A priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek
A sermon given at Congregation Beth Messiah
Houston Texas
28 March 2015
By Bob Mendelsohn
Shabbat shalom to each of you here at CBM,
and to those reading this online on my blog or on Facebook, also a hearty
greeting.
Introduction: Tsav
Today is the Saturday before Passover and
it is customary throughout Jewry to honor this day as the Great Sabbath, or Shabbat HaGadol. This commemorates the great miracle
that happened in Egypt on this day, heralding the Exodus from Egypt five days later.
Shabbat HaGadol customs include reading a portion of the Haggadah, which tells
the story of the Exodus; it is also customary that the rabbi of the community
teaches on the laws of Passover, in preparation for the festival. A survey was
taken in Israel some years ago now, in which they found that less than 50% of
the Jews believed in a personal God, but almost 90% observe Passover. That may
put this in perspective a little.
Now, our parasha today entitled Tsav, means commandment and inside the 3rd book of Torah, Vayikra,
this makes sense. After all the majority of the 613 laws in Torah are found in
Leviticus. And like the book’s title in
Latin tells us, Leviticus is the book of the Levites, or the priestly book.
Chapter 8 of Leviticus teaches us of
the ordination of the priests and a bit of their duties. It shows Moses killing
animals and sprinkling blood in appropriate places, and behaving like a priest,
although he wasn’t officially one.
The entire chapter filled with ritual
and blood and drama is an ordination ceremony that begins the work of ministry
for Aaron and his four sons. Numbers chapter 8 highlights when the priests’
duties are fulfilled and they are told to retire, but that’s for another
sermon, although I hear you are experiencing some of that at CBM just now. May God lead you well in this time of
transition.
Our role: The role of the priests
So I’m thinking about priests and about
transitions and of course Passover, and I am led to teach you about a couple
major things. First is the role of each of you, as a believer, if you are a
believer in Yeshua as Messiah. He calls us to be a royal priesthood, according
to the shaliach Shimon, Yeshua’s right hand man in the day. (“But you are A CHOSEN
RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of
Him who has called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2.9). Shimon would certainly
have known all about this, as Yeshua actually ordained him to such a status as
is recorded in Matthew chapter 16. You can read that later, but the reference
will be important for you to write down. (And Yeshua said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon
Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who
is in heaven. I also say to you that you are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build My congregation; and the gates of Hades
will not overpower it. I will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall
have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been
loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16.17-19)
Yeshua ordains Peter to Gospel ministry, and
that means one thing to those men that day. Peter is becoming a Cohen, a
priest. Wow, who can do that anyway? Who can make someone who is not a Cohen to
be a Cohen?
The only one who can really honestly do that
is the Almighty himself. And Yeshua is saying of himself, that that is exactly
who he is! What a claim!
He who is questionably a priest anyway,
isn’t he? Remember a priest had to come from the line of Aaron, who was a
Levite, Levi being the 3rd son of Jacob. Yeshua according to the
genealogies was a great, great, great…. Grandson of Judah, the 4th
son of Jacob. The writer of Hebrews will make a very clear and very important
case for the priesthood of Yeshua, and I’ll explain that just now.
Yeshua: The great High Priest of our confession
Melchizedek is a character from the time of
Abraham our father. He is also mentioned one time in the Psalms (110.4). And of
course, he is mentioned several times in the book of Hebrews in the Newer
Testament portion of the Bible. Who is he? And why is he so important?
According to the story (found in Genesis 14),
he was a priest of another people, but geographically near Abraham. When
Abraham had been successful in battle in retrieving his nephew Lot from his
captors, Abraham wanted to demonstrate thankfulness to God right away. He went
to Melchizedek, the King of Salem (and by the way his name means “King of
Righteousness.”), who promised to stand with Abraham, Melchizedek brought out
what we would recognize as Kiddush, that is, bread and wine, and served some of
the military leaders in Abraham’s entourage. He also said a blessing over Abraham,
which was powerful.
What Abraham did was surprising however. He
gave a tithe to Melchizedek
and honoured him above himself. In fact, the Bible makes clear that the greater
blesses the lesser. So let’s read a bit from Hebrews 7 and unpack it as we go.
