold my sin against me, if I ask for forgiveness, because he has already held it against Christ. What a Saviour! What a new deal, or covenant, I have through Christ! This moves me to worship. What an amazing God who would pour out all the judgment I deserve on his Son so that I could become his son. What an amazing deal that Christ would give his life for me - his perfect, full, pure life - and take mine in return - my wavering, broken, sinful life. My heart cannot contain it. My mind cannot fathom it. I am so unworthy of it. What an amazing priest!
Showing posts with label great high priest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great high priest. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Perfect Priest
Hebrews 7:26-28
The author contrasts Jesus, the priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, with the priests under the Levitical system. The priests in the levitical order had to offer sacrifices continually, first to cover their own sins and then for the sins of the people. Jesus, as the great high priest, offered only one sacrifice when he offered himself as the perfect, eternal sacrifice on sinners' behalf. This supports the author's point that Jesus is the High Priest that we need; that in his perfection, holiness, blamelessness, purity, etc. he truly provides the way for us to be reconciled to God. This makes Jesus not only superior to the levitical priests and the Jewish temple rituals but it makes him perfect.
Again, I am reminded that my hope is built on nothing besides Jesus and that is all I need for hope, salvation, reconciliation and justification. By grace alone through faith alone.
The author contrasts Jesus, the priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, with the priests under the Levitical system. The priests in the levitical order had to offer sacrifices continually, first to cover their own sins and then for the sins of the people. Jesus, as the great high priest, offered only one sacrifice when he offered himself as the perfect, eternal sacrifice on sinners' behalf. This supports the author's point that Jesus is the High Priest that we need; that in his perfection, holiness, blamelessness, purity, etc. he truly provides the way for us to be reconciled to God. This makes Jesus not only superior to the levitical priests and the Jewish temple rituals but it makes him perfect.
Again, I am reminded that my hope is built on nothing besides Jesus and that is all I need for hope, salvation, reconciliation and justification. By grace alone through faith alone.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Eternal Priesthood
Hebrews 7:20-25
The author is continuing his sermon on Psalm 110:4, exploring the Melchizedek priestly order that Jesus has become high priest in. The author now focuses on the oath that God made to this priestly line, and to the Messiah in particular, and the new covenant that Jesus brings in as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. This goes back to the author's main point: the supremacy of Christ and of the new covenant.
He argues his point by contrasting the Melchizedek priestly order with the Levitical order: First, God has guaranteed that the Melchizedek order would be eternal, and that the Messiah would be the eternal high priest, by an oath; he has never made that guarantee to the Levitical order. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus rests securely on God's promise and oath and is therefore superior to the Levitical priesthood. Second, the Levitical priests were mortal and therefore there were a lot of them; Jesus' priesthood is eternal because Jesus lives forever. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus is superior because it lasts forever. This means that the covenant that we have under the priesthood of Christ is also superior in that it rests on God's oath, lasts as long as Jesus is high priest (forever!) and, therefore, we are offered a complete salvation (contrasted to the "partial" salvation available under the law).
My salvation rests in Christ's ability to intercede on my behalf. Because he is always alive, he is always able to point to his blood that was the payment for all my sins. When I ask for forgiveness, Christ, as high priest, takes that request to his Father, pointing to his shed blood which demands that God forgive my sin because Jesus has already paid for it and it would be unjust for God to demand two payments. What an incredible plan God has brought! What a great salvation has been purchased on my behalf! There is no reason to fear that God's mercy will ever run out because my forgiveness depends as much on his justice as it does his mercy. Jesus sacrifice completely and forever satisfies the justice of God and I am saved for all time in all areas of my life. Thank-you for saving me! What can I say?
The author is continuing his sermon on Psalm 110:4, exploring the Melchizedek priestly order that Jesus has become high priest in. The author now focuses on the oath that God made to this priestly line, and to the Messiah in particular, and the new covenant that Jesus brings in as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. This goes back to the author's main point: the supremacy of Christ and of the new covenant.
He argues his point by contrasting the Melchizedek priestly order with the Levitical order: First, God has guaranteed that the Melchizedek order would be eternal, and that the Messiah would be the eternal high priest, by an oath; he has never made that guarantee to the Levitical order. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus rests securely on God's promise and oath and is therefore superior to the Levitical priesthood. Second, the Levitical priests were mortal and therefore there were a lot of them; Jesus' priesthood is eternal because Jesus lives forever. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus is superior because it lasts forever. This means that the covenant that we have under the priesthood of Christ is also superior in that it rests on God's oath, lasts as long as Jesus is high priest (forever!) and, therefore, we are offered a complete salvation (contrasted to the "partial" salvation available under the law).
