Bible Break

 

March /04/ 07

 

Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Which high priest is in the likeness of Jesus?

 

When Moses led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, his brother Aaron was the chief spokesperson (Exodus 4:10-17) and they were of the tribe of Levi. Once they were in the wilderness, Moses was called by God to Mount Sinai where the Old Testament, or covenant, was given to him for the Jewish race of Israel. Included within this Law was the duties of the high priest which includes even the apparel such as the ephod, the breastplate with the twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel, the robe and his crown (Exodus 28-30). Now the priest entered the outer tabernacle while only the high priest enters the inner shadowed by the veil, "Now when these things were prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second only the high priest enters, once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation." (Hebrews 9:6-10) And here is what the high priest did, "For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, 'This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.' And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one might almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." (Hebrews 9:19-23)

That brings us to our question, "Which high priest is in the likeness of Jesus?". The Old Testament was only a shadow of the New Testament to come, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (Hebrews 10:1-4) And so we needed a better covenant, "then He said, 'Behold, I have come to do Thy will.' He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:9-10) Just as a "will" becomes a legal document upon the death of the one who it pertains, so does the New covenant-or will-become a legal document upon the death of the one who made it-Christ "For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives." (Hebrews 9:16-17)

So then, for the answer to our question we turn and read, "So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, 'Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee'; just as He says also in another passage, 'Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.' In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:5-10)

So there we have the answer to our question, as Jesus became high priest in the order of Melchizedek! Interestingly enough, Jesus would not be a priest at all upon this earth as the priest were of the tribe of Levi, "Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary, and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, 'See,' He says, 'that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.' But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator if a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second." (Hebrews 8:1-7)

Let us remember the sacrifice made by Our Lord in obedience to the Father that we might live by also becoming obedient for eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9)!

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