Jesus is an eternal high priest and a surety of a better covenant!
The writer of Hebrews continues to express how much better the priesthood that Jesus has is – “And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: ‘The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’), by so much more Jesus has become surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7: 20-25)
A thousand years before Christ was born, David wrote in Psalm 110: 4 – “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’” So, the priesthood that Jesus holds was confirmed by God’s oath a thousand years before Jesus was born. Melchizedek, which means ‘king of righteousness’ was a priest and king over ancient Jerusalem or Salem. Christ will ultimately be the final and greatest king and priest in Israel’s history.
Jesus is the guarantor or surety of the New Covenant of salvation. MacArthur states – “In contrast to the Mosaic Covenant under which Israel failed, God promised a New Covenant with a spiritual, divine dynamic by which those who know him would participate in the blessings of salvation. The fulfilment was to individuals, yet also to Israel as a nation in the framework of a reestablishment in their land in the time after the ultimate difficulty. In principle, this covenant, also announced by Jesus Christ, begins to be exercised with spiritual aspects realized for Jewish and Gentile believers in the church era. It has already begun to take effect with a ‘remnant,’ chosen by grace. It will also be realized by the people of Israel in the last days, including the regathering to their ancient land, Palestine. The streams of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New Covenants find their confluence in the millennial kingdom ruled over by the Messiah.” (MacArthur 1080)
The claim is that there were 84 high priests from Aaron over time until the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Romans. These priests were like ‘shadows’ of the better priest to come – Jesus Christ. As believers today, we are a spiritual priesthood, able to enter God’s presence and make intercession for others. We learn from 1 Peter – “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2: 4-5)
Jesus is able to save us ‘to the uttermost.’ Jude teaches us – “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Saviour, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25) We learn from Romans – “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8: 34)
As believers these words from Romans are comforting – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created things, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 35-39)
REFERENCES:
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2010.
