Hebrews 7: The Melchizedek Priesthood

 

The Jewish community in the first century had lingering doubts: Jesus brings pardon for our sins, but even so, is it still necessary to go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices? Furthermore, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, whereas priests were required to be descendants of Aaron. The key to resolving this question lies in Psalm 110:4:

4 The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110 is the most cited Old Testament passage in the New Testament. Jesus is revealed as the Messiah in Psalm 110; therefore, He is seated at the right hand of the Lord until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet (v. 1). In verse 4, Jesus is declared a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, meaning He is far greater than any high priest in first-century Jerusalem.

Because the Letter to the Hebrews was preserved and remains in our hands today, I believe the early Jewish community took this appeal to heart and stood firm in Jesus. He is our great High Priest—One who understands our weaknesses, intercedes for our sins, and treats us with deep compassion.

Hebrews 6: Jewish Christian Doubts Before the Fall of the Second Temple

 

Imagine a first-century community of Jewish believers. They were accustomed to going to the temple in Jerusalem for purification, relying on the High Priest to mediate on their behalf. Though they had received the gospel and believed in Jesus, they were now facing intense persecution.

Naturally, deep questions arose: How are our sins dealt with now? What is the role of the temple's High Priest if Jesus was truly the final sacrifice for our sins?

Hebrews 6 encourages this community to remain steadfast in Jesus. He is, in fact, our true High Priest. Rather than putting our hope in an earthly leader in Jerusalem, Christians are called to anchor their hope in Jesus—the High Priest who enters God’s presence and intercedes for us.

For this Jewish community living prior to AD 70, this text offered vital spiritual preparation. It prepared them for the impending destruction of the temple, an institution that had already fulfilled its purpose in God's plan.

Hebrews 5: Jesus Is Our High Priest

 

In the Old Testament, no one simply chose to become a high priest. It was a calling from the Lord given to Aaron and passed down to his descendants. Furthermore, the high priest knew he was a sinner who had to show compassion to other sinners when seeking the Lord’s forgiveness.

Jesus is our ultimate High Priest. As the Son of God, He was appointed to offer Himself to the Lord as a sacrifice for our sins. As we read in Hebrews 5:7–10:

"While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him."

As I draw nearer to death, Jesus has compassion on me. If Jesus learned trusting-obedience through what He suffered, who am I to try to escape this suffering? My Priest is with now. He will be with me in death.

Hebrews 4: Today, rest in the Kingdom of the Lord

Psalm 95:7–11

$7$ ... Today, if only you would hear his voice,

$8$ “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

$9$ where your ancestors tested me;

they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

$10$ For forty years I was angry with that generation;

I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

$11$ So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

The author of Hebrews focuses on the word “Today.” of this Psalm. The Lord expected His people to enter His resting place (the Promised Land), just as He expects His people to enter His kingdom today. The Promised Land was a shadow of His kingdom. Faith and obedience were necessary to enter the Promised Land; likewise, faith and obedience are necessary to enter His kingdom today. Those who enter will find true rest and peace.

Hebrews 3: Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

Jesus is greater than Moses: Jesus is the Son over God's house, whereas Moses was a servant in it. This means that rebelling against Jesus carries even greater weight—and greater consequences—than rebelling against Moses.

Hebrews 3:6–11 (The Message)

"Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in 'the bitter uprising,'
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, 'They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.'
Exasperated, I vowed,
'They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.'"

Just as there were severe consequences for rebelling in the wilderness during Moses' time, there are even greater consequences for turning away from Jesus today.
 

Hebrews 2: Jesus, the Champion/Pioneer of salvation

 

Jesus was sent by the Lord not as an elohim (a spiritual being or angel), but as a human being, so that He might experience human suffering and conquer death on the cross. Jesus is exalted far above the angels precisely because He became human and felt what we feel. He is our Pioneer and Champion who conquered death for us. Hebrews 2 references Psalm 22—a Messianic psalm that foretells the crucifixion—and draws from the passage immediately following the portrayal of suffering, where the Messiah joins His brothers and sisters in worship.

Hebrews 2:10–12 (The Message) It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

"I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you;

I’ll join them in worship and praise to you."

Hebrews 1: Jesus is the supreme revelation

 

The Letter to the Hebrews exhorts Jewish believers not to abandon their faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Out of all the nations on earth, the Lord chose Israel to reveal Himself, entrusting them with the prophets, the Law, and the covenant. Naturally, Jewish readers held Moses, the prophets, the angels, and the Torah in high esteem. However, Hebrews opens by declaring that Jesus is the ultimate and supreme revelation of God. He is the charaktēr (charaktēr)—the exact stamp and imprint of God's nature. Ultimately, to abandon Jesus is to abandon God Himself.

Hebrews 1:1–3 Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days, He has spoken to us directly through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He created the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.