Key Thought: Hebrews Chapters 5-7 provide a close explanation of Jesus’ priesthood, its characteristics and implications for God’s relationship with believers.
February 5, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 5:1-10.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What is the role of the priesthood and how does Jesus fulfill that role?
3. Personal Application: If we are His royal priesthood, what should our relationship be with other people? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Why do we need someone arguing on our behalf? Jesus died for our sins and everything ended at the cross with the ultimate sacrifice/ Nothing else was needed.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 7:11-16.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why was there a need to change the Levitical law?
3. Personal Application: Why couldn’t the animal sacrifices truly pay for our sins? Why could only the death of Jesus pay for them? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Is there ever a place in our spiritual journey when we need to be accountable to a third party beside God for our progress or regression?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 7:16,22.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. On what basis did Jesus become a priest?
3. Personal Application: What does it mean to you that Jesus argues on our behalf?? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “If Jesus was a human being like us, how could He never sin? What do you think His life and interactions was like and how does it compare with yours?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 7:1-3.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Who was Melchizedek and how did he prefigure Jesus?
3. Personal Application: Should Christians have a place for a spiritual authority to hold them accountable, as Paul held the Corinthians accountable? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.” Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(1)

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The titles of the thirteen Sabbaths of study this quarter give us two hymns to use as the themes:
Hymn 593 – In Times Like These and
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness.

Our elder Brother, Jesus, teaches us everything we need to know to be Christ-Like (Christian) and helps us to sing
Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful. Sabbath afternoon study-time goes on to state the “amazing things the Father and the Son did to bridge that gulf”:
Hymn 108 – Amazing Grace and
Hymn 109 – Marvelous Grace. It is this wonderful grace given that we now see Jesus as our High Priest:
Hymn 177 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness,
Hymn 178 – The Unveiled Christ,
Hymn 179 – The Wonders of Redeeming Love, and
Hymn 180 – O Listen to Our Wondrous Story (the section our Hymnal on Priesthood).

We are so blessed as
Jesus Paid It All – Hymn 184 (Sunday and again on Wednesday), and from this we know
Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners – Hymn 187. At times we can
Go To Dark Gethsemane – Hymn 157 to see the wondrous love of Jesus, and what He has done for humanity. It is then that we can say to Jesus,
I Surrender All – Hymn 309.

On Wednesday we find that
Jesus Saves – Hymn 340 simply
Because He Lives – Hymn 526.

Our Sinless Priest (Thursday) is “exalted . . .  above the heavens” (ESV) and our reaction it to
Crown Him With Many Crowns – Hymn 223. Thursday closes with reiterating that our Example encourages us to be Christ-Like (Christian).

Ellen White’s Desire of Ages quote on Friday had me singing from The Messiah by George F. Handel, number 12, For Unto Us a Child Is Born. You may have access to a group to sing this one to cap off a glorious week of study.

We are bound for The Promised Land! Hallelujah!! –
Hymn 620 – On Jordan’s Stormy Banks. Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Amen!(2)

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“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?” (Hebrews 7:11, NKJV).

Priests are mediators between God and human beings. Hebrews says, however, that Levitical priests could not provide complete, confident access to God because they could not provide perfection (Hebrews 7:11, Hebrews 7:18-19, ). After all, they themselves weren’t perfect; so, how could they somehow bestow perfection upon others?

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Nor could the animal sacrifices cleanse the conscience of the sinner. Their purpose was to point forward to the ministry of Jesus and His sacrifice, which alone would provide true cleansing from sin (Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:1-3, Hebrews 10:10-14). The function of the Levitical priests and their sacrifices was temporary and illustrative. Through their ministry, God wanted to lead the people to put their faith in the future ministry of Jesus, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NKJV).

Read Hebrews 7:11-16. Why was there a need to change the law?

Hebrews 7:12 explains that the change of priesthood made a change in the law necessary. Why? Because there was a very strict law that prohibited a person who was not from the line of Levi through Aaron from serving as a priest (Numbers 3:10; Numbers 16:39-40, ). Hebrews 7:13-14,  explains that Jesus was from the line of Judah, and so this law prohibited Him from being a Levitical priest. So, Paul argues that the appointment of Jesus as priest meant God has changed the law of the priesthood.

