The Perfect Priest

The seventh sunday of easter

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

Hebrews 7:11-27

11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who 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. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

18 The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19 (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. 20 And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 
‘You are a priest forever.’”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. (NIV)

You may have heard about the perfect pastor chain letter before, but I think it bears repeating:

The results of a computerized survey indicate the perfect minister preaches exactly fifteen minutes. He condemns sins but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 AM until midnight and is also a janitor. He makes $50 a week, wears good clothes, buys good books, drives a good car, and gives about $50 weekly to the poor. He is 28 years old and has preached 30 years. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with senior citizens. Theperfect minister smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls daily on congregation families, shut-ins and the hospitalized, and is always in his office when needed.

If your minister does not measure up, simply send this letter to six other churches that are tired of their minister, too. Then bundle up your minister and send him to the church on the top of the list. In one week, you will receive 1,643 ministers and one of them will be perfect. Have faith in this procedure. One chuch broke the chain and got its old minister back in less than three weeks....so don't break the chain (source unknown).

I believe – or perhaps I should say I hope – that description of the perfect pastor is not intended to be taken seriously.  If it is, I regret to share with you the breaking news that you are out of luck in the “perfect pastor” department.  But, kidding aside, while all pastors are far from perfect, God’s Word this morning assures us that in Jesus Christ, we do have The Perfect Priest.

The book of Hebrews centers on the theme of Christ’s superiority.  While we cannot say with certainly who the author of Hebrews is, the intended audience appears to be pretty clear.  There was a movement among some Jewish Christians to abandon their newfound faith in Christ and return back to Judaism, which for many would have been like a security blanket in the face of persecution for the early Christian Church.  It would have provided familiarity with its well-known rules and regulations.  It seemed to provide a certain pedigree when it came to Moses and ancestral roots.  It also had the draw of the long-established history and tradition of the priesthood. 

To draw a modern-day parallel, the appeal to run to “form” and “history” and “tradition” isn’t completely unheard of in the Church.  Occasionally, when a Christian has been a part of the branch of Christianity that has Evangelical or Baptist roots, he can become fascinated with certain aspects of what are often considered the more “orthodox” circles of Christianity, like the Roman Catholic Church, for example.  The historical pattern of worship known as the liturgy can have an appeal which perhaps seems to be “more religious” than the less-structured “praise” worship he’s used to.  Compared to having a self-appointed pastor who started his own church as a mission plant, who may or may not have ever been theologically trained, there can also be something appealing about a clergy of priests, bishops, and the papacy, all of which have much more history behind them.  The inclination might be to think that the religion with the most forms of religiosity and the longest historical traditions must be the right one.

The writer to the Hebrews was setting out to convince his audience of Jewish Christians that that was not the case when it came to abandoning Christianity for Judaism, because Christ was superior in every way.  In chapter seven of the letter, which serves as our focus this morning, the question of the priesthood was being addressed.  This chapter beautifully compares the established Jewish priesthood – the Levitical priesthood – with the priesthood of Christ, showing that in every way, Christ’s priesthood far surpasses the Levitical priesthood.

A little background on Melchizedek will prove helpful for understanding this section of Hebrews.  Melchizedek is a mysterious individual mentioned on but a few occasions in the Bible. We are first introduced to him during the life of Abraham.  After rescuing his nephew Lot, who had been taken captive after a recent battle, Abraham returned and was met by Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both king of Salem, and a priest of God.  Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tithe.  And just as abruptly as Melchizedek appeared on the scene, he was gone.  He is then mentioned again in the Psalms, and here in the book of Hebrews. 

So what is the significance of this Melchizedek?  The writer to the Hebrews makes it clear that he is special in a unique way: he is a type of Christ.  When you look at an accurately painted portrait of a person, you can tell who it is you’re looking at.  You are not seeing the person in the flesh, but the portrait depicts the person clearly enough that you are able to identify the individual.  So Melchizedek is a portrait of Christ.  The incarnation had not yet happened; Jesus had not taken on human flesh.  Yet, when we look at Melchizedek, we see Christ. 