“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem,
priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part
of all the spoils, was first of all,
by the translation of his name, king
of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without
father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.”
(This doesn’t mean Melchizedek was without parentage, but rather that in the
record of Scripture, he just pops onto the scene. He did have beginnings and he
did die, but the Bible doesn’t make mention of those events)
“Now observe how great this man was to
whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. And those
indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in
the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren,
although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not
traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the
promises. But without any dispute the lesser
is blessed by the greater.” (The key word in the book of Hebrews is ‘better’
and Yeshua is better than angels, better than Moshe, better than… And here we
see Melchizedek is better than Abraham because of the tithing)
“In this case mortal men receive tithes,
but in that case one receives them, of
whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And,
so to speak, through Abraham even Levi,
who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father
when Melchizedek met him.” (In other words since Levi was in Abraham, and
all the current priests were also there, then the priesthood of today (the
Aaronides) is less than the priesthood of Yeshua (Melchizedek) because of the
tithing!
“Now if perfection was through the
Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what
further need was there for another
priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated
according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of
necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are
spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.
For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with
reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer
still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who
has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the
power of an indestructible life.” (Yeshua came from Judah and was as such
disqualified from being our high priest in heaven, but cleverly the writer of
Hebrews gets another order of priests to make this work)
“For
it is attested of Him,
“YOU
ARE A PRIEST FOREVER
ACCORDING
TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.” (Psalm 110.4)
“For, on the one hand, there is a setting
aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness(for the
Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a
better hope, through which we draw near
to God. And inasmuch as it was
not without an oath(for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with
an oath through the One who said to Him,” (Levites were such not because they
swore to uphold anything, but it was simply biological)
“THE
LORD HAS SWORN
AND
WILL NOT CHANGE HIS MIND,
‘YOU
ARE A PRIEST FOREVER’”);
so much the more also Yeshua has become
the guarantee of a better covenant.
The former
priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were
prevented by death from continuing, but Yeshua, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood
permanently. 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.
For it was fitting for us to have such a
high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted
above the heavens; 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. 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.” (Hebrews chapter 7)
So what do we learn?
Yeshua is our Great High Priest, not
because he came from Judah, but because He came from Melchizedek’s order. He is
a forever priest. He is the one who hears us and who cares for us. He lives to
make intercession for us. He saves to the uttermost. Glory to His name! Baruch
hashem!
And what
about you?
The topic in Tsav seems so remote to us as
21st century people, doesn’t it? Priests and tabernacles, oils and
ephods, 7-day ordination separation duties, and old old Old Jews. But if you
have been listening, you learned like I did that The Almighty who made Yeshua a
priest forever according to another order, other than Levi, is also making you
into a priest, in a way.
There are a few parallel words in Exodus
chapter 28.
“Then bring near to yourself Aaron your
brother, and his sons with him, from among the sons of Israel, to minister as
priest to Me — Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. You
shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. You
shall speak to all the skilful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of
wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister
as priest to Me. These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece
and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and
they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may
minister as priest to Me.” (Exodus 28.1-4)
Three times in those four verses you hear
that same phrase, “That he may minister as a priest to me.”
So priests have a job, to mediate between the people
and God and between God and the people.
That’s why we celebrate that we have Yeshua now who is
the only mediator between God and men. No man needs to do it for us any longer. No
man can do this any longer.
But listen to this text from a very obscure text in
Rav Shaul’s letter to the Roman believers. After he tells the Romans:
“For I say that Messiah has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth
of God to confirm the promises given
to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is
written,
“THEREFORE
I WILL GIVE PRAISE TO YOU AMONG THE GENTILES,
AND
I WILL SING TO YOUR NAME.”
Again he says,
“REJOICE,
O GENTILES, WITH HIS PEOPLE.” And again…“ (Romans 15.8-10) He says this odd phrase, but is an exact
parallel to our text in Exodus and Leviticus today:
“I have written very boldly to you on some
points so as to remind you again, because of the grace that was given me from
God, to be a minister of Messiah Yeshua to the Gentiles, ministering as a
priest the gospel of God, so that my offering
of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom.
