Hebrews 7- Jesus is… Melchizedek?

There is good reason for scholars to debate about the identity of Melchizedek, the way that the writer describes him gives the reader an impression that he is somewhat of an otherworldly fellow and there is a lot said in Hebrews 7 that we have to wrestle with. In my estimation, Melchizedek was a very righteous and peaceful man and perhaps an image of Christ, but not the pre-incarnate Christ as some have deduced. His very name meant “king of peace” and “king of righteousness.”

In Hebrews 7:1 it says that he was the king of Salem, priest of the Most High God. Salem was another name for ancient Jerusalem, which I find interesting because Jesus will be the King and High priest of Jerusalem in the age to come. When Abraham encountered him in the valley of Shaveh (located just outside of Jerusalem) in Genesis 14, Melchizedek offered him bread and wine. I believe he encountered Abraham here as a foreshadowing of Christ. Bread and wine were the common food for royals in that day, it was also the food often enjoyed in a covenant making meal. These aspects of Melchizedek’s life serve as a foreshadowing of Jesus who was yet to come!

Hebrews 7:3 goes on to say that he was “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.” Without parents and genealogy doesn’t have to mean that he appeared on the earth without a mother or a father, he could have been orphaned, and left without a traceable lineage(complete speculation here). Psalm 68:5 says that God is a father to the fatherless. An important word to note in verse three is the word “like”, Melchizedek was made “like” the Son of God, not made “the” Son of God. According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew word for “like”, ἀφομοιόω, is defined, “to cause a model to pass off into an image or shape like it, to express itself in it, to copy, or to be made like, render similar.”

If Jesus is high priest in the order of Melchizedek as the writer of Hebrews has already established and Melchizedek was simply a priest of the Most High God, Jesus is clearly placed in a role above him, therefore it is unlikely they are the same person.

Melchizedek was renowned as a very righteous man and was very dear to the heart of God. My guess is that he ministered before the Lord’s heart in a very intimate way as God had intended for humanity before the fall, like Enoch did in Genesis 5, and he lived a priestly role in Jerusalem before the Levitical priesthood was even a sparkle in Israel’s eye. Therefore, he was chosen by God according to the criteria that we have discussed from chapter 5 of Hebrews as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

If I were to speculate on who he is and where he is right now, I would say that he was a human, named Melchizedek, king of Salem, called a priest because he ministered to the heart of the Lord (even before the temple was established), so radically faithful and holy in the way he served the Lord in his life that the Lord took him up and he is a priest in the heavenly temple as we speak. I would even venture to guess that he is one of the 24 elders seated around the throne. That is how I would conclude the fact that he had no end of days… But, we have nothing to my knowledge that has been written in the bible or in history about that so I will keep this as my personal conviction and not something that I would teach as truth. 🙂

Hebrews 10- Jesus, the final sacrifice

Hebrews chapters 9 and 10 speak about the changing of the old covenant into the new. They offer a comparison of the two, revealing the imperfections of the old covenant. As the Mosaic covenant required the sacrifice and blood of animals, Jesus came and offered His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice and payment for sin. (Hebrews 9:11-12) The high priest of the tabernacle of Moses could enter the Holy of Holies once per year on atonement day to offer an atoning sacrifice on behalf of the people. (Hebrews 9:6-10) But in the new covenant, Jesus offered His own blood and tore the veil so that through Him as the great High Priest, believers can enter the presence of the Lord. (Hebrews 9:11-15, 23-26) The new covenant not only offers forgiveness of sins but also a cleansing of the consciousness. The old covenant caused the Lord’s people to remember their sin year after year because it was impossible for the imperfect sacrifice of blood and bulls to take away sin. (Hebrews 10:1) By one offering, Jesus has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

The church to whom the book of Hebrews was written was deeply rooted in the sanctions of the law. Even though they had access to the benefits of the new covenant, they under under the burden of the law. The writer went on to exhort them in verse 19 to stand before the Lord in boldness. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for them to dissolve all their presuppositions of the Lord and His law. Knowing this, the writer assured them that the Lord is eager to forgive, eager for relationship, eager for their sincere love. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

The writer finishes His exhortation with a warning against false grace. He encourages the believers not to take the sacrifice of Jesus lightly, but rather pursue the fear of the Lord, lest they be judged for their willful sin. (Hebrews 10:26-31)

Hebrews 6- Jesus, faithful One

The Hebrews to whom this book was written were in a defining time, they were faced with the decision of holding fast to their faith in Jesus and His new covenant priesthood or returning to second temple Judaism. Having already established in previous chapters the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the propitiation for the sins of both Jew and Gentile alike, as well as identified the statutes of the new covenant of which Jesus is the High priest, the writer boldly states that one can lose the reward of eternal rest if they fall away. “For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put [Him] to an open shame.” (v. 4-6) This passage is stating simply that if the believers return to Judaism and the law they will not inherit salvation. The veil had been torn between humanity and God when Christ paid for sin at the cross, replacing the old covenant with the new covenant, thus, forsaking Jesus would lead to eternal damnation.

This chapter not only shows the harsh circumstances for falling away but it also exemplifies the mercy of God and His desire for His people to return to Him in repentance. Jesus faced more persecution than they could possibly imagine, yet He remained faithful to the Father. Therefore, the Lord requires the same response from His people. He doesn’t distance Himself from their weakness though, Jesus, through the cross is well acquainted with their suffering and ultimately compassionate with them. “God [is] not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, [in that] you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (v.10) Therefore, it is possible for one to harden ones heart to the point of no return, but even in that place, the Lord longs to restore that heart into Himself because His mercy triumphs over judgement.

Hebrews 5- Jesus, our High Priest

Chapter 5 of Hebrews lays out the criteria for the order of Melchizedek. Up until this point, the writer has established who Jesus is and how the body is called to imitate His obedience to the Father. Jesus was fully obedient and perfect in His faith in the Father which qualified Him for His role as the great High Priest. (4:15) The criteria for the priesthood, as noted in chapter 5 include: the priest must be taken from among men (5:1), they must be subject to weakness in order to have compassion on others (5:2), and they must be called by God (5:4-5). Jesus became the high priest in the priesthood of the new covenant, for the old covenant priesthood had passed away and the order of Melchizedek had taken its place.(5:9-11)

Jesus, unlike the Levitical priests, was from the tribe of Judah. The old covenant priesthood required its members to be from the tribe of Levi, the new covenant priesthood is selected by the Father. Jesus was appointed by God as the High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a gentile during the time of Abraham who ministered to the Lord as a king and a priest of Salem which is modern-day Jerusalem. (Genesis 14) I believe his faith and righteousness before the Lord utterly captivated the heart of the Father. He was a priest before the Lord before there was even such thing, never before had there been a priest to the Unseen God before Melchizedek existed. He began a priesthood that began by faith and will continue in faith for eternity! We are invited into this priesthood as believers, it is our eternal destiny!