These past several weeks have taken us on a journey through portions of Job, Mark chapter 10, and the book of Hebrews. Through looking at the combinations of those Scripture passages, we’ve been reminded that Jesus is our Great High Priest, and that He journeys with us on the path to glory—which often leads through pain and suffering. Job set an example for us of endurance and perseverance through suffering, never giving up but pressing on until the end. We were encouraged to adjust our perspective on life before the hard times came, so that we would be able to weather the storm. We were reminded that the first will be last, that the Kingdom of God belongs to the weak and the innocent, and that we are to fulfill our callings instead of campaigning for greatness. And, we were encouraged with the knowledge that our Great High Priest goes before us, and that we can always find Jesus in the midst of the suffering. If you missed any of these messages, I’d like to encourage you to pick up copies of them on CD in the foyer, or to download them from our website—capenazarene.org. You might also know of someone that you could give a copy of the CD to, as an encouragement for them during a difficult time.
Part of the task of the author of Hebrews is to explain to a First Century Jewish audience how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Up until the time of Jesus, the Israelites were under the Mosaic covenant, upon which the sacrificial system in the temple was based. The author argues that Jesus is a great high priest, superior to the priests in the temple, so that his readers will follow the Son of God. This is one reason why the author reminded us that Jesus was not campaigning for greatness, but was being obedient to the calling given to Him by His Father.
As we’ve journeyed through the book of Hebrews, you may also have noticed that the author has continued to refer to an Old Testament character named Melchizedek. Melchizedek is mentioned eight times in the book of Hebrews, with three of those times quoting Psalm 110:4 which says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” The only other time that Melchizedek is mentioned in scripture is the only time that he actually comes on the scene in the narrative of Genesis. And yet, the author of Hebrews gives a great deal of importance to this person who only appears once in the Old Testament story and once in the book of Psalms. Who was Melchizedek, anyway? And why was he so important?
If we go back to Genesis to learn about Melchizedek, we find ourselves in the time of Abram and his nephew Lot. You may remember that when Abram and Lot parted company, Abram allowed Lot to choose where he should go. He looked at the land, and realized that the Jordan river was well watered, and so he went to the east, leaving the hill country to Abram. You may also remember that Lot chose to live near Sodom, where there was great wickedness.
In Genesis chapter 14, we learn that there was a great military campaign to see which of the 9 kings in the area would control the land. During the course of these battles, Sodom and Gomorrah fell to one of the enemy kings who plundered the cities and captured its residents. Upon learning of this, Abram gathered together the 318 men that had been born in his household and chased after the armies to free Lot, his family, and the other people and possessions that had been captured.
Upon returning to the valley, he was greeted by two people of importance—the King of Sodom and the King of Salem. It is the King of Salem that we are primarily interested in this morning. In Genesis chapter 14, verses 18-20, we read these words:
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
So we have this very brief appearance of Melchizedek. He offers a meal of bread and wine, gives a blessing, and Abraham tithed to him. That’s it. This is the only appearance of this individual known as Melchizedek that we will find in the Old Testament. And yet, we read his name again in one of the Psalms, and the author of Hebrews makes a great deal of mention about this King of Salem—which was quite likely the same city that we now call Jerusalem.
As you listen to our New Testament lesson this morning, pay particular attention to the ways in which Jesus is similar to Melchizedek, and the ways in which Melchizedek is greater than Abram. I invite you to hear the Word of The Lord today, as recorded in Hebrews chapter 7:
1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
4Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. 6This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. 8In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, 10because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.
11If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come—one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law. 13He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14For 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 guarantee of a better covenant.
23Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike 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. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.
May God add His Blessing to the Reading of His Word
While Melchizedek is truly a mysterious character, and we can’t definitively answer every question we might have about who he is and where he came from, we can certainly draw on what the author of Hebrews has to say about him. We know that He was the King of Salem, and that Salem (or shalom) means peace.
Hence, Melchizedek was the “King of Peace.” One can translate his name, “Melchizedek” as “My King is Righteous,” or “Righteousness is my king.” The author of Hebrews chooses to translate it as “King of Righteousness,” identifying Melchizedek as a righteous king.
We also know that Melchizedek is a priest of El Elyon, or the Most High God. This is significant in helping us to understand that God had appointed a priest who was outside the priestly line of Levi—especially since Melchizedek and Abram lived about 200 years before the time of Levi. The author of Hebrews points out that Melchizedek has no genealogy, or a record of his birth or death, indicating that his priesthood has eternal qualities. The last point that the author of Hebrews makes is that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, because the blessing went from Melchizidek to Abraham, and the tithe went from Abraham to Melchizedek.
So, just to recap these similarities—Melchizedek was the King of Righteousness—Jesus was the spotless lamb of God. Melchizedek was the King of Salem, or the King of Peace—Jesus was the Prince of Peace. Melchizedek was a priest of El Elyon, or God Most High—Jesus was the very Son of God. Melchizedek had no genealogy, no beginning or end—Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
After outlining these characteristics of Melchizedek, the author again reminds the reader that Jesus was a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Since Jesus was a priest in the Order of Melchizedek, and Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, we know that Jesus was greater than Abraham. Another way of putting it is that the priestly line of Melchizedek is greater than the line of Levi—hence Jesus was greater than the priests of Levi.