Consider the identifying characteristics the two share.  Melchizedek was both a king and a priest, as is Christ.  The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and he hailed from Salem, which means “peace.”  Both righteousness and peace are names/titles attributed to Christ as well (cf. Jer. 23:6 and Is. 9:6).  Melchizedek, like Christ, has no beginning and no end, for we know nothing of his genealogy, his parents, or his birth, and have no record of his death.  And, they both exist continually – Melchizedek will always serve as a type of Christ, and Christ is of course eternal. 

The writer to the Hebrews spills no small amount of ink on this Melchizedek, and in doing so he successfully shows how the priesthood of Melchizedek is better than the Levitical priesthood.  But that is to merely establish the foundation so that one might be able then to draw this main conclusion: if Melchizedek’s priesthood surpasses the Levitical priesthood, and Melchizedek is merely a type of Christ, then how superior Christ must be!  Why would one return to Judaism with its inferior priesthood when Jesus Christ is the superior priest???

Is more evidence needed to prove the point?  The author explains, “And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who 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. For it is declared, ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’” (v.15-17).  Levites became priests because they were Levites; they became priests because of their lineage.  Christ’s priesthood, though, was not his simply because he had the right ancestors or family line; rather, his priesthood was bestowed upon him because of his inherent merit.  What’s more, where Levites would inevitably die and the priesthood would be passed on down to another and another and another, Christ’s priesthood would always remain his, for he is eternal.  Finally, there was never an oath or promise given to the Levites that they would retain the priesthood forever.  However, such a promise was included in the prophetic words of David’s Psalm in reference to Jesus, that he would be a priest forever.  “Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant” (v.22).  Who could refuse a guarantee like that? - a better covenant – a one-sided covenant – where God carries out all the work and we reap the benefits.  Again, why would anyone return to Judaism with its inferior and temporary priesthood when Jesus Christ, the superior priest will retain his priesthood permanently, forever???

Since his priesthood is permanent, “[Christ] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (v.25).  The priests of the tribe of Levi could offer sacrifices repeatedly on a daily basis.  But it didn’t matter – such sacrifices couldn’t save.  All they served to do was point ahead to the ultimate sacrifice – Jesus – who alone could save completely. 

“He is able to save completely those who come to God through him.”  Think of what that means.  There’s no unfinished business when it comes to your salvation. There’s no missed payments.  It’s complete, and it’s completely taken care of by Jesus.  Your salvation is not a shared venture where Christ does a little and you do a little.  He does it completely.  Only he could because “Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (v.26).  Holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners… how many different ways does one need to say it?  Only Jesus could serve as our Perfect Priest, for only Jesus was without sin.  A “good guy” wouldn’t have been sufficient.  A “fine teacher of morality” wouldn’t have cut it.  Only a sinless Substitute could serve as our Perfect Priest.  And Jesus did – “once for all,” as we’re told in verse 27.  His death on Calvary was the one-time sacrifice, and it covered all people; it covered you.

That makes a difference in a life wrought with much that has and will continue to let you down.  Things don’t work out the way they were planned.  No one’s perfect.  In a lot of cases there is just nothing you can do about it.  But you can choose to put it all in perspective, because here’s the bottom-line: none of it matters.  That is, none of it matters in the grand scheme of eternity.  Your eternity, now that matters.  Where you will spend it – that matters.  And so having the Perfect Priest matters because he is the one who has determined our eternity by offering himself up as the perfect sacrifice.  Yet even after doing so, he wanted to remain serving you as your Perfect Priest, so he didn’t stay dead, as every single animal sacrifice ever offered has, but he rose again.  This last Sunday of Easter, let us rejoice that our Perfect Priest rose again, and that he continually serves us with his grace.  CIR HIRI (Christ Is Risen; He Is Risen Indeed)! Amen.

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)