A practical guide to understanding and applying faith lessons from the Book of Hebrews (#7) First Congregational Church of Hamilton 1
What would you guess are the priestly tasks of each religious system: How effective would the priest or priestess of one religion be if they switched and served in another religion? First Congregational Church of Hamilton 2
So how did we get here? The writer of Hebrews has been laying out an elaborate case for the superiority of Jesus. Right around Hebrews 4:14 the writer first argued that Jesus is a priest after the pattern of Melchizedek. The writer took a detour at 5:11-6:3 to saying we ought to be further along in our Christian maturity. In 6:4-12, the writer spanked those who wandered away from the faith. Last week, the writer returned to the assertion about Melchizedek (7:1-3). The author said Melchizedek was both king and priest, without parents and genealogy. And like the son of God he remains a priest forever (7:4-10). The writer said the greatness of Melchizedek exceeded that of Abraham. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek and received a blessing from him, the inferior from the superior. A Permanent Priesthood Hebrews 7:11-22 If the priesthood of Levi and Aaron, which provided the framework for the giving of the law, could really make people perfect, there wouldn t have been need for a new priesthood like that of Melchizedek. But since it didn t get the job done, there was a change of priesthood, which brought with it a radical new kind of law. There is no way of understanding this in terms of the old Levitical priesthood, which is why there is nothing in Jesus family tree connecting him with that priestly line. What other NT writer reached this conclusion about the failure of the OT sacrificial system? But the Melchizedek story provides a perfect analogy: Jesus, a priest like See Melchizedek, not by genealogical descent but by the sheer force of Supercessionism resurrection life he lives! priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek. The former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside; the law brought nothing to maturity. Another way Jesus! a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God, is put in its place. The old priesthood of Aaron perpetuated itself automatically, father to son, without explicit confirmation by God. But then God intervened and called this new, permanent priesthood into being with an added promise: God gave his word; he won t take it back: You re the permanent priest. This makes Jesus the guarantee of a far better way between us and God one that really works! First Congregational Church of Hamilton 3
Supersessionism is the doctrine that Christianity is the fulfillment of Biblical Judaism, and therefore that Jews who deny that Jesus is the Messiah fall short of their calling as God's Chosen people. Early Christian theologians saw the New Covenant in Jesus as a replacement for the Mosaic Covenant. Historically, the Catholic Church has claimed her ecclesiastical structures to be a fulfillment and replacement of Jewish ecclesiastical structures. Supersessionism, in its more radical form, maintains that the Jews are no longer considered to be God's Chosen people in any sense. This understanding is generally termed "replacement theology." The traditional form of supersessionism does not suggest a replacement; instead it argues that Israel has been superseded in the sense that the Church has been entrusted with the fulfillment of the promises of which Jewish Israel is the trustee. This belief explains why believers in Christ should not become Jews. It also suggests why Jews are not exempted by the Christian churches from the call of the Gospel to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin and from the penalties due to sin. Protestants hold to a range of positions, some with more emphasis on continuity (covenant theology) and others with more emphasis on discontinuity (dispensationalism). The doctrine of supersessionism has been blamed in the past for mistreatment of the Jews. Some Protestant groups have therefore formally renounced supersessionism, affirming that Jews and other non-christians have a valid way to find God within their own faith, which breaks from historic Protestant teaching. Dispensationalism affirms that salvation is only through faith in Christ, and that Jews fall short of obtaining the kingdom of the promised Messiah, unless they are converted to Christianity. However, in this view, a future mass conversion (Revelation 7 and 14) will result in the restoration of the nation Israel prior to the Millennium, apart from the church dispensation. First Congregational Church of Hamilton 4
And a new system Hebrews 7:22-8:13 Earlier there were a lot of priests, for they died and had to be replaced. But Jesus priesthood is permanent. He s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them. So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God s presence in heaven itself. Unlike the other high priests, he doesn t have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He s done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice. The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right. But this intervening command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, eternally perfect. Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain. But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, You should know the LORD. For everyone, from the least to the greatest will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. "And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." Ezekiel 11:19 20 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep Mine ordinances, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your uncleannesses; and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sake do I this, says the Lord GOD, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel." First Congregational Church of Hamilton Ezekiel 36:26-32 5
A new covenant was coming First Congregational Church of Hamilton 6
Hebrews 8 in Summary The writer argues that Aaron s priesthood is worse than inappropriate. A better, permanent priesthood is required. In Psalm 110:4 God appoints Jesus a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. A change in priesthood means a change in the law that the priest serves. The writer says that Jesus' priesthood is superior because: it was established by an oath by God himself (Ps 110:4); Jesus becomes the guarantee of a better covenant. it is permanent, for he never dies, unlike the oh so human Aaronic/Levitical high priests. he is holy and does not need to offer sacrifices for himself, unlike those other guys. he serves at the heavenly tabernacle, the true one, of which the earthly one is a copy. he is the mediator of a new covenant, founded on better promises, which is better than the old covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34); new implies that the old is obsolete. And the writer s not through yet, not until the end of Hebrews chapter 10. LEVITICUS HEBREWS Passage Old Covenant (temporary) New Covenant (permanent) Heb 7:22; 8:6, 13; 10:20 Obsolete promises Better promises Heb 8:6-13 A shadow The real deal Heb 8:5; 9:23, 24; 10:1 Aaronic priesthood (many) Melchizedekian priesthood (one) Heb 6:19-7:25 Sinful priesthood Sinless priesthood Heb 7:26, 27; 9:7 Limited-by-death priesthood Forever priesthood Heb 7:16, 17, 23, 24 Daily sacrifices Once-for-all sacrifice Heb 7:27; 9:12, 25, 26; 10:9, 10, 12 Animal sacrifices Sacrifice of God s Son Heb 9:11-15, 26; 10:4-10, 19 Ongoing sacrifices Sacrifices no longer needed Heb 10:11-14, 18 One year atonement Eternal propitiation Heb 7:25; 9:12, 15; 10:1-4, 12 Why would that be true? Can you think of any instances when this happened? 1. Which arguments for the superior or matchless nature of Jesus make the most sense to you? 2. For you, what is the best reason to rest in your relationship with God? First Congregational Church of Hamilton 7
First Congregational Church of Hamilton 8