My salvation rests in Christ's ability to intercede on my behalf. Because he is always alive, he is always able to point to his blood that was the payment for all my sins. When I ask for forgiveness, Christ, as high priest, takes that request to his Father, pointing to his shed blood which demands that God forgive my sin because Jesus has already paid for it and it would be unjust for God to demand two payments. What an incredible plan God has brought! What a great salvation has been purchased on my behalf! There is no reason to fear that God's mercy will ever run out because my forgiveness depends as much on his justice as it does his mercy. Jesus sacrifice completely and forever satisfies the justice of God and I am saved for all time in all areas of my life. Thank-you for saving me! What can I say?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Priesthood of Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:11-19
It's certainly true that the author is going to leave the elementary teachings! This is some tough stuff to figure out. Basically the author is comparing the Levitical system to the new system that has been brought in under Christ. So the key words in this section are: priesthood, law, change, hope. The author is continuing his exposition of Psalm 110:4 (You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek). The author has explored who Melchizedek was and why his priesthood was greater than the Levitical priesthood (see the previous post). Now the author is setting out to prove that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek and therefore fulfills Psalm 110:4. This is to prove the greater point of the supremacy of Christ over any Jewish system, covenant or ritual. The author uses the following points to prove his point: 1) The eternal nature of the Melchizedek order indicates that the Levitical order was not enough to achieve perfection. Therefore the Melchizedek order is better than the Levitical order. 2) With a change in priesthood comes a change in the law. It is only possible for Jesus to be a high priest if there is a change in the law since under the Old Covenant, only descendants of Levi could be priests and only descendants of Aaron could be high priests. Since the Melchizedek order is greater than the Levitical order, then the covenant that the new order brings in must be greater than the covenant that existed under the Levitical order. 3) Jesus did not belong to the tribe of Levi or the line of Aaron. Therefore he could not be a high priest in the Levitical order under the old covenant. Jesus becomes a high priest by virtue of his indestructible life (his resurrection) and therefore fulfills the "forever" part of Psalm 110:4. 4) Through the resurrection of Christ, the Melchizedek order has been brought in and with it a new covenant which offers us a new hope - a better hope.
Not only is Jesus both Priest and King, just like Melchizedek, he has made us to be a kingdom of priests. This means that we, as disciples of Christ, are to be facilitating the worship of our families, of our fellow disciples and of those who do not yet know Christ. The question for me is: am I facilitating access to God through Christ or am I building structures, barriers, rituals, etc. that are keeping people from Christ? This does not mean that structures and rituals are bad. It just means that they must be a means to helping people connect to Christ. We have a structure and an order to our youth nights. However, the structure is not the point - the point is that students have the opportunity to connect with Christ and we use the structure to make that possible. So, what structures am I creating? Are they helping others (and myself) to connect to Christ or erecting barriers that are preventing access?
It's certainly true that the author is going to leave the elementary teachings! This is some tough stuff to figure out. Basically the author is comparing the Levitical system to the new system that has been brought in under Christ. So the key words in this section are: priesthood, law, change, hope. The author is continuing his exposition of Psalm 110:4 (You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek). The author has explored who Melchizedek was and why his priesthood was greater than the Levitical priesthood (see the previous post). Now the author is setting out to prove that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek and therefore fulfills Psalm 110:4. This is to prove the greater point of the supremacy of Christ over any Jewish system, covenant or ritual. The author uses the following points to prove his point: 1) The eternal nature of the Melchizedek order indicates that the Levitical order was not enough to achieve perfection. Therefore the Melchizedek order is better than the Levitical order. 2) With a change in priesthood comes a change in the law. It is only possible for Jesus to be a high priest if there is a change in the law since under the Old Covenant, only descendants of Levi could be priests and only descendants of Aaron could be high priests. Since the Melchizedek order is greater than the Levitical order, then the covenant that the new order brings in must be greater than the covenant that existed under the Levitical order. 3) Jesus did not belong to the tribe of Levi or the line of Aaron. Therefore he could not be a high priest in the Levitical order under the old covenant. Jesus becomes a high priest by virtue of his indestructible life (his resurrection) and therefore fulfills the "forever" part of Psalm 110:4. 4) Through the resurrection of Christ, the Melchizedek order has been brought in and with it a new covenant which offers us a new hope - a better hope.
