Thursday 22 October 2015

Psalm: Psalm 115

Background

For the people of Israel, priesthood depended on family. Onlythose descended from Moses' brother Aaron were priests (Exodus28:1). Here, the writer to the Hebrews picks up on analternative strand of Old Testament thinking which identifies avery few others as priests. This group is headed by Melchizedek,mentioned in passing at Genesis 14:17-20. This shadowy figure is namedas both king and priest. His name means 'God's righteousness', andhe is identified as 'king of Salem', both a name for Jerusalem anda form of the Hebrew word meaning 'peace'. And in a fascinatingtwist, he meets Abraham on his way back from battle and offers himbread and wine. The writer also quotes Psalm 110:4, drawn from apsalm addressed to Israel's kings. Here, the kings are named as'priests', even though they were not descended from Aaron.

All this matters because it helps us understand who Jesus is.Nobody had ever claimed that he was descended from Aaron - hisdescent from David (Matthew 1:5) was a defining aspect of hisidentity. The writer to the Hebrews, however, locates him in thisalternative priestly line, back through the kings of Israel toMelchizedek himself. Jesus is therefore priest and king, and thisis affirmed further by other parallels between Jesus andMelchizedek. Both live the life of eternity (verse 3; cf John1:1-2). Both are 'kings of peace' (see also Isaiah9:6), and both offer bread and wine.

For the 21st-century reader, this may sound rather abstract. Butfor a 1st-century reader, it would have made much more sense, asthere was considerable speculation about Melchizedek - he ismentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in various other writings ofthe period. The writer to the Hebrews is making a claim for Jesusthat would have been controversial at the time, but for those whoaccepted it, this would have carried huge weight.

Jesus, like the kings of Israel and like Melchizedek, is apriest - able to stand between God and the people to offerforgiveness of sins; able too to enter the Holy of Holies and makeatonement for the people, as the high priest did. But the writer tothe Hebrews goes on to raise the stakes even further. Jesus'priesthood is actually superior to the levitical priesthood,because it depends on 'indestructible life' rather than physicaldescent. For the Jewish Christians who were the primary audiencefor this letter, this would have mattered enormously. It may notseem so important to us - but we too need to be sure that God'soffer of forgiveness is absolutely fulfilled through Jesus.

To Ponder

• What does it mean for you to think of Jesus as 'king ofpeace'?

• The Methodist Church understands itself as standing within 'thepriesthood of all believers' (1Peter 2:9). How does Hebrews' understanding of Jesus begin tohelp you make sense of this phrase?