Saturday after the First Sunday in Lent
Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honour, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.’
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
When reading this portion of the letter, it’s hard for me not to immediately hear, “you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,” and not have it resonate back to the readings used at the service of my own ordination to the priesthood in December of 2007. Before that, when this passage from the letter to the Hebrews was ever read, that particular part seemed to be glossed over, even sometimes struggling to even pronounce the name Melchizedek.
The long obscure name means something, especially if the writer of the letter is saying that Jesus is himself a “high priest,” an honor reserved only for those who were Levites and the line of Aaron. However, Melchizedek's priesthood predates Aaron and the Levitical line. Melchizedek shows up in Genesis and is referred to as a priest prior to the covenant with Abraham and prior to the Torah being given to Moses.
When Jesus is called a High Priest, it is with reference to both of these previous priesthoods. Like Melchizedek, Jesus is ordained (set apart) as a priest that comes before the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Like the Levite priests, Jesus offers sacrifice to satisfy the Law when he offers himself as a sacrifice for our sins. However, the difference is that Jesus only had to offer sacrifice once, for all, redeeming everyone who will come to God through him. Therefore Jesus is our great intercessor and mediator (our priest), the ultimate one who reconciles the creation to the creator.
It is good for us to take a minute to think about important the writer to the Hebrews thought it was to connect Jesus’ sacrifice to the priesthood, especially the priesthood of Melchizedek. In modern times, we realize that the sacrifice for our sins is completed. The saving work was done by Jesus on the cross. We are called, therefore, as his followers to make sacrifices of praise in thanksgiving, sacrifices of money to provide for the forgotten and those in need, and sacrifices of time for prayer.
In the season of Lent, a time for preparation and introspection, we can ask the question, “what in our life are we willing to sacrifice in order for God to be glorified?”
No comments:
Post a Comment