Not only is Jesus both Priest and King, just like Melchizedek, he has made us to be a kingdom of priests. This means that we, as disciples of Christ, are to be facilitating the worship of our families, of our fellow disciples and of those who do not yet know Christ. The question for me is: am I facilitating access to God through Christ or am I building structures, barriers, rituals, etc. that are keeping people from Christ? This does not mean that structures and rituals are bad. It just means that they must be a means to helping people connect to Christ. We have a structure and an order to our youth nights. However, the structure is not the point - the point is that students have the opportunity to connect with Christ and we use the structure to make that possible. So, what structures am I creating? Are they helping others (and myself) to connect to Christ or erecting barriers that are preventing access?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Melchizedek
Hebrews 7:1-10
This Melchizedek character is a bit mysterious. He shows up in only two other places: once in Genesis 14 where we learn that he is both a priest and king, that he blesses Abraham and that Abraham gives him a thithe. In all, the incident takes up three verses. The other place his name is mentioned is in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic psalm, acknowledging the dual role of priest and king that the Messiah will play. Melchizedek is found in one line: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." It is to that line that the author alludes to at the very end of chapter six - it is not quite a direct quote but so close that in a college paper, the prof would definitely require an aknowledgement of source.
From the amount of time that the author spends on Melchizedek here, more than in any other place in Scripture, it seems that Melchizedek is a revered figure in Hebrew legend. The author points out that he was greater than Abraham because he blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser) and because Abraham paid him a tithe. The author argues that as the father of all Jews, Abraham is the father of the Levites and therefore the Levites share in the tithe that Abraham paid to Melchizedek and concludes that the order of Melchizedek is greater than the order of the Levites. He is setting the argument that Jesus fulfills the role of both priest and king (and is therefore the Messiah) because whether or not he is a Levite, he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The author is returning to his main argument that Jesus is the pre-eminent high priest. He has argued so far that is ultimate because he empathizes with our temptations, he is in heaven and became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe. The author reminds me that it is all about Jesus. That in Jesus I have something infinitely greater than any religious system and that my life has been reorganized with Jesus at the center and everything else revolving around him.
This Melchizedek character is a bit mysterious. He shows up in only two other places: once in Genesis 14 where we learn that he is both a priest and king, that he blesses Abraham and that Abraham gives him a thithe. In all, the incident takes up three verses. The other place his name is mentioned is in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic psalm, acknowledging the dual role of priest and king that the Messiah will play. Melchizedek is found in one line: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." It is to that line that the author alludes to at the very end of chapter six - it is not quite a direct quote but so close that in a college paper, the prof would definitely require an aknowledgement of source.
From the amount of time that the author spends on Melchizedek here, more than in any other place in Scripture, it seems that Melchizedek is a revered figure in Hebrew legend. The author points out that he was greater than Abraham because he blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser) and because Abraham paid him a tithe. The author argues that as the father of all Jews, Abraham is the father of the Levites and therefore the Levites share in the tithe that Abraham paid to Melchizedek and concludes that the order of Melchizedek is greater than the order of the Levites. He is setting the argument that Jesus fulfills the role of both priest and king (and is therefore the Messiah) because whether or not he is a Levite, he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The author is returning to his main argument that Jesus is the pre-eminent high priest. He has argued so far that is ultimate because he empathizes with our temptations, he is in heaven and became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe. The author reminds me that it is all about Jesus. That in Jesus I have something infinitely greater than any religious system and that my life has been reorganized with Jesus at the center and everything else revolving around him.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The Weeping Messiah
Hebrews 5:7-10
This paragraph is part of the author's description of Jesus as the Great High Priest. In this paragraph he is focusing on Christ's priestly ministry of intercession for the people before God. The key themes are prayer and obedience. When the author talks about Jesus offering fervent prayers with cries and tears, I immediately think of the Garden of Gesthemane. I think the author has that in mind as well but the author also indicates that this was not the only time that Jesus prayed with such fervency. The author indicates that this was a normal pattern for Jesus.
There are a couple of interesting phrases or ideas in this paragraph. First, the author says that Jesus was heard when he prayed to the one who could deliver him from death. At first I was confused by that. I could make the argument that Jesus was heard, just as the Father hears all our prayers, but that the answer was "no". However, the author's point seems to be that we can trust Jesus as our Great High Priest because God heard and responded positively to his prayer to escape death and therefore, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf, we can expect positive answers to our prayers as well. After doing some investigating, I discovered that this is precisely the point of the author and was reminded that Jesus did escape death; the Father responded to his prayer by raising him to life again.
