May 16, 2025 | Be God's Family
Eternal and Perfect High Priest
Scripture: Hebrews 5:4-10(NIV)
4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
6 And he says in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Devotional
Let’s get this out of the way – who is this guy Melchizedek and why do we care? He’s only mentioned in scripture once in Genesis and described as “king of Salem” and “priest of God Most High.” He appeared to Abram after his victory in battle, offering him bread and wine. Recognizing that they worshiped the same God, Abram offered him a tithe of everything. Over time, Melchizedek became a mythical character for the Jewish people and held in high esteem. He is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other ancient Jewish writings. Some scholars see him as an archetype of Jesus, and his offering of bread and wine as a foreshadowing of the Eucharist. For these reasons, Hebrews describes Jesus as a “priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”.
Now, for the heart of the message. Hebrews 5:4-10 offers some insight into why Jesus is superior to the Levitical high priests and ultimately our high priest forever. First, Jesus was appointed by God by virtue of his divine nature and special relationship as God’s one and only son (John 3:16). The readers of Hebrews were living at a time when the High Priest position was inherited or chosen by the authorities. Jesus didn’t take on the position in this way – he was divinely appointed. This pattern was set by the first High Priest, Aaron, who was appointed to that position by God to serve Israel.
Jesus is also qualified to be our High Priest because of his humanity. “He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness ...... he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death (Philippians 2:7-8) His humanity creates for him a special relationship with us. By becoming one of us, Jesus can sympathize with and have compassion on us as we deal with life’s difficulties. He can perfectly intercede for us.
He is also the perfect High Priest by virtue of his submission and obedience to the will of God. Jesus was made perfect through his agony and prayer at Gethsemane, and his ultimate submission to the completion of his mission. As our eternal high priest, Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross first, which provided for his ultimate blood sacrifice on our behalf. His perfection offers us eternal salvation through him. As High Priest, he sits at the right hand of God, the Most Holy Place, and offers each of us direct access to God. And because of his divine nature, Jesus was made our ETERNAL High Priest – no other priest or human mediator would ever be necessary.
What areas of your life require deeper obedience and submission to the will of God?
Poem
Obedience, Suffering, Perfection
Psalm 110, Genesis 4
It is only the one trained for battle
Who knows when a word from above
Must be followed without hesitation
Obedience, borne out of love
It is only one fighting the battle
Where enemies’ arrows do fly
Though wounded, still wields his sword clashing
Suff’ring great pain, with deep sighs
It is only when tested in battle
One who remains faithful and true
Will enter God’s gates with rejoicing
Perfection, with glory imbued
Obedience, suff’ring, perfection
This is the true course of God’s Son
Who on our behalf fought the battle
Who vic’try o’er sin and death won
