Jesus the Ultimate Priest! Hebrews 7:23-28

Hebrews 7:23-28

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. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

The main purpose in chapter 7 is to compare the priesthood of Aaron with the priesthood of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was both a priest and a king in the city of Salem, which was another name for Jerusalem.  When Abraham met Melchizedek, he offered him a tithe of the spoils of his victory over his enemies, who had taken his nephew Lot.  

Remember Aaron was the brother of Moses and from his family line came every subsequent priest. From his family came the Most High priest who went into the temple every year on Passover to offer the innocent, sacrificial lamb on behalf of the people.  All the laws related to the proper ceremonial offerings and sacrifices were contained in the book of Leviticus. The whole purpose was to provide atonement for the sins of the people. The priest was the go between between God and man. But they too were men with faults of their own. The laws in Leviticus were the ceremonial laws as compared to the moral laws Moses gave to the Israelites through the Ten Commandments.  

So Jesus being from the line of Judah, not Aaron, was a different kind of priest, one from the order Melchizedek. Importantly Jesus is a superior high priest to Israel's former priests in every way.  Why?

1. Jesus is a forever priest, unlike the other priests who died and had to be replaced.

2. Jesus is a perfect priest, unlike the other priests who ministered in their human weakness and sinfulness, and he offered himself as a sacrifice for sins.  The Aaronic priests not only offered sacrifices for the people but for their own sins.  

3. Jesus offered a "once and for all sacrifice" on the cross, whereas the Most High priest once a year offered the sacrificial lamb on Passover. 

4. Jesus intercedes for us all the time from heaven. Our salvation is forever sure because He is all powerful and reigns forever.   

5. Finally, Jesus is both a priest and a king.  Not only did Jesus' once and for all sacrifice make us right with God, but Jesus also reigns in great power.  Jesus is the Kings of kings conquered sin, death and the power of the devil.  

So what does this mean for us?  Paul urges us in Romans 12 in view of God's mercy to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.  The idea is as we have been saved by Jesus' sacrifice, we are to offer our lives back to him. The living sacrifice we make each day is when we die to ourselves and live for him. As Paul says, "Not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds."  Jesus died for us so we can live for him!