This is a reminder to me that God may not always respond to my prayers in the way that I initially want or expect him to but that he will respond in a way that will bring him maximum glory. I can trust Jesus, even when facing death, even when dying, because I know that I have a High Priest who has even gone through and conquered death.
The second interesting phrase is: "once made perfect". This challenges my belief that Jesus was perfect because, right from conception, miracles had prevented him from inheriting the sin nature common to humanity and because he was fully God. The author's point is not that Jesus had some imperfection to work through and, after his time of obedience, his record was wiped clean and he was made perfect. The author's point is that as Jesus grew and developed as a human being he continued to face tests of obedience and as he continued to respond in submission to God he continued to work out and display his perfection. I can remember when I played volleyball and my dad was coaching. I was a terrible server. My dad would pull me off the court whenever it was my time to serve because I sucked! My dad also kept service stats that he'd post on the bulletin board outside the gym. I remember one time I went 0 for 0. I could say that I served a perfect game. However, I had not served at all. I think that's what the author was saying about Jesus. He was perfect but only as far as his obedience and perfection was tested. In Jesus' life, it was tested to the utmost. There is no greater test of obedience and Jesus passed it with flying colours, displaying his perfection. It is upon this life of perfect obedience that we now have hope for eternal life and for our own ultimate perfecting.
Here's what I know from this passage: I can trust Jesus as my intercessor and high priest because he is passionate in his prayer, because God hears and responds to his requests and because he is the only person who has earned the right to stand before God by his perfect life of obedience and submission. So, why do I pray so little?
This paragraph is part of the author's description of Jesus as the Great High Priest. In this paragraph he is focusing on Christ's priestly ministry of intercession for the people before God. The key themes are prayer and obedience. When the author talks about Jesus offering fervent prayers with cries and tears, I immediately think of the Garden of Gesthemane. I think the author has that in mind as well but the author also indicates that this was not the only time that Jesus prayed with such fervency. The author indicates that this was a normal pattern for Jesus.
There are a couple of interesting phrases or ideas in this paragraph. First, the author says that Jesus was heard when he prayed to the one who could deliver him from death. At first I was confused by that. I could make the argument that Jesus was heard, just as the Father hears all our prayers, but that the answer was "no". However, the author's point seems to be that we can trust Jesus as our Great High Priest because God heard and responded positively to his prayer to escape death and therefore, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf, we can expect positive answers to our prayers as well. After doing some investigating, I discovered that this is precisely the point of the author and was reminded that Jesus did escape death; the Father responded to his prayer by raising him to life again.
This is a reminder to me that God may not always respond to my prayers in the way that I initially want or expect him to but that he will respond in a way that will bring him maximum glory. I can trust Jesus, even when facing death, even when dying, because I know that I have a High Priest who has even gone through and conquered death.
The second interesting phrase is: "once made perfect". This challenges my belief that Jesus was perfect because, right from conception, miracles had prevented him from inheriting the sin nature common to humanity and because he was fully God. The author's point is not that Jesus had some imperfection to work through and, after his time of obedience, his record was wiped clean and he was made perfect. The author's point is that as Jesus grew and developed as a human being he continued to face tests of obedience and as he continued to respond in submission to God he continued to work out and display his perfection. I can remember when I played volleyball and my dad was coaching. I was a terrible server. My dad would pull me off the court whenever it was my time to serve because I sucked! My dad also kept service stats that he'd post on the bulletin board outside the gym. I remember one time I went 0 for 0. I could say that I served a perfect game. However, I had not served at all. I think that's what the author was saying about Jesus. He was perfect but only as far as his obedience and perfection was tested. In Jesus' life, it was tested to the utmost. There is no greater test of obedience and Jesus passed it with flying colours, displaying his perfection. It is upon this life of perfect obedience that we now have hope for eternal life and for our own ultimate perfecting.
Here's what I know from this passage: I can trust Jesus as my intercessor and high priest because he is passionate in his prayer, because God hears and responds to his requests and because he is the only person who has earned the right to stand before God by his perfect life of obedience and submission. So, why do I pray so little?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Priest of the People
Hebrews 5:1-6
This continues the author's teaching about Jesus being the great high priest. The first paragraph of this section deals with the qualifications of the high priest: one of the people, represents the people to God, called by God. I think the part that speaks most loudly to me is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness." I am not a priest by virtue of my being a pastor. I am a priest by virtue of my being a disciple of Christ. Jesus has created a kingdom of priests. We all have direct access to the Holy Presence of God through Christ and we all have the responsibility to come before God on behalf of each other. As a pastor, I have even greater responsibility in some ways to shepherd and teach people in a way that reflects the glory and character of God. I know that I have not always dealt gently with those who are going astray. I have forgotten that I am also subject to weakness and have more often played the role of the prophet than the priest. I pray that God would increase my priestly heart.
