Good Morning Friends,
The seventh chapter of Hebrews presents an
interesting argument. I’d encourage you to read the whole chapter. The basic
point of the chapter is that we have a different kind of priest in Jesus.
The law set up very specific regulations
about who would be priests among the Jews. All priests were descendants of
Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. And of the descendants of Levi, most were
only servants in the Temple, only the branch descended from Aaron could
actually be priests.
But Jesus didn’t descend from Levi. He was of
the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14). No one from that tribe had ever been a
priest before. Jesus didn’t become a priest for us by having the right
ancestry. Rather, “he has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as
to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.”
(Hebrews 7:16)
In Jesus, we have a better priest than ever
served in the Temple. All of those priests had a significant limitation, they
were human, mortal, they all died. But Jesus lives forever, and is our priest
forever. “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them
from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent
priesthood.” (Hebrews 7:23-24)
And what does it mean that we have a
different priest, a better priest, an eternal priest? “Therefore he is able to save completely
those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for
them. Such a high priest meets our need -- one who is holy, blameless, pure,
set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:25-26)
Jesus is not qualified by ancestry. He is
qualified by God’s declaration and by His own perfection. And, therefore, we
can trust completely that what He promises to be able to do, He can do perfectly.
We have a perfect priest who will always be in the Heavenly Temple, interceding
for us.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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