A Tale of Two Priests

Hebrews 7-10

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
October 13, 2024
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

A couple of days ago, country music legend Tim McGraw, debuted “People Like Us.” Here are a few of his lyrics:

Mike's a pipeline welder
Kim's a drive-thru teller
Johnny's a drug dealer
Bob's a concrete sealer
Terry is a soldier
Tom's a church league bowler
We are liars and lawyers
Lovers, sisters, brothers

[Chorus]

People like us, watch the blues on TV
Get so angry, blame it on DC
People like us, all God's children
If we're willing
We can be building a tomorrow we can trust
But it's up to people like us

Tim McGraw’s goal was to highlight that we are all have the same dreams, goals, hopes, trials and triumphs.

As we think of the vicissitudes of life, it makes it more imperative that we all need God in our lives. Today we’re talking about a tale of two priests. Why do we need a priest? Because we have a sin problem and because we need help from above. ‘

Let’s look at the concept of priesthood and why this is relevant to us this morning. Aaron and Melchizedek were different and the former is a shadow of Christ. Why Melchizedek and not Aaron?

Aaron’s priesthood was national to begin with. In other words, it was strictly Judaist. The particulars that were under Aaron were priests of Israel. Secondly, the priests were subject to the kings in a measure. They were not kings themselves; they were subjects in a kingdom. Thirdly, Aaron’s priesthood offered no permanent righteousness and peace, only that continual, continual, continual sacrificing. Nothing ever permanent. It never established a permanent righteousness for a man nor permanent peace with God. That peace and that righteous was shattered every time they sinned. Constant repetition.

Fourthly, Aaron’s priesthood was hereditary. It didn’t matter how good of a guy you were, if you were born in the right family, you were automatically a priest no matter what you were. Now, that poses some problems, obviously. Fifthly, it was a timed priesthood. They only existed in it from the year – from the age of about 25 to 50 and it was over. It was limited by time.

So, Aaron’s priesthood was a national one, subject to kings, no permanent righteousness and peace, hereditary, and limited by time. Now, this is very important for us to understand because Melchizedek’s priesthood supersedes Aaron’s at every single point. Therefore, says the Holy Spirit, Christ is a better priest than Aaron.

You say, “So what?”

So, to the Jew that means a lot, because if Christ is a greater priest than Aaron, then they need to turn to Christ. Then the new covenant is better than the old covenant, and that’s the whole point. God is trying to reach Israel, trying to get Israel to turn from Judaism to Christ and Christianity. So, it’s important they understand that Christianity is superior in its priesthood.

Now, we’ll take these one by one. These five areas are given to us right here in verses 1 to 3. And we see the comparison with Melchizedek. The first one is this: Melchizedek’s priesthood was universal. It was not national; it was universal. Notice verse 1, “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God.” Now, this is a rich concept, and we could easily pass it by, but let me give it to you. Stay with me. In relation to Israel, God took the name of Jehovah. If I had a little pencil here, I’d diagram it for you. God’s name is I Am. Right? YHWH in the Hebrew. But no Jew would say the name of God. And so, since the Jews didn’t want to say the name Jehovah, they took the consonants of Jehovah and the vowels out of Adonai, which means Lord, and stuck them together and got Yehowah which is Jehovah. So, Jehovah’s not really the name of God; it’s only that name which Israel came up with in an effort not to say YHWH and yet express who they wanted to express. So, it’s a combination word, Jehovah, and it deals strictly with Israel. And watch this, Aaron’s priests were priests of Jehovah. You remember that all the line of Aaron, the Levite line of Aaron, were – and incidentally, within the line of the Levites, you still had to be a son of Aaron. But all of those who came from Aaron were priests only of Jehovah. That is, they were related to God only in connection with Israel. They couldn’t run over here and minister of there and here and everywhere else. They were tied to Israel’s economy.

But watch this. It does not say that Melchizedek was the priest of Jehovah; it says he was the priest of – what? – the Most High God. Now, that is a universal name for God, El Elyon, and it reaches everywhere and everything in heaven and earth. It is the universal name of God that includes Jew and Gentile. Far broader than the Jewish term Jehovah.

So, whereas Aaron’s priesthood related just to Israel, Melchizedek’s was broader than that and related to all men. Now, when the Holy Spirit says Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek, do you see the significance? The significance is this: Jesus is not just the Messiah of Israel but of the world. So, it is very important to establish Melchizedek’s priesthood as universal if you’re going to say Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Now, you see the Jew – in the Jewish mind there had to be a historical reason for everything or a historical foundation. And so, God chooses Melchizedek as His perfect foundation to teach this truth. There have been priests who’ve been broader than Israel before; there’s no reason to believe there can’t be some more. And there is one, Jesus Christ. So, it transcends Israel.

