God’s Gift of …

Over the past two weeks, we learned that: Jesus is a gift of light to us, confronting our ignorance of God, exposing our rebellion against Him and shattering the power of death over us. Jesus is a gift of a King to us, and that He came not to simply rule over as a king over the kingdom of Israel, but as an eternal King of kings and Lord of lords, reigning and ruling in a complete way over all things. Our prayer was that Christ’s reign and rule be made complete in us as a church and in each one of our individual lives.

Any guesses on our theme? Our theme for today is God’s gift to us of a great high priest in the person of Jesus Christ. “… this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two’.” (Zechariah 6:12-14) “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” (Hebrews 4:14)

From the biblical timeline revealed in scripture, for the first 2,500 years of human existence, right up to the giving of the Law of Moses, there was no functioning religious system for the worship of God – no temple, no tabernacle, no rituals and rites, no hymnals and no priesthood. According to the Law of Moses the gist of the priesthood was that these men would stand as mediators between the people of Israel and God himself, ensuring that by their teaching and the sacrifices they offered, the people of Israel would stand in right relationship with God. The system was such that in order to receive forgiveness for sin, a sacrifice needed to be made.

Among the priests, the High Priest served as the chief figure. His main role was to oversee the responsibilities of all the subordinate priests and was the go to guy when questions of God’s will were raised. His chief responsibility though occurred on the Day of Atonement, when, after presenting a sacrifice for his own sin, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies in the temple – the place where God literally “lived” - to make atonement for the sin of the people by sprinkling blood on the Ark of the Covenant and by burning incense before God. The little problem of death meant that a succession of high priests were necessary to ensure that sin was properly atoned for – hence the religious system of Israel.

TWO MEN WITH DIFFICULT NAMES Our Messianic passage from Zechariah notes that one called “the Branch” would arrive on scene, rebuild the temple of God and rule as a priestly king upon the throne of Israel. The Account of Zerubabbel Two problems: Zerubbabel never ruled as king Zerubbabel was not a priest Our passage looks past Zerubbabel and toward the coming Messiah.

“You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) The Account of Melchizedek Melchizedek was the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High. Two Points Melchizedek was a priestly king; one in whom the roles are in harmony. Neither Melchizedek’s kingship nor his priesthood are based upon the Mosaic Law; they are established outside of this; in fact, they strangely seem almost eternally established.

Jesus descends from the Davidic line of monarchy, but as we discussed last week, His kingship is eternal – His “origins are from of old, from ancient times”(Micah 5:2). Christ does not descend from a priestly family. Though He could be a king based on lineage, He could not have been a priest … unless another priesthood, one that predates Aaron, exists. The promise in Psalm 110 is that the Messiah would be a “priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”, meaning that He is a priest eternally. That which is eternal, far surpasses anything momentary.

Christ came to enact something better for us than the Abrahamic, Mosaic or Davidic covenants, something that would fulfill those covenants, yet far exceed them. That which Christ brings into being is eternal, far surpassing the momentary ministry of the High Priests of Israel or the code of the Mosaic Law. Jesus institutes a better covenant, a better law, a better temple, and a better sacrifice.

The covenant that Christ makes with us both fulfills and exceeds the Abrahamic covenant. By His blood, we are made a people, we inherit His kingdom and we are called sons and daughters of God, yet incredibly, we also received life everlasting through faith in Jesus. The law we are given through Christ exceeds the law of Moses. The law of Moses was powerless to free us from sin, however through the better law of Christ “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

The tabernacle or temple – God’s dwelling place – is made better thought Christ. No longer does God dwell in a building, but, by His Holy Spirit, within and among His people. The sacrifices of the High Priests of Israel were effective only for past sin, requiring that consistent sacrifices were necessary for ongoing sin. The sacrifice our great high priest brings is not the blood of a slaughtered beast and some pungent incense, but the sacrifice He brings is of His own body and blood, given for us and is effective once and for all.

AN EXERCISE On the back of the provided sheet, write out the words to Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 4:14. Find a quiet place, take the sheet and consider the four better priestly “things” – a better covenant, law, temple and sacrifice - that Christ extends to us. As you think about each “thing”, consider why each is important in your life. Jot down your thoughts, as you go, expressing thanks for each “priestly thing” as you think of it.

The gift we have been given in Jesus Christ of a great high priest is of immense importance to us as His followers. Therefore, “since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” (Hebrews 4:14).