20120701
The recipients of Hebrews are Christian Jews, many ex-priests, who are steeped in the tradition and religious ceremonies of the Levitical Priesthood. It needed some very convincing and persuasive reasoning to convince them that Jesus as their Great High Priest is far better and more superior. Jesus’ Priesthood is a New Covenant from God in the Order of Melchizedek – permanent and changeless. What makes this New Covenant better? Heb. 7:20-22 has this to say: And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath but 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”. Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
The Levitical Priesthood was limited because it did not provide the one thing that the Jews needed – direct access to God. Therefore, it has to come from another person – Jesus, the Son of God. He sits at the right hand of God, always interceding for them and is their guarantor of this New Covenant. When Jesus was presented as the Great High Priest, God swore and will not change His mind. In other words, He bounded Himself with an oath.
There is something very important about God making an oath as there was no need for Him to do so. He did not make an oath when Aaron and his descendants were made priests. Whether they were performing well or not as priest, they all died. But Jesus lives forever and understands all our needs. Because of this He is able to save us completely. There is no further need for any priest to take over. Access to God the Father is symbolized by the torn curtain veil when Jesus died on the cross at Calvary. Jesus did what Aaron could not. Our redeemed body is now the temple of God and He resides in us as believers because of what Jesus did. Our good deeds, church attendances and participation in church activities will count for nothing if we do not recognize and accept this fact!
The message to the Jews may be “to come to Jesus” as He provides the New Covenant. For the rest of us, let us thank God for this New Covenant and pledge our allegiance to Him by fixing our eyes on Jesus as the all sufficient and complete Saviour daily.