The author's point is that Jesus did not take the authourity of being a high priest on himself but that he was appointed by God. The author uses two quotes from two Psalms to support his point. The first is from Psalm 2 which was likely sung at a king's coronation. This is frequently used as a Messianic psalm in the NT, meaning that while it had a direct historical fulfillment in the coronation of kings, that it was ultimately fulfilled in in Christ. The second is from Psalm 110. This is again has several Messianic themes in it, especially the joining of the office of King and Priest. The author introduces the theme of the "order of Melchizedek". He will pick up on this them later.
Again, for the author, it's all about Jesus. He points to Jesus as our Supreme High Priest: from the people, familiar with our weaknesses, tempted with our temptations, appointed by God to represent us before God. What a glorious picture of Christ!
This continues the author's teaching about Jesus being the great high priest. The first paragraph of this section deals with the qualifications of the high priest: one of the people, represents the people to God, called by God. I think the part that speaks most loudly to me is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness." I am not a priest by virtue of my being a pastor. I am a priest by virtue of my being a disciple of Christ. Jesus has created a kingdom of priests. We all have direct access to the Holy Presence of God through Christ and we all have the responsibility to come before God on behalf of each other. As a pastor, I have even greater responsibility in some ways to shepherd and teach people in a way that reflects the glory and character of God. I know that I have not always dealt gently with those who are going astray. I have forgotten that I am also subject to weakness and have more often played the role of the prophet than the priest. I pray that God would increase my priestly heart.
The author's point is that Jesus did not take the authourity of being a high priest on himself but that he was appointed by God. The author uses two quotes from two Psalms to support his point. The first is from Psalm 2 which was likely sung at a king's coronation. This is frequently used as a Messianic psalm in the NT, meaning that while it had a direct historical fulfillment in the coronation of kings, that it was ultimately fulfilled in in Christ. The second is from Psalm 110. This is again has several Messianic themes in it, especially the joining of the office of King and Priest. The author introduces the theme of the "order of Melchizedek". He will pick up on this them later.
Again, for the author, it's all about Jesus. He points to Jesus as our Supreme High Priest: from the people, familiar with our weaknesses, tempted with our temptations, appointed by God to represent us before God. What a glorious picture of Christ!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Supreme High Priest
Hebrews 4:14-16
The word "therefore" threw me for a loop. I was looking back at the previous flow of thought from the rest of chapter four and I just couldn't figure out how the author could, in my understanding, jump from a discussion on obeying God's Word in order to enter God's Sabbath rest to Jesus being the great high priest. Turns out I wasn't looking back far enough to catch the author's train of thought. Thankfully Pastor Steve pointed me in the right direction: I had to back to the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three: Jesus, in becoming like us, became our merciful and faithful high priest who is able to enter into our temptations and suffering(2:17-18) therefore, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (4:14).
There are multiple interwoven arguments and themes because holding on to the faith we profess is the theme of the previous section but the motivation for holding on to faith is the rest we can achieve when we do. Now the author turns back to his previous motivation: that Jesus empathizes with our weakness and enters into our suffering but did it without falling into sin. This gives us confidence to approach the throne of God, knowing that he hears our prayers and empathizes with our needs.
Again the author's main point is the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is the supreme high priest because he allows us direct access to the throne of God. There is no longer a veil. Also, he empathizes with and enters into our pain.
The word "therefore" threw me for a loop. I was looking back at the previous flow of thought from the rest of chapter four and I just couldn't figure out how the author could, in my understanding, jump from a discussion on obeying God's Word in order to enter God's Sabbath rest to Jesus being the great high priest. Turns out I wasn't looking back far enough to catch the author's train of thought. Thankfully Pastor Steve pointed me in the right direction: I had to back to the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three: Jesus, in becoming like us, became our merciful and faithful high priest who is able to enter into our temptations and suffering(2:17-18) therefore, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (4:14).
There are multiple interwoven arguments and themes because holding on to the faith we profess is the theme of the previous section but the motivation for holding on to faith is the rest we can achieve when we do. Now the author turns back to his previous motivation: that Jesus empathizes with our weakness and enters into our suffering but did it without falling into sin. This gives us confidence to approach the throne of God, knowing that he hears our prayers and empathizes with our needs.
Again the author's main point is the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is the supreme high priest because he allows us direct access to the throne of God. There is no longer a veil. Also, he empathizes with and enters into our pain.
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