Hebrews 7:11-28: What We Need
Isaiah 31-33, Proverbs 24:1-22, Luke 22:54-62, Hebrews 7:11-28
Some people seem to view the Old Testament as merely a list of rules, at best, or, at worst, a description of slightly disreputable activity on the part of an unpredictable and wrathful deity. But this kind of approach to the Old Testament woefully misses the larger story arcs that are present in the Old Testament text.
The author of Hebrews is further bringing out one of those story arcs in this section of this book. He is focusing on the priesthood, the inadequacy of the Levitical priesthood, the strange figure of Melchizedek who seems to pop up out of nowhere and yet clearly has even eternal significance – and how all this is ultimately intended to tell us a story about the “real” priest, the one priest before whom all other priests are mere shadows. Jesus, the perfect priest.
Why does this matter? Because:
“He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Jesus is able to do that which all other human priests can never do. This is why New Testament pastors are not really “priests” at all, for the priesthood of the Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ – and it is through him that our access to God is now open and free. He has made a door for us to enter into the presence of God, and he himself intercedes for us.
These are great truths, hard to get our mind around, and not the kind of way we typically think.
But maybe we are missing out on something by not considering Christ as our priest: he intercedes for us, and some days surely we feel – as well as know, in fact, on all days – that that priest is exactly what we need.
“Such a high priest truly meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”