How Was Jesus a Melchizedek Priest?

The major theme of the letter to the Hebrews is the interaction between the sacrifices of the Mosaic Law and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  One of the key assertions in that letter is that Jesus is not a Levitical priest - that is, a priest according to the Law of Moses - but a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

The letter says:

"We have this as a steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Hebrews 6:19-20

What does that mean?  That's what we'll examine today.


Who Was Melchizedek?

Melchizedek was a mysterious character in the Old Testament.  The account in Genesis reports that he was a king and a priest.  Abraham, after a great military victory, visits him and pays a tithe of his spoils.

“Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of the God Most High, he blessed Abram with these words:  ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.’  Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” – Genesis 14: 18-20

So we know the following:

• He was a priest and a king.
• He sacrificed bread and wine.
• He received a tithe from Abraham.

And... that's it.  That's all the data we've got.

But we can already see one similarity between Jesus and Melchizedek;  They are both priest and king.  In fact, we can see Jesus’ role prefigured in the translation of Melchizedek’s name and position.  The letter to the Hebrews says:

“First, the name Melchizedek means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace.’” - Hebrews 7:2

But there is more...


A Priesthood Apart from Ancestry:

Another similarity between Jesus and Melchizidek is that while both are priests, neither is descended from the Hebrew tribe of Levi.  The tribe of Levi was the portion of the Hebrew people who could be priests.  However, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah and Melchizdek lived before the formation of any Hebrew tribes. 

This was important because it showed the Hebrews audience that one could be a legitimate priest of God without being a Levite.  One could imagine an opponent of the early Christian movement saying Jesus could not have made a sacrifice to God because He wasn’t descended from Levi.  That argument is refuted in Hebrews:

“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham.  This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.” – Hebrews 7:2-6

A Superior Priesthood:

We can also learn something from the fact that Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek.  The author of Hebrews observes that there is a pecking order involved in the giving of tithes and blessings.  That is to say, the superior blesses the inferior - and the inferior pays a tithe to the superior. 

Thus, the author reasons:

• The Levitical priesthood comes through Abraham
• Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek.
• Thus, the priestly order of Melchizedek is superior to the Levitical priesthood. 

He says:

"See how great he is! Even Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their kindred, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man, who does not belong to their ancestry, collected tithes from Abraham and blessed him. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior." - Hebrews 7:4-7

The Same Order?

Now, there is still a big looming question.  How exactly is it that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek?  Consider that priests from the same order offer the same sacrifices.  For instance, the Levitical priests all offered lambs, goats, birds, and bulls. 

This presents a quandary to us in regard to Jesus and Melchizedek.  The sacrifice offered by Jesus was His own flesh and blood on the cross.  The sacrifice offered by Melchizedek was bread and wine.  So how could it be true that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek if they offered two radically different things? 

In order for all of these things to be simultaneously true, Jesus would have to do something which brings the two together.  Bread and wine, His body and blood.  Jesus would have to do something absurd like … offer a sacrifice of bread and wine which is actually his flesh and blood.  But that’s crazy, right?  When did that happen?

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat: this is my body.’  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for man for the forgiveness of sins.’” - Matthew 26:26-28

The fact that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek points us to the doctrine of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.  Namely, that when Jesus said, "This is my body"... He wasn't kidding around.