15.15-16)
I say it’s odd because this is the only
time in the Newer Testament that the word priest
is used in verb form, just like we see in Torah today. And what we are as the
Body of Messiah, here at CBM, and at Faith Lutheran last night in Sugar Land
and at Second Baptist and at… you name it, wherever the Gospel of Messiah is
proclaimed, we are to function as priests, if you will all of us together,
reaching a lost world, bringing them to God and bringing God to them. We
together are a witness and a holy one at that, of the Holy God.
We in the messianic community have a
responsibility to serve as that royal priesthood, that holy nation, to our own
people. And if you are Jewish and here today (or reading or listening online) I
urge you to hear these words, to consider Yeshua, our Great High Priest, who
alone went into the Heavenly Tabernacle, made without hands, and secured our
eternal kipporah, our eternal forgiveness and atonement. Consider and receive
Him as Savior and Lord; He is our Messiah and the One who lives to intercede,
and to cry out on our behalf. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Then when you also join Him, and believe Yeshua
died for your sins and rose from the dead for us all, then you can join us and
make a clear proclamation to the world of God’s eternal message of hope and
joy, of forgiveness and salvation.
That’s why I’m here today. To help you all
see the priesthood of all believers, that is, that we all together, are a
priesthood to the world, and to ask you to continue to pray for our work in
Sydney, Australia and around the world. Quick story: Last week one of our women was sharing at a
church in Idaho, like I am out in Texas. Melissa met Ruth, whose Christian
neighbour brought to hear another Jew speak about Messiah. Long story short, Ruth prayed with Melissa
that morning to believe and confess Yeshua as Messiah and Lord. Melissa called
her dad on the phone, who also is a believer, and said, “I have someone here
who wants to tell you something.” That’s in house buzz words for “I just prayed
with a person, and they are going to tell you about it.” Sure enough Stewart
answered the phone, and heard Ruth tell him that she had just accepted Yeshua
as Messiah. How great is that? It’s even better… Stewart is also a Jews for
Jesus missionary and was actually on the pulpit at the time of the phone call.
And Ruth shared using the speakerphone with the entire congregation that she
had just gotten saved. Spontaneous applause broke out as you can imagine. I
love that story. I have many others I want to tell you, but I’ll let the
newsletter do that. Would you please fill out the white card you received on
entry, the one with my picture on it, tear the stub off, and begin to fill out
the larger card. I won’t think it rude for you to write while I finish
speaking. Please fill out the card completely, especially your email, so we can
tell you stories quickly and you can pass them on via forward to many like this
one.
If you are giving financially to Jews for
Jesus today, please put the amount on the front of the card when you fill it
out so we can receipt and thank you. I really appreciate that.
I have a resource table as usual up the
back, and really want you to get the book entitled, “What the rabbis know about
the Messiah” by Rachmiel Frydland, of blessed memory, The cover is on the
screen just now. We ran out of them on this trip, but if you want one, just pay
for it up the back, along with any other book, like my testimony, or the calendar,
music you want, and without shipping charge, we will get it to you right away.
I loved Rachmiel, a holocaust survivor, a Yeshiva bachur, and a holy messianic
mensch. He died in 1984 in Ohio. His book is a classic and you have to have it
in your library, for sure.
By the way I also have a credit card
machine now, so you can use your card, a check, or cash to pay for things.
Rabbi Richard, thank you for your
friendship in Messiah for over 30 years. Patsy, keep looking after the man; he
turned 69 on Wednesday, which is also my wife’s birthday but she is much
younger. He is a golden friend and a holy representative of Messiah’s body in
Houston to a world that so desperately needs to see Yeshua.
Rabbi Ron and all the rest of the staff,
all the volunteers who make this place such a good place I thank you as well. To everyone, be His priests to the world that
so needs to know Him. Keep doing what makes Yeshua happy; have a blessed Pesach
next week, remembering the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and
have a Shabbat shalom as well today.
