By John Brunt
A Commentary on the Sabbath School Lesson for July 26–August 1, 2003, on Hebrews 5 and 7
When I was a boy there were several ministers in the area where I grew up who had models of the Old Testament sanctuary. They would take these models from church to church to show the listeners how the sanctuary was a great positive symbol of salvation. If we would only understand what all the furniture, vestments, colors, and other objects of the sanctuary represented we would truly understand the plan of salvation. And the more detailed this symbolism became, the closer we were to grasping what we needed to know to be saved.
Most of these ministers also had a high priest’s robe that they wore as they revealed the inner secrets of the sanctuary, and therefore salvation. We learned all the features of the robe with its intricacies and colors, and in doing so were to learn more about Jesus. It was fascinating and impressive to a young boy. The very fact that it was visual and colorful made it rise above the typical talks and sermons we heard.
As impressive as all this was, however, it was a far cry from the spirit of the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews there is very little concern for the details of the sanctuary and the priestly robes; nor is there much, if any, effort given to drawing the kinds of allegorical lessons from the details of the sanctuary that these ministers emphasized. Rather the emphasis in Hebrews is on contrast. The emphasis is on the superiority of Jesus and of the salvation he offers to the whole system of Old Testament sacrifice.
This is especially evident when we come to the topic of Jesus as High Priest. Jesus does what Old Testament priests couldn’t do. He is something that they couldn’t be. He is even of a different order of priest than those who served in the sanctuary or the temple. He is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
What does this mean, and why choose Melchizedek as the model for Christ’s priesthood? Only two passages in the Old Testament mention this individual. He is mentioned in narrative in Genesis 14:17–20. Very little is said of him there, except that he is a priest of the Most High God and king of Salem who appears, seemingly out of nowhere, after Abraham’s victory over Kedorlaomer and his allies to bless Abraham and receive tithes from him.
Melchizedek is then mentioned in poetry in Psalm 110, a passage that is used frequently in Hebrews and seems to serve as a core passage for the message of Hebrews. Even less is revealed about Melchizedek in the psalm. It is a royal psalm in honor of the king, probably used in coronation services. The king is called a "priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."
The very paucity of information about Melchizedek made him an ideal subject for speculation, and we find such speculation in the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Jewish literature. Hebrews, the only book in the New Testament to speak of Jesus as High Priest, uses this tradition, with its lack of specific data, to emphasize that Jesus is a different kind of High Priest than what people were used to in the sanctuary or the temple.
This was important for two reasons. First, the Jewish people of the first century had had to endure a whole history of high priestly corruption and scandal that would have tempted anyone to become cynical about the priesthood. Second, Hebrews wants to emphasize the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood to even the best of the Old Testament priests.
So how is Jesus’ priesthood superior? In many ways. Other priests had to sacrifice for their own sins, but Jesus was sinless (4:13; 5:3). Other priests had to sacrifice daily, Jesus sacrificed once and for all (7:27). Other priests could only enter the Most Holy Place, or the place of the presence of God, once a year, but Jesus could enter permanently (9:7). Other priests were weak, but Jesus was perfect (9:11). Other priests used something else’s blood, but Jesus used his own blood (9:25). The action of other priests was ceremonial and external, but Jesus’ is truly effective (9:10ff).
Hebrews does not emphasize how understanding all the details about the actions and garments of the Old Testament priests teaches us about Jesus, but rather how what Jesus does is infinitely superior to anything they did. What is it then that Jesus’ priesthood means to us?
Jesus offers us mercy and grace in time of need because he was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin. This means that he can sympathize with our weaknesses (4:14–16). He can help those being tempted and make atonement for sin (2:17–18). He is able to make his people holy through his own blood (13:12). All this means that we can have assurance in our salvation and approach God’s throne with confidence.
In fact, the whole section on the sanctuary in Hebrews is bracketed with this idea of assurance in Christ. The author seems to form a purposeful inclusio with the introduction and conclusion of the section on the sanctuary. When we compare the introduction of the topic in 4:14–16 with the conclusion in 10:19–25 we find three common elements. Both speak of Jesus as our great Priest or High Priest. Both admonish us to hold fast to our confession. Both speak of our confident access to God and the assurance that we can have as we approach him.
The author brackets the whole message of the sanctuary with these elements to show what is ultimately important about the sanctuary. The point is not to get caught up in all the detail of the services, the furniture, the colors, and the vestments. It is to live in confidence and assurance before God because we know that Jesus is our great High Priest who sympathizes with us, offers us his strength in our weakness, and promises to make us holy by shedding his blood.
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