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The Eternal High Priest: Our Unexpected Gift

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” [Hebrews 5:5-6].

In 1969-70, during my freshman year at Wake Forest, one could drive one’s car from Winston-Salem to Gastonia in a bit less than three hours (the Interstate system hadn’t yet been completed). Of course, that fact was mostly theoretical for me. I didn’t have a car to drive. And, even if I had, it would have made little difference; WFU didn’t allow freshmen to have them on campus.

As many of you know, I was then—still am—head over heels for Jane. During that initial year in college, we could manage to see each other only once or twice per month. As the summer approached, I was determined to remedy the situation. I found a very used VW for about $450, put my hat in my hand, and went to Dad for a loan. He asked me how I’d pay him back. I allowed that with a 45-hour workweek at Belk’s, I’d earn almost $1,000 that summer (minimum wage was $1.60). He reminded me of an earlier agreement—that 75% of my summer earnings would always go toward my college “spending money.” I said, “I got it all worked out.” He smiled and lent me the funds.

Well, I bought the car. It turned out not to be a lemon. But, by the end of the summer, I was in a fix. I’d saved maybe $600. I couldn’t pay Dad back and have much left for a whole year at Wake Forest, particularly one that would include frequent jaunts down to Erskine College, in Due West, SC. I dreaded the conversation I needed to have with Dad. One day, about ten days prior to my return to school, he came for his money. I explained my predicament. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I’m not surprised …. I tell you what. Let’s just consider it a gift.”

The Hebrews in and around Jerusalem during the first century of the common era would have understood my predicament, for they, too, were in a fix. They lived under the dominion of Rome in a broken land where life was tough. They’d been given the Law by Yahweh through Moses, but they’d never been able to (willing to) follow it. They had other beautiful Scriptures, but they often took it for granted. They needed someone to mediate with Yahweh.

Well, Yahweh had thought of that. Centuries before, first choosing Aaron, Yahweh had set apart the Hebrew tribe of Levi as a priesthood. From Aaron’s descendants, a high priest was always chosen. On Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the innermost portion of the Jerusalem Temple, and offer a sacrifice (literally, a scapegoat) for the sins of the people, and for the high priest himself. Next year, he’d do it all over: sacrifice, rinse, repeat.

Their true predicament? —they were on a treadmill from which there was no escape. To be sure, their Scripture promised a Messiah, an Anointed One. He’d come from the tribe of Judah, out of the house of King David. His arrival, however, had been delayed for hundreds and hundreds of years, due, at least in great part, to the people’s disobedience. Would He ever come? What would He look like? How would He rule?

The answer is provided in the text appointed this Sunday as the epistle reading, Hebrews 5:1-10 [Proper 29, The Season after Pentecost, RCL, Year B]. The book of Hebrews is one that we tend to ignore. It’s more sermon than epistle. Originally, it addressed people living outside of their homeland. In that sense, it speaks especially to those who feel dislocated—either geographically or in the grip of personal struggles or changes in the contexts of their lives.

The author speaks of a new type of mediator—a different sort of high priest. The author points beyond Aaron, even beyond Father Abraham, to an almost unknown “priest of the God most high” [Genesis 14:18] named Melchizedek. He has no standard credentials, no special training. But he has been called by God. Scripture tells us that he was both king and priest [id].

The author of Hebrews connects Jesus to Melchizedek’s line of ministry, a line that isn’t focused on preserving existing Temple structures, who isn’t bound to present loyalties or theologies, to someone who is only bound to the Lord God Himself. Melchizedek represents Yahweh’s freedom. Just as, from the beginning to the end, Yahweh was free to do the unexpected, Yahweh was free to utilize Jesus as a new mediator for all creation.

The descendants of Aaron mediate with annual sacrifices. Their mediation must be repeated since they themselves are sinful, like the people. But Jesus, the new high priest, “according to the order of Melchizedek” [Hebrews 5:6] is the high priest forever, for while, like the descendants of Aaron, Jesus is fully human, unlike Aaron’s descendants, Jesus is fully divine. Moreover, Jesus is without sin.

Jesus lacks sin, but He does not lack fears and concerns (think Gethsemane). Like other humans, Jesus offered up “prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears” [5:7], but unlike the rest of humanity, Jesus is fully obedient. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus learned that obedience through His suffering [5:8]. Having been called by God, having been obedient to God, having been glorified by God, being perfect before God, Jesus becomes the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him [5:9].

In many ways, we’re not so different from those first-century Hebrews. Like them, we find ourselves in need of mediation with God. Our world, while vastly changed, is no less broken or challenging. We may not articulate it as clearly, but we feel the weight of our separation from the divine, the need for someone to bridge that gap.

This is where Jesus, as our eternal High Priest, steps in. He offers a permanent mediation for all of creation. He understands our struggles intimately, having experienced them Himself, yet remains without sin. This unique combination of complete empathy and perfect holiness makes Him the ideal mediator between us and God.

While many in Jesus’ time expected a political Messiah who would overthrow Roman rule, Jesus emerged as something far more profound—a spiritual High Priest who addresses not just temporal needs, but our deepest spiritual longings. He fulfills the role of the anticipated Messiah while transcending it, offering salvation that extends beyond human-crafted boundaries to encompass all of humanity.

Just as my father’s unexpected gift solved a problem I couldn’t resolve myself, Jesus’ role as High Priest offers a solution to our spiritual problem—one we often don’t always realize we need. We may think we’re simply struggling with day-to-day problems, unaware of our deeper spiritual deficit. Yet, Christ’s mediation addresses both our conscious needs and the unconscious spiritual hunger that lies beneath.

In our daily struggles and joys, in our moments of clarity and confusion, we have a High Priest who not only understands but also intercedes for us. This truth offers both comfort in our trials and hope for our future. It reminds us that we’re not alone in our journey, that there’s One who stands before God on our behalf, continually mediating for us with a love and understanding that surpasses all human comprehension.

One Comment

  1. June Thaxton June Thaxton October 17, 2024

    Thank you again, Tom, for the time you been studying and sharing with us. It seems like our little group is kind of dwindling with Holly and Ed moving away. And Linda Ford, although she hasn’t been in the meetings. I know the OK Lord has a plan for these folks and everything will work out well for them. Look forward to seeing you next week. And those of us that are left. I’m glad Chris is join us. See you soon.

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