Hebrews 7:11-22

¹¹If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? ¹²For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. ¹³He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. ¹⁵And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, ¹⁶one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

¹⁸The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless ¹⁹(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. ²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’” ²²Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

A New Priest

Although less common it’s still possible to find families who can trace back three or four generations of individuals following the same profession, or a similar career path. In my own family both myself and my brother pursued a career in engineering as our father had.

In the Old Testament one of the key qualifications for becoming a priest was your family history. All priests came from the order of Levi. A key role of the priest was to atone for people’s sins through the sacrifice of animals. However, this only ever provided a temporary solution, covering up sin rather than washing it away and could not permanently reconcile people with God.

In this passage from Hebrews, however, we see a new priest being declared one who not only came from a different order, but also performed the role of priest in a very different way.

Jesus came to establish a new covenant, establishing something that no Levi priest could. Instead of passing sin to an animal, he took all our sin on himself and paid the ultimate price to remove it and reconcile us with God. His authority was not a temporary solution based on regulation, but a permanent one. He is our priest and savior forever!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for the new convent that you created, one where we only have to ask to receive your forgiveness, and the certain knowledge that you have washed our sins away forever.