Melchizedek: A Type of Christ
Hebrews 7:1-10
Take your Bibles as we begin, and turn to the 7th chapter of Hebrews for our study tonight. We begin this chapter, and we'll be discussing Melchizedek, a type of Christ. Melchizedek, a type of Christ, and to begin with, we'll consider Hebrews 7 verses 1 through 10, and I'm sure your heart will be enriched as we really continue all through chapter 7 and 8, and even into chapter 9, and deal with the priesthood of Christ. Particularly foundational are these first ten verses that we understand carefully the character of Melchizedek.
Now there's much in the Scripture that comes under the category of typology. There are many theological terms that we use in Bible study and in Bible teaching. One of them is typology. Whenever we talk about a type, we mean an Old Testament picture of the person and work of Christ. For example, in the Old Testament, we read about a brazen serpent being lifted up, and all who looked upon the serpent were healed from the snakebites; and then we hear in John chapter 3 that that is a picture of Jesus Christ; and it says, "As the Son of Man was lifted...as the serpent was lifted up, so shall the Son of Man be lifted up, and those who look on Him in faith shall be healed from sin."
We read in the Old Testament about lambs being slain, and then we hear the words of John the Baptist, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Reference to Jesus Christ. There are many pictures in the Old Testament of Christ. We call these types, and Christ is the anti-type or the fulfillment of that type. Now, we've shared this many times in reference to much of our Bible instruction, and that's just a brief word of review.
But as we come to Hebrews chapter 7, we meet another Old Testament type. Now, keep in mind that types are always frail illustrations, at best. A lamb rates no comparison with the Lamb of God realistically. Nor does a serpent of grass rate a relationship to Jesus Christ realistically. They are merely humble pictures, meant to give us insight from an illustrative point of view; and we say, at the same time, that Melchizedek in no way deserves an equality with Jesus Christ; but he does serve as a very interesting picture of Christ; and we're going to see that tonight. I feel that this has to be one of the most graphic types of Christ, if for no other reason than the fact that it is given so much space in the New Testament - all of this area of Hebrews chapter 7.
Now, chapter 7 is really the main chapter in the epistle to the Hebrews, because it tackles the key question which concerned the Jews, and that was the question of priesthood. This was the basic question. Now, when we talk about a priest today, many people think about a lotta different things. They think of a little man who's got a funny, little robe, and he goes around blessing people or...or passing out certain little elements or going through certain rituals. Or maybe you think of a...of a Jewish priest historically who wore all kinds of paraphernalia, had a funny hat on, and so forth and so on. Or maybe you know some other kind of organization that has priests, and they look a certain way. We think of priests as kind of offbeat little outside people with backward scholars and...and they really have a rather strange relationship to our society and exist in a kind of a religious world all their own.
But to the Jew, the priesthood was very exalted, and the priesthood was very intrinsic to Judaism. The priests really were the ones who connected men with God...and the Latin word for priest is pontifex. Take it apart, and it means bridge builder. The priest was the one who built the bridge from man to God; and to the Jew, the priesthood was really very, very important. To them, you see, religion was access to God; and since they couldn't go directly to God, they had to go through a mediator; and the priests were designed to be mediators.
For example, on the Day of Atonement, they couldn't go into the Holy of Holies and put the blood on the mercy seat. The high priest had to do that. In other words, he mediated between God and men. He built the bridge. This was how God designed it, that certain men would be called out, set apart, sons of Aaron and Levi, to minister as priests; and they would build bridges between men and God, according to God's specifications.
Later on in Hebrews, in chapter 9, it says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins." Now, the priests couldn't have direct access to God except through a sacrifice, because God had designed that sin would be paid for by a blood sacrifice. So the priest made the sacrifice, carried it all out, and, therefore, was the link between men and God. He was the one who actually did all of the technicalities of the sacrifice and offered the blood as an atonement for sin. God had made a perfect law, only men had broken it. Thus, men's fellowship with God was broken. They needed to be rejoined again; and when a man repented and made an offering, and the priest went through the ritual, then the genuineness of the man's repentance was shown in his obedience to the sacrifice.
Lemme clear that up so you'll understand it. I believe God. How do I know I believe God? By what I do. That's the Book of James. In the Old Testament, when a man repented of his sin, he proved the validity of his repentance by offering a sacrifice, and the priest administered the sacrifice and, thus, was the bridge between God and man. But human priests were frail, and human priests were sinful. Before they could ever offer sacrifices for anybody else, they had to offer sacrifices for themselves because of their frailties.
So in the Book of Hebrews, the writer wants to prove to us that there's a greater high priest than any Jewish one. That there's a greater priest than any Hebrew priest, one who doesn't need to make atonement for his own sins; and the problem with the Jewish priesthood was that it was so inadequate. That what they did today wasn't worth anything tomorrow. They had to do it over and over and over again, constantly, constantly, constantly. There was never any final satisfaction. Every time a man sinned, he had to go all the way over there; do it all over again. Then he'd sin again, and go over and do it all over again. It was a constant going on. The priests never ceased. They were bathed in blood incessantly, offering sacrifices.
