Life Marks: OUR HIGH PRIEST
The New Testament Book of Hebrews was written primarily to Jewish Christians, probably living in Italy, around AD 64. In AD 49, Emperor Claudius banished all Jews from Rome because of disturbances and riots over a man named Cristos! Apparently, Jewish Christians from around the empire travelled to Rome where they told their relatives about Jesus Christ, and as might be expected, not everyone received the message of a “crucified and resurrected Messiah” who died for their sins. The writer praised them because they had handled the seizure of their property (which probably went to enhance the wealth of the Claudius himself) with dignity and grace.
When Nero came to power in AD 54, he eventually allowed the Jews to return to Rome, likely because of the influence of his Jewish wife Poppaea. Ten years later, in AD 64, Nero set fire to Rome, hoping to destroy just a few of the “lower class” districts in order to clear the way for him to rebuild the city center. However, the wind unexpectedly came up causing the fire to spread rapidly, thus destroying much of the city, including the homes of many of the wealthy senators. Needing a scapegoat, Nero blamed the Christians, and thus began his “reign of terror” against the church. This is likely the time when the Apostles Peter and Paul were martyred, along with thousands of other Christians.
It was at the outbreak of this persecution that the writer of Hebrews (either Paul or Barnabas – Barnabas is my first choice) wrote to encourage the Jewish Christians not to abandon their faith in Christ by returning to the safety of Judaism. This so called “safety” would last only a few years until Nero decided to kill his Jewish wife, thus opening the door for the outbreak of the Roman war against the Jews (you can read all about it in the works of the Jewish historian Josephus).
Thus, the writer of Hebrews encouraged these new Jewish Christians to not return to the so-called “safety” of Judaism, even though it was then a protected religion by Rome. His argument was that there was nothing there for them, after all, Jesus Christ was the Messiah who had died for their sins and rose again, and who ascended on high and was seated at the right hand of the Father. And besides, He was a much better High Priest than any of the Old Covenant priests serving in the Temple in Jerusalem, which, by the way, would be completely destroyed by the Roman army just 6 years after the letter was written and delivered, that is, in August of AD 70. In fact, the writer made it clear to them that the entire Old Covenant system of laws and regulations was “…becoming obsolete and was about ready to disappear” (Heb. 8:13).
But there was a problem with Jesus being considered as a High Priest, and it had to do with His so called lack of qualifications. The writer of Hebrews told his readers that even though Jesus’ lineage through Joseph and Mary could be traced through the Tribe of Judah (the “kingly” tribe), and not through the Tribe of Levi (the “priestly” tribe), Jesus was qualified to be a King, but also a High Priest. But, how could this be? The Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Levi are totally different tribes in Israel, and Jesus was only descended from the Tribe of Judah.
The writer pointed them all the way back to the Book of Genesis, to the time when Abraham, the father of their nation and of their faith, was met by the king of Salem (probably ancient Jerusalem) after Abraham and his men had defeated some of the local kings in armed conflict. It was then that Melchizedek (the king of Salem) brought Abraham bread and wine, and it was revealed that he was not only a king, but also a priest of the “Most High God.” Melchizedek blessed Abraham and in response, Abraham paid him “tithes,” that is, a tenth of all the spoils accumulated as a result of the conflict with the local kings. Interestingly, there is no record of Melchizedek’s lineage — he just appeared on the scene for “a few moments” in the Book of Genesis, and then “disappeared” from the pages of history (Gen. 14:17-20).
It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that Moses would receive the Law on Mt. Sinai and that the Tribe of Levi would be designated as the “priestly tribe.” And because all of the twelve tribes were descended from Abraham, it was said that Levi was “…in the loins of Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchizedek.” The argument used by our writer is that Melchizedek was far greater than Levi because through Abraham, Levi “paid tithes to Melchizedek.” And because there was no recorded genealogy of Melchizedek, it could be said that he had “….no beginning of days nor end of life, but was made like the Son of God….” (Heb. 7:3). Therefore, Jesus is a Priest of a different “order.” He is “descended” (in figurative terms) from Melchizedek, and not Levi, and is therefore fully qualified to be our High Priest. Tough to follow? You can read all about it in Hebrews, Chapter 7.
The Israelites in the first century were really big on making sure that people who held offices were qualified to hold them. This is why the writer of Hebrews took such pains to show his readers that Jesus is fully qualified to be a priest, and a better one at that. The Levitical priesthood was flawed, and greatly so. It is with this awareness that the writer of Hebrews then turns to the fact that Jesus is a much better High Priest than any of the Levitical priests throughout their history, including those serving in Jerusalem during the time of his writing. So, for those Jewish Christians in the first century being tempted to return to Judaism, the issue regarding the priesthood was not only about “qualifications,” it’s also about “quality.”
Next week, we will find out why Jesus is a far superior High Priest. I hope that you will join me.
