LESSON 7 - Heb. 7:23-38 - JESUS: THE GUARANTEE OF A BETTER COVENANT
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in Heb. 6:1-8, we heard the writer of Hebrews issue his third warning to the Christian Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire; specifically, the real dangers associated with failing to mature in their Christian faith. You might even remember that the church in Rome is thought to have been established early on by Jewish pilgrims who were converted after hearing Peter preach at the Pentecost (reported in Acts 2, ca. 30 A.D.) At the time this letter was written, probably 30+ years later, Christian Jews were not only facing persecution generally, but were being pressured by their families and friends in the larger Jewish community to completely renounce their Christian faith and revert to traditional Judaism. The writer exhorted them to move past the basics of the faith that they already knew and press-on to maturity using all the resources that God richly provides through His Holy Spirit, His Word, and His church. Finally, if they allowed themselves to completely "fall away," they didn't lose their salvation, but God would surely judge them with "fire"-both in this life and the next (loss of spiritual rewards).
This week, in Heb. 7:23-38, we'll hear the writer resume his exposition on the superiority of the High Priesthood of Jesus Christ to that of the Levitical Priests under the Old Covenant. The first section of the chapter, which we skip, returns to the theme of the priestly order of Melchizedek. To summarize it, the writer explains that Jesus was a member of Melchizedek's priestly order, rather than that of Aaron; that Melchizedek served as a prototype of Jesus in two respects: (1) He was both a king and a priest and (2) was characterized by his righteousness and peace. Thus, Melchizedek came as a human type who foreshadowed Christ's eternal existence and His unending priesthood.
Read Heb. 7:23-25 - JESUS LIVES FOREVER AND SAVES FOREVER
23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
v. 23: "The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing," - Here, the writer begins his comparison of the OT Aaronic, Levitical priesthood which was imperfect and limited. He's not saying the system was bad per se, but that it represents a now obsolete method that should not be viewed as the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. He emphasizes the obvious shortcomings: The Aaronic line of priests came and went-lived and died, requiring them to be frequently replaced, with the result that multitudes of ordinary priests and many high priests had to be selected over time (and we need to remember that by Jesus' time, the high priests in Judea had become little more than political figureheads).
v. 24: "but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. " - Because Jesus is eternal-will never die-and will never need to be replaced by another high priest, it clearly demonstrates that only He is empowered to oversee and administer His work of mediating and interceding for His people-the Church-all the way to the very end of time; therefore, Jesus must be seen as superior in every way to the Aaronic priestls who preceded Him.
v. 25: "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." - This verse needs to be understood in context: At first glance, this verse appears to be referring to Christ's work in saving sinners from the penalty of sin; however, in this context, the writer is actually speaking of Christ's work as High Priest: Specifically, there is never a danger that any Christian believer will ever be lost because his or her eternal security is based upon Christ's unending-"forever"-intercession for them. This is what gives true meaning to the term "forgiven once and for all" (Rom. 6:10; John 3:16). When we fall short, God doesn't overlook our sins; but Jesus, as our High Priest at God's right hand, intercedes, and God forgives us. In short, He has us covered-completely and forever.
APPLICATION 1: Jesus' appointment as our High Priest forever gives us a divine fail-safe system. In other words, our salvation is secure and risk-free. As Christian believers, we are never in any danger of being 'lost' because our eternal security is based upon Christ's never ending-"forever"-intercession for us. Whenever we fall short, God doesn't overlook our sins; but Jesus, as our High Priest at God's right hand, intercedes for us, and God forgives.
NOTE: Intercession is the act of intervening on behalf of someone else, like a fireman who rushes into a burning building to save a trapped child. Jesus interceded for people while he was on earth. In His High Priestly Prayer shortly before His death, He prayed: "I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on the behalf of those whom You have given Me, because they are Yours;" (John 17:9). Notice that He didn't ask on "behalf of the world" but "for those whom You have given me." That's you and me: Believing Christians saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. We belong to Him, and He's our "forever High Priest" right now.
Read Heb. 7:26-28 - SUCH A FITTING HIGH PRIEST
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
v. 26a: "For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest" - By "fitting," the writer correctly identifies that Jesus Christ, God the Son, is the only person in the entire universe qualified for this position. Him alone.
v. 26b: "holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners" - This is Jesus' one-of-a-kind resumé:
v. 26c: "and exalted above the heavens;" - This phrase is significant: We know how helpful it is to have friends in high, influential places (e.g., in the workplace or in businesses, or in key government positions) who are on our side and willing to stand up for us. Having people like that-to intercede for us-can enable us to easily get things done that we could never, ever accomplish on our own. So, as believers, we have a High Priest seated at God's right hand who is certain-anytime night or day-to intercede for us as we navigate through life in this sinful world. It's there for the asking and our intercessor is available instantly, 24 hours a day, ready to listen to our prayers, always willing to share our burdens, and always able to bring us "the peace that surpasses all understanding." (Phil. 4:6).
APPLICATION 2: As the Son of God, Jesus is the only person fit to be our High Priest. Jesus is not only sinless and perfectly pure, He has been exalted above the heavens to sit at God's right hand, where He is instantly available at all times to help us navigate through this sinful world.
v. 27a: "who does not need daily, like those high priests," - The word "daily" points out a significant limitation of Levitical priests; as sinful humans, they were required to make sacrifice to atone for their own sins on a day-to-day basis before they were qualified to intercede for others.
v. 27b: "to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people," - The consecration of Aaron and the high priests who followed him on the one Day of Atonement was very complex: A seven-day process in which a bull was sacrificed each day as a sin offering (Ex. 29:36).
v. 27c: "because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." - Jesus, however, as our "forever" High Priest, who is sinless, has no need to offer sacrifices of any kind based upon the fact that His sacrifice on the cross was once and for all time and never needs to be repeated. We NT Christians generally accept this truth without qualification, but for the Christian Jews to whom this letter was addressed, this was a foundational issue about the superiority of Christ: The writer's point is that for Jew and Gentile alike, Christ's superiority as our High Priest has completely abolished any further need for the OT sacrificial system.
v. 28a: "For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak," - This verse sets up a concluding contrast for the entire Chapter. First, the now obsolete Mosaic Law established a system in which the high priest themselves were characterized as weak and imperfect sinners, so that they could only be made temporarily holy according to short-term ritual cleansing.
v. 28b: "but the word of the oath, which came after the Law," - The entire point of the Chapter is to show the Christian Jews (and us, too) that the Covenant of the Law (Mosaic) is inferior to the Covenant of Grace that Jesus ushered in and secures for all believing Christians, Jew and Gentile alike. In this phrase, the writer confirms that this Covenant is backed by an "oath" from God that is eternal and everlasting. And because of this oath, God will never revoke it or change His mind regarding the promises that underlie it.
v. 28c: "appoints a Son, made perfect forever." - Under this New Covenant of Grace, God, by His "oath," appointed His Son, Jesus Christ, as our "forever" High Priest, who is "perfect" because He offered a sacrifice (Himself) that satisfies God completely and for all time. (Note: this verse also alludes to the Messianic prophecy of Psalm 110:4: The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.")
APPLICATION 3: Salvation by faith in God the Son is guaranteed by God the Father. The New Covenant of Grace that Jesus ushered in has been confirmed by the "oath" of God the Father which is eternal and everlasting. Importantly, it means that God will never change His mind or revoke His promises, which includes everlasting life.