So the Holy Spirit in the Book of Hebrews shows that what we need is a new and better priesthood, a new and better sacrifice and points out that both of those are realized in Jesus Christ, who Himself is a better sacrifice and a better priest. Now, we have already seen in our introductory thoughts about Hebrews that the Hebrew...the Book of Hebrews is a presentation of the preeminence of Christ. That it presents Jesus Christ as the exalted one; and it talks about the fact that He is the mediator of a better covenant with a better hope. He's the bringer of a better promise and a better sacrifice, better substance, a better country, a better resurrection, a covenant not earthly but heavenly, a heavenly Christ, a heavenly calling, a heavenly gift, a heavenly country, a heavenly Jerusalem, and on and on you find these phrases in Hebrews.
In chapter 8 verse 1, we have a summary. "Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an High Priest, who is seated on the right hand of throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man." In other words, we have a High Priest in the heavenlies not like any earthly high priest. Men needed a high priest because they needed somebody to build a bridge to God; but those men were inadequate, because of their own sin; and what they did, they had to do over and over and over again. And finally a great glorious Priest has come along.
Now, you see, to the Jew, this is very important, because he knows of no way to get yourself connected with God apart from a priest; and so the Holy Spirit says, "Christ is that perfect Priest." Not only does He fit the qualifications of a priest, but He supersedes any qualifications of any priest you've ever seen. He's far beyond...
So the Holy Spirit writes all of this about the priesthood of Jesus Christ, because this is the very heart of Judaism. He has talked about the fact that Jesus is superior to prophets, superior to angels, superior to Moses, superior to Joshua, in order to show them the importance of turning to Christ and the new covenant. He shows how Jesus is superior to everything in the old covenant; but the heartbeat of Judaism is the priesthood; and if Jesus is really who He claims to be, then He must supersede Aaron. He must be better than Aaron, and He must be better than every other priest.
Now, in chapter 4 verse 14, the Spirit declared that He was. Listen to it. "Seeing then that we have such a great High Priest that has passed into the Heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession. For we have not an High Priest who cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Now, here, the Holy Spirit introduces the priesthood of Christ and says, "We have such a great High Priest. We have a great High Priest. You don't need the priests of Judaism anymore. You don't need the old system. There is a great High Priest. There is a bridge builder whose bridge stays, whose bridge remains; and once you cross that bridge, you remain eternally in the fellowship of God. There is such a bridge builder, and it is Jesus Christ."
So in chapter 4 verses 14 to 16, he introduced Jesus as a priest. In chapter 5 verses 1 to 10, he showed that Jesus was better than Aaron. He pointed out that Jesus was better than Aaron, and that was an amazing thing. And then he was going to go on and compare Melchizedek to Jesus, but he stopped in chapter 5 verse 11, and we've been studying that; and in 5:11 to 6:20, you have a parenthesis; and in that parenthesis, he says, in effect, "I wanna tell you about Melchizedek, but you're too spiritual stupid to handle it."
Now he says, "Mature," and we've...we believe and are committed to the fact that he's talking here to unbelievers, and he's saying, "Come on to Christ. Wake up from your spiritual sluggishness. Accept the new covenant, that you might have the understanding to comprehend what I'm gonna say to you."...They must understand that Jesus is a priest of a higher order than Aaron, that Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. That's 5:10. He just introduces that statement, and he says, "Oh," verse 11, "I'd like to say some things, but you're spiritually stupid." Then he urges them to leave Judaism to come all the way to Christ. They're right on the verge in order that, in the maturity that comes with salvation, their minds and hearts might be open to understand how Jesus relates to Melchizedek; and so he warns them all the way through chapter 6 to come to Christ; and then in verse 20, he gets right back to his point. "Jesus made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." And then immediately in chapter 7 verse 1, he launches into this comparison.
Now, it's interesting to me that he would say, "I can't say this to you till you get mature," and then immediately say it to them. If he was talking to Christians who needed to grow up, he would have had to wait a long time before he ever started chapter 7; but since the maturity that he's talking about is the maturity that comes in salvation and is a momentary maturity, he can then say, "Now I'm going right on for those of you who know Christ."...
And so he introduces Melchizedek, and he says, "Jesus is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek." Now, there's all kinds of conjecture about who Melchizedek is. Some insist that he is an angel, and this is a common thought. However, in chapter 5 verse 1, I think that is done away with, because it says, "Every high priest is taken from among men." Therefore, he couldn't be an angel. Others suggest that he is Jesus Christ, and the reason they say that is because there is so much mystery around him. However, it says in verse 3, "He was made like unto the Son of God." It does not say, "He was the Son of God." A rose is not like a rose. A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, you know. There's a difference between being like something and being