Scripture: Hebrews 7:1-3 (ESV)
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever."
Have you ever heard the poem "The Man Who Wasn't There" by Hughes Mearns? It’s about a mysterious figure who appears in the mind of the poet. He has no story, no one knows where he came from. He is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. It is a poem that deals with the inner turmoil of a person who is struggling with his own identity. While Melchizedek was certainly there, he is nevertheless a very mysterious figure in scripture. Melchizedek is the the ancient king-priest who meets Abraham in Genesis 14. Like the man who wasn’t there, Melchizedek suddenly pops up in the story without much introduction or backstory, and then disappears just as suddenly. The name Melchizedek means "King of Righteousness" and his title is "King of Salem". Which in the original translates to the King of Peace. Melchizedek is literally the Righteous King of Peace.
The writer of Hebrews draws on this mysterious figure to point us to something deeply profound about who Jesus is. Jesus is the ultimate Melchizedek - he is THE eternal righteous king of peace.
Now this is important for us because of role priests play. You see, humanity’s main problem is our broken relationship with God. We need someone who can stand in the gap, someone to acts as a priest on our behalf. Human priests, priest who come from the line of Levi, with their sins and their tendency to die after about 80 years are insufficient. We need better priests than Levitical priests. But Jesus isn’t a Levitical priest. He is a Melchizekedian priest - a timeless and forever kind of priest. And unlike the intercession human priest offered, Jesus’ intercession for us never ends.
And that is why we don’t need human priests anymore.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being our eternal high priest. Thank You for bridging the gap between us and God, for offering Yourself as the perfect sacrifice. Help us to trust in Your eternal priesthood and live in the peace and righteousness You provide. Amen.
Spiritual Challenge: Take time today to reflect on the peace and righteousness Jesus brings into your life. Identify one area where you need His peace, and pray for His presence to transform that part of your life.
A Different Kind of Priest