Now, Abraham understood this concept, because in Genesis 14:22, he said, in response to Melchizedek, “I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah” – and then he said – comma – “God Most High.” So, he understood Jehovah in the covenant relationship; he also understands Jehovah in the sense that He was God of everything.

In Deuteronomy 32:8 and 9, we read this, “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For Jehovah’s portion is His people.” Consider this: The Most High God deals with the nations, but Jehovah’s portion is Israel. You see? Jehovah is a covenant name for God dealing with Israel. And Aaron’s priesthood dealt in the covenant with Israel. Melchizedek’s was broader than that, for Israel had not yet been spawned from the loins of Abraham. And so, his priesthood was broad.

In Daniel, for example, where the first great king of the Gentiles, Nebuchadnezzar is brought through seven years of humbling until he finally acknowledges the facts of God, he says this. He knew that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “The Most High doeth according to His will in heaven and in earth.” And here was a Gentile acknowledging the Most High. That’s a term that has reference to Gentiles. That’s a broad term for God.

And you’ll remember that even the demons, when our Lord cast them out, cried, “What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the Most High God?” And they again used the universal term for God.

In fact, Jesus says for those of us who come into His relationship, He promised that we shall be called the sons of the Most High. And so, the term “the Most High” is then a universal name for God in the sense of His universal rule and character as it involves all men. And this means that Melchizedek’s priesthood is not limited to a nation. He is not just priest of Jehovah; he is priest of the Most High God, El Elyon, Possessor of heaven and earth, above all national and above all dispensational distinction.

Now, you see, this is very important, my friends, because Judaism was a closed system, and they didn’t really seek converts. Remember Jonah? The most horrible thing that ever happened to him, after his short right on a long fish, was the fact that Nineveh repented. And after Nineveh repented, he went out and said, “God, I’d rather be dead than have Gentiles horning in on my God.” It was a very closed system and had no room for Gentiles. Today there are 14 million Jews in the world, and I heard one rabbi say, “We don’t want any more, either. We’re not interested in proselyting anybody.” They’re locked in to their system – not by the design of God, but by their own failure to be the witness God intended them to be.

And so, their own Messiah is not even their own, but a priest after the order of Melchizedek. And this, I think, is illustrated in – what? – 1 John 2:2, “He’s the propitiation for our sins: and nor for ours only, but” – what – “for the sins of the whole world.” Certainly, we understand that. “He’s the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” John 1:29. I’m thinking of John 4:42 – isn’t it? – that said similar things – yes – “And we know that this is indeed the Christ” – these are the Samaritans talking – “the Savior of the world.” And so, we see that Jesus Christ is not just limited to Israel, but He is the Redeemer of all men whoever call upon Him.

So, all of Israel’s priests, then, ministered in a national sense, but Jesus is superior to them because He ministers in a universal sense to all men, and the pattern is Melchizedek. You see how graphically Melchizedek illustrates?

Secondly, Aaron’s priesthood was subject to royalty; Melchizedek’s was royalty. Notice verse 1, “For this Melchizedek” – what’s the next word? – “king of Salem.” Four times it says he was king. In verse 2, it says King of righteousness, King of Salem, which is, “King of peace.” Four times in two verses, it tells us this man was a king, royal priesthood. Melchizedek’s was royal. This is something totally foreign to the Aaronic priests. This is totally foreign to the Levitical priests in Israel. There was never that combination. Israel’s priests were never king and priest. That was unknown in Israel. No priest was royal. But oh, my, what a perfect blend it is. What an absolutely perfect blend that the true Priest, the Great Priest, the glorious Priest Jesus Christ should be that blend of priest and king so that He not only takes men to God, but He rules men for God.

Listen to Zechariah 6:13, “Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne” – there He is as a King – “and He shall be a priest upon His throne.” Now, that is an unheard-of concept. And yet it is prophesied in Zechariah so clearly. Jesus was to be a priest, but a priest on a throne, a royal priesthood.

In fact, if you look at chapter 7 verse 26, when He gets into talking about Jesus later in the chapter, He says, “For such a High Priest, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” – and here’s His royalty – “made higher than the heavens.” Supreme royalty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.

We rejoice that Jesus enlarged the tent so that whosoever wills, may come and have an abundant life. Hallelujah to the King!