The author of Hebrews then begins to unpack what it means for Jesus to be greater than the temple priests. Unlike priests who operated under the Mosaic covenant, Jesus didn’t have to offer sacrifices day after day. Instead, Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross was enough to be a one-time sacrifice that would be eternal. Unlike the priests who died and had successors, Jesus defeated death and lives forever at the right hand of the Father.
The author of Hebrews is making an argument to his original readers that the Old Testament priest and sacrificial system was receiving a major upgrade. No longer would believers in God be required to bring sacrifices to the temple to have their sins atoned for. No longer would they need priests to represent them before God. The priesthood of Jesus was far superior to the Levitical priesthood because Jesus was an eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek.
During the past few weeks, we’ve talked about how our Great High Priest has been tempted in every way as we are, and has walked the path of suffering and death.
But the journey didn’t end with death, for Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. We know that His priesthood is superior to the priests of the Old Covenant because Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was a one-time sacrifice, and because he is an eternal priest—in the order of Melchizedek—a priest who was greater than Abraham, therefore one who was greater than the priests of Levi.
But what does this all mean for us today? None of us grew up under the Old Covenant, I doubt any of you have offered an animal sacrifice for your sins, and in fact, most of us have never considered that it might apply to us. What can we learn from Hebrews chapter 7 this morning?
Let me take you to the very last part of chapter 7, starting in verse 25:
25Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike 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.
The author of Hebrews says that Jesus is able to save completely those who come to Him, because he always lives to intercede for them. One of the primary differences between our Great High Priest and the high priests of old is that the Great High Priest is alive. The resurrection of Christ is not simply an historical fact, but a present reality as well. The fact that He lives today means that we can be confident in our Great High Priest, and that He intercedes for us.
We also read of this concept of “saving completely,” or bringing “full salvation” which is mentioned in this passage. Simply put, salvation is about entering into an ongoing relationship with Jesus by confessing your sins and asking forgiveness because of His sacrifice on the cross. But what is full salvation, or being saved completely?
You may have heard me say before that salvation is not simply a fire-escape from hell—God didn’t just love you enough to provide a “get out of jail free” card, He loved you more than that. He loved you enough to pick up the pieces of your broken clay jar and put them back together again—but He loved you more than that as well. He loved you enough to clean out the pot so it would be pretty again—but He loved you more than that—He loved you enough to fill up that pot with His presence—yes, His Holy Spirit, to guide and direct you all the days of your life. That is the sort of full salvation which the author of Hebrews mentions today.
To illustrate this, let’s take a look at our Gospel lesson that we heard earlier today, found at Mark chapter 10, verses 46-52. Jesus and His disciples are passing through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem when they come across a man who is begging on the side of the road. When he hears that Jesus is passing by, he begins to shout—“Jesus, Son of David, Have Mercy on Me!”
Can you picture the people standing nearby? They turn and look at blind Bart—and start to shush him. Maybe they don’t want him to bother the teacher. Perhaps they are embarrassed by his boldness or his faith. Maybe they are afraid that Jesus is in too much of a hurry. Regardless, Bartimaeus is persistent, and shouts all the louder—“Jesus, Son of David, Have Mercy on Me!”
Jesus has someone bring Bartimaeus to Him, and asks him what he wants. Bartimaeus replies with a great deal of faith, “Teacher, I want to see.” Jesus is moved by the man’s faith, and says, “Go, your faith has healed you.”
Now…to me, Bartimaeus provides an example which demonstrates the difference between salvation and full salvation. He could have simply gone his merry way, without any change to his life other than being able to see. In fact, Jesus told him to “go,” not to “come.” And yet, hear again how Mark concludes the story of Blind Bart—“Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” Bartimaeus didn’t just receive his sight that day—he entered into relationship with the Prince of Peace—He began to follow the Rabbi. Not only did Bartimaeus begin to follow Jesus, but remember where Jesus was headed…he was in Jericho that day because he was traveling toward Jerusalem. In fact, the next ten verses in Mark detail Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem—the day we remember as Palm Sunday. While we don’t know for sure if Bartimaeus followed Jesus throughout that next week, it seems reasonable to conclude that this journey he began that day in Jericho continued through the entire Passion week—able to see—for the first time, just in time to witness the most amazing event in all of history—the death of the Son of God.
The question put before you today is this—are you simply settling for an incomplete Gospel? Are you content to simply have confessed your sins, looking at salvation as some sort of an eternal fire escape? If so, I believe that you’re settling for less than all God has for you. For He wants to give you full salvation—complete salvation—salvation full and free. He wants you to journey with Him—to follow Him wherever He leads.
He loves you more than to simply save the broken pieces from being thrown away—He wants to put you back together again. He loves you more than to simply put you back together—He wants to clean you up. He loves you more than to just clean you up—He wants to give you a hope and a future—He wants to fill you with His presence—He wants to give you Salvation, Full and Free.
As John comes to lead our closing hymn, I invite you to celebrate this great gift of salvation. If you have never received this free gift, or if you’ve been missing out on all that God has for you, I’d invite you to speak with me before you leave today, so I can pray with you.
Benediction: Jude 1:24-25To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
