Mary Did You Know (Part 3)

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During our Advent series entitled “Mary Did You Know?” we’ve asked the question as to whether or not Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus, had any clue as to her son’s true power and identity there on the night of his birth in Bethlehem.  We’ve acknowledged that she knew something since the angel Gabriel did appear to her and tell her a bit about the child that was to be born to her, but did she have any clue about the magnitude of who this child really was.  We began by looking at Jesus’ miracles, primarily focusing on the fact that the miracles themselves weren’t the important matter, but were instead pointing to what was important, the crucifixion.  Certainly Mary had some grasp of the miracles of Jesus since her conception itself was a miracle.  Last Sunday, we talked about Jesus serving eternally in the office of prophet.  Remember, we said that a prophet is one who speaks for God to His people.  Jesus continues to serve in this office even this very moment as we speak.  He is the Word of God, by which we have the commands of God revealed to us.  Mary more than likely knew that Jesus was coming to proclaim God’s word, but to what extent she didn’t know for certain.

Well, today we’re going to turn Jesus around so-to-speak and examine his role as the eternal priest.  You see, whereas a prophet spoke from God to the people, a priest spoke or acted from the people towards God.  The priest was responsible for making the sacrifices to God that were required for the cleansing and forgiving of sins prior to entering the temple and coming into the presence of a holy God.  When we think about the office of a priest in reference to Scripture, what comes to mind most often is the Aaronic priesthood of Israel (which is also referred to as the Levitical priesthood in some circles).  These were the priests who were in charge of offering proper sacrifices and worship in the tabernacle while Israel wandered in the wilderness, and eventually in the temple after it had been constructed after their entering into the Promised Land.  We don’t have the time to go through and examine all of the things that the priests were required to do because it spans a good deal of the second half of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.  Which, as a side note, if you ever question whether we have it much easier to call ourselves worshippers of God today, just read the Pentateuch and you will see that our system of worship is much more simplistic than that of Old Testament Israel.  And all of that is because of the work of Jesus Christ.  Of course the argument could be made that because of the ease with which we are able to approach God, the awe and reverence that we ought to have for Him is sadly lost upon many Christians today.

Anyways, getting back to the examination of Jesus as our eternal priest, the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood isn’t the only priesthood mentioned in Scripture.  Psalm 110, the Old Testament text that is most frequently quoted in the New Testament, speaks of another priesthood, while also telling of the coming Messiah.  “The LORD says to my Lord:  ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’  The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.  Rule in the midst of your enemies!   Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.  The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’ (110:1-4)”  Do you remember the name Melchizedek coming up anywhere else previously in the Old Testament?  That’s right, in Genesis 14 we find this priest named Melchizedek blessing Abraham.  “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.  (He was priest of God Most High.)  And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’  And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (14:18-20)” 

So, we see that in Psalm 110, David, inspired by God, speaks of the coming Messiah as coming from the line of Melchizedek.  Well, the first question that we ask is why the Melchizedek priesthood and not the Levitical one established by God within Israel (His chosen people) there in the wilderness?  After all, we think that in this keeping of the biblical line that there would be this easy progression throughout, right?  Well, the simple answer is that the Melchizedek priesthood is greater than the Levitical one.  Let’s follow the flow of things shall we?  In order for Melchizedek to bless Abraham (Abram) as he did in Genesis 14, he would have had to be considered greater than Abraham.  Well, ultimately, Moses and his brother Aaron are descendants of Abraham, as is David.  Now we know that Jesus comes from the line of David, but he is “a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” as the writer of Hebrews tells us in 7:17.  However, I want to back up a bit to earlier in the chapter when the writer of this epistle “compares” these two priesthoods.  “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham … and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.  He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.  He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.  See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils!  And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham.  But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.  It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.  In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.  One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. (7:1-10)”.  So you see, we’re not breaking any covenantal lines here.  If anything, we are actually seeing the covenantal line strengthened and an even greater foreshadowing of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  We’re seeing an even greater foreshadowing coming even earlier in the unfolding of redemptive history.

The writer of Hebrews then goes on to spend the rest of the seventh chapter of this epistle comparing Jesus to Melchizedek, but he also begins to turn his focus to Jesus’ serving as our eternal priest.  “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he (Jesus) holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.  Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.  For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.  He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.  For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (7:23-28)”.  Do you see the words here from the writer of Hebrews telling us of the greatness of Christ?  We often times in today’s world when hearing people speak about pastors say that “they’re people too.”  Yes, that’s very much the case.  We’re just as prone to disobedience and sin as anyone else…maybe even more so than some.  Well, the priests of the old covenant were people too.  I’m just as in need of the saving blood of Jesus as anyone else today.  They were just as much in need of those sacrifices to cleanse themselves as the people were then. 

However, when it comes to Jesus, there is no need for Jesus to make atonement for his sin because he never sinned.  He is completely, totally, and eternally without sin.  He also offered a sacrifice that was much greater than anything offered by the Levitical priests.  Even though they followed all of those laws about sacrifices that are contained in the Pentateuch to the finest detail, their sacrifices weren’t sufficient.  Hebrews 10:4 says, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.”  Well, that’s what the priests were sacrificing; that’s what they were commanded to sacrifice.  However, it wasn’t enough.  But Jesus; Jesus’ sacrifice was different.  His sacrifice was much great than an animal and instead of a sacrifice that needed repeating it was a once for all sacrifice.  Now, don’t mistakenly think that I’m saying that Jesus continuously keeps repeating this sacrifice as a means of satisfying the wrath and justice of God.  Christ continues in this role as priest by his continuous intercession for us as he resides with the Father.  However, his sacrifice was a once for all time event.  The event that we remember in greater earnest through our partaking of the elements on the table that stands before us today; we remember the one-time sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The eternality of his priesthood isn’t merely his sacrifice lasting for all time, but also in his active role as our advocate with the Father.  We said last Sunday that Jesus still serves in his role as prophet even at this very moment, and that he will continue to serve in that role until such time as the new heaven and new earth are fully established.  Well, the same is true of his role as the eternal priest.  The sacrifice has already been made, but the accounting it to our behalf and bestowing upon us the blessings that come from it are a continuous work.  Jesus Christ is at this very moment making intercession for us wretched sinners before a just God.  Doesn’t that fact just astound and astonish you?

Last Sunday, I closed by asking you the question of whether or not your life was governed by Christ; whether you followed the commands of God (conveyed through Jesus as the eternal prophet and Word of God) or something of this world?  Well, I want to ask another question about how you live your life.  Do you live your life as if Jesus is the eternal priest; your eternal priest?  Do you live as if the only reason or means that you have any hope of salvation is because Jesus is actively working for it at this very moment?  Or do you live as if your being nice to someone, your giving of your money or time, or your being a decent person are your hopes for salvation.  I’m not diminishing those things.  As we’ve said before, those are good works that ought to flow naturally from our faith.  What I’m asking is if you can honestly look yourself in the mirror and say that you’re nothing without Jesus.  Can you stare at your reflection, thinking about all the things that you’ve done in this life and all the things that you consider yours and acknowledge that you’re nothing without Jesus?  Nothing that we do or have done means a thing without Jesus.  That is his role as the eternal priest.  Through his sacrifice and his atoning work, we are made righteous and forgiven, so that we may come into the presence of our Heavenly Father.