Jesus’ coming also implied a change in the law of sacrifices. Sinners were required to bring different kinds of sacrifices to obtain atonement (Leviticus 1-7), but now that Jesus has come and offered a perfect sacrifice, the law of animal sacrifices has also been put aside (Hebrews 10:17-18, ) as a result of the new covenant and the fuller revelation of the plan of salvation.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Amen!(0)

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Read Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7:1-3. Who was Melchizedek, and how did he prefigure Jesus?

Melchizedek was both a king and priest. He was also superior to Abraham, since Abraham paid him tithe. Likewise, Jesus is king and priest (Hebrews 1:3); unlike Melchizedek, however, Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 7:26-28).

Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com

Hebrews 7:15 explains that Jesus was priest “in the likeness of Melchizedek” (NKJV). This is what the earlier expression in Hebrews, “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:6, NKJV), means. Jesus was not a successor of Melchizedek, but His priesthood was similar to his.

For instance, Paul says that Melchizedek was without father, mother, genealogy, birth, and death. Some have suggested that Melchizedek was an incarnation of Jesus in the time of Abraham. But this thought does not fit the argument of Hebrews. Melchizedek “resembles” Jesus (see ESV), which implies that He was different from Jesus (Hebrews 7:3).

It has also been suggested that Melchizedek was a heavenly being, but this would destroy the argument of Hebrews. If Melchizedek were without father, mother, beginning, or end, he would be God Himself. This poses a problem. Melchizedek’s heavenly, fully divine priesthood would have preceded the ministry of Jesus. If this were the case, as Hebrews says, “what further need would there have been for another priest to arise” (Hebrews 7:11, ESV)?

Instead, Hebrews uses the silence of Scripture regarding Melchizedek’s birth, death, and genealogy to build a typology, symbol, for Jesus’ priestly ministry (Genesis 14:18-20) and reveals that Jesus Himself was eternal. In short, Melchizedek was a Canaanite king-priest who served as a type of Christ.

“It was Christ that spoke through Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God. Melchizedek was not Christ, but he was the voice of God in the world, the representative of the Father. And all through the generations of the past, Christ has spoken; Christ has led His people, and has been the light of the world.” — Ellen G. White,  Selected Messages, book 1, p. 409.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Hebrews 5:1-10. What is the role of the priesthood and, according to this passage, how does Jesus fulfill that role?

The basic purpose of the Levitical priesthood was to mediate between sinful people and God. Priests were appointed by God in order to minister in behalf of human beings; therefore, they needed to be merciful and understanding of human weaknesses.

Image © Review and Herald Publishing Assn. Goodsalt.com

In Hebrews 5:5-10, Paul shows that Jesus perfectly fulfills those purposes: God appointed Him (Hebrews 5:5-6, ), and also Jesus understands us because He also has suffered (Hebrews 5:7-8, ).

There are some important differences, however. Jesus was not “chosen from among men” (Hebrews 5:1, ESV). Instead, Jesus adopted human nature in order, among other things, to serve as a priest in our behalf. Jesus did not offer sacrifices for His own sins (Hebrews 5:3) but only for our sins, because He was sinless (Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26-28).

Hebrews says that Jesus prayed “to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard” (Hebrews 5:7, NKJV). Hebrews was referring to the second death, from which God saved Jesus when He resurrected Him (Hebrews 13:20). Hebrews also says that Jesus “learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8, ESV). Obedience was new to Jesus, not because He was disobedient but because He was God. As sovereign over the universe, Jesus did not obey anyone; instead, everyone obeyed Him.

Jesus’ sufferings and death on the cross are an essential part of His priestly ministry. Sufferings did not perfect Jesus in the sense that He improved morally or ethically. Sufferings did not make Him merciful. To the contrary, Jesus came to this earth because He always was merciful, which is why He had compassion on us (Hebrews 2:17). What Hebrews means is that it was through sufferings that the reality of Jesus’ brotherly love, the authenticity of His human nature, and the depth of His submission as representative of humanity to the will of the Father were truly expressed and revealed. He was “perfected” in the sense that His sufferings qualified Him to be our High Priest. It was His life of perfect obedience, and then His death on the cross, which constitute the sacrificial offering that Jesus presented before the Father as our priest.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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