Title: The High Priesthood of Jesus
(28) Jesus' office as high priest
(Hebrews 5:5-10)
1. Jesus' priesthood
Jesus' office as high priest could not be received in the spiritual state he was in the Word. Because all of God's people are shrouded in weakness, it is impossible without becoming a human being, because in order to take on the office of high priest for such a people, he must also be enveloped in weakness. Please see Hebrews 4:14-15. He said that He was sympathetic to our weaknesses and in all things was tempted as we are.
To such a Christ, God has given us the office of high priest. It is saying that he did not take this office by himself, but he was given this office by the election of God and the calling like Aaron. Look at the words in verse 6. However, it is revealed that God's command here is fundamentally different from the case of Aaron. He made it clear that Jesus' office as high priest was not as a high priest according to the order of Aaron, but according to the command to be a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
2. Why I Followed the Order of Melchizedek
Here we must understand why Jesus became a priest who followed the order of Melchaizedek and not Aaron. When God appointed Aaron as high priest, it was when He gave the Law to the people of Israel. So, the high priests of the Old Testament offered a sin offering to God and prayed for the people of Israel who sinned under the law. Then, through Jesus Christ, we were redeemed from the law. God's people were no longer subject to the law and were left under grace. In John 1:17 it says, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
God abolished the old covenant and established a new covenant. God did not establish Christ as the high priest of the old covenant, but rather as the high priest of the new covenant. In the old covenant, only those who are descendants of Aaron and those who have been called by God are qualified to be high priests. Therefore, Christ cannot become a high priest because he is a descendant of the tribe of Judah, not of Levi. But Jesus, who was chosen and called as the high priest of the covenant of grace, was not Aaron, but was appointed as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Since the words about Melchizedek appear in Hebrews 7, I will only briefly explain them here. Please see Genesis 14:18-20.
(1) Melchizedek was a king of Salem and a priest of God. According to the law, a king cannot be a priest. But because Melchizedek was not a priest under the law, he did not need to be bound by the law. Because he came as our King and as our high priest, he deserves to be a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
(2) When Melchizedek, the next king and priest, appeared to Abraham, he did not bring the blood of sheep, calves, or goats. They brought bread and wine. What does this mean? The bread symbolizes the flesh of Christ, and the wine symbolizes the blood of Christ. The high priesthood of Jesus was accomplished through his body and blood. That body is the propitiation sacrifice that was torn for us. His blood is the sin offering to atone for our sins.
(3) Next, Melchizedek never transferred his priesthood to anyone else, and he appeared once and said nothing after that. The reason is that there was no priest who could take over the priesthood of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a symbolic figure of Christ. Melchizedek's priesthood and kingship were transferred to Jesus Christ.
(4) Next, Melchizedek was not a priest established by lineage or genealogy, but a priest established by God's direct call.
Conclusion: God made his Son the high priest for the redemption of sinners. This is the One who has experienced our weaknesses firsthand, who understands us when we are in trouble, who helps us when we are tempted, who understands us more than anyone when we sin and can have mercy on us. it's god This is our High Priest, who is praying to God for our complete salvation even at this time in the Most Holy of Heaven. Please order this person.