Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 5:1-6 (NIV)

Do you sense the theological water rising? As the author foreshadowed in Hebrews 2:17-3:2, the priesthood of Jesus is a major, if not central, theme of this letter. But what do we know about priesthood, and why is it a matter of importance to Christ followers today?

If I may be so bold, I would venture to say that the spirituality enjoyed by most of us in the Christian community is not the spirituality advocated in Scripture. Modern American pragmatism opened the door for a form of spirituality among Christ followers that is focused on our needs, not His power; on our benefit, not His glory; and on our empires, not His Kingdom!

The writer of Hebrews once again quotes Psalm 110:4 in the passage cited above. In addition, Psalm 110:4 is quoted and alluded to in this letter more than any other biblical reference. “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps 110:4) The matter of Melchizedek will be addressed later in Chapter 7, but why was it important for our author to introduce the subject at this point?

Briefly, the importance of the reference to Melchizedek is to call attention to the “unique” priesthood of JESUS. But, let me be clear. The focus is not Melchizedek, but Jesus! The reason for this focus was the recipients of this letter were wavering in their faith, becoming complacent in their mission, and considering the adoption of an empty religious form to camouflage their disobedience to Christ (sound like anyone we know?) And, if you are guessing that the answer to their dilemma was Jesus, you are right!

The answer to our dilemma is Jesus. And yet, so many of us hardly know Him as evidenced by our lack of understanding of His priesthood and the prototype (archetype, actually), Melchizedek. So, why do you think it is important to learn and know more ABOUT Jesus? What do you think is the goal of this kind of learning? What could possibly change in our community of faith if we became more skilled students of Jesus? Let’s think out loud (or online for all you literalists).