“For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:1-11) (KJV)
To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:
(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)
By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” Hebrews 5:1-11 (KJV)
Amen.
To be sure, every high priest is chosen from the people and is appointed to represent the people in the things pertaining to God, so that he may offer gifts, as well as sacrifices, for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also weak in many ways. And for this reason he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people.
No one takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, Christ did not take the glory of becoming a high priest on himself, but God said to him:
You are my Son. Today I have begotten you.
He also said the same thing in another place:
You are a priest forever, like Melchizedek.
In the days of his flesh, he offered prayers and pleas with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. After he was brought to his goal, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him, because he was designated by God as a high priest, like Melchizedek.
We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become too lazy to listen. – Hebrews 5:1-11 (EHV)
This Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, is the one who met Abraham as he was returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, Melchizedek means “king of righteousness,” and then “king of Salem,” which is “king of peace.” He is without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, and resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
Consider how great this man was. Even Abraham, the patriarch, gave him a tenth from the best of the spoils. According to the law, those sons of Levi who received the priesthood have a command to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brother Israelites, even though they also came from Abraham’s body. But here the one who was not descended from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. And without any question, it is the lesser who is blessed by the greater.
In the one case, those who are mortal collect the tenth; in the other case, the one who collects has testimony in Scripture that he lives. And, through Abraham, even Levi, who collects the tenth, has paid a tenth, so to speak, because he was still in the body of his forefather when Melchizedek met Abraham.
So if everything could have been brought to its goal through the Levitical priesthood (for the people received the law on the basis of that priesthood), what further need was there for another priest to arise who was like Melchizedek, yet not said to be like Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, by necessity a change in the law also happens. Yet these things are said about the one who belonged to another tribe, from which no one had served at the altar. It is certainly clear that our Lord is descended from Judah. Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.
And this becomes even clearer if another priest arises like Melchizedek, who became a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement about physical descent, but on the basis of the power of an endless life. For it has been testified in Scripture about him:
You are a priest forever, like Melchizedek.
To be sure, the former requirement is annulled, because it was weak and useless—for the law did not bring anything to its goal—but now a better hope is introduced, by which we approach God.
And something like this did not happen without an oath. Indeed, others who became priests did so without an oath, but this one became a priest with an oath, through the one who said to him:
The Lord has sworn an oath
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever.”
In this way, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.
There were many who became priests because death prevented any of them from continuing to remain in office. But because this one endures forever, he has a permanent priesthood. So for this reason he is able to save forever those who come to God through him, because he always lives to plead on their behalf.
This is certainly the kind of high priest we needed: one who is holy, innocent, pure, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices on a daily basis, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. In fact, he sacrificed for sins once and for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses. But the word of the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been brought to his goal forever. – Hebrews 7 (EHV)