Final thoughts on Hebrews 7:22-28
By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever. NKJV
In Hebrews 7:1-21, the scripture declares that Jesus is an eternal high priest after the order of Melchizedek rather than a temporal high priest after the order of Aaron. As a result, verse 22 declares that Jesus has become the surety (or guarantee) of a better covenant than that of the Old Testament high priests. In our text, the Lord proceeds to give us three reasons that Jesus’ high priesthood is superior to that of the Old Testament high priests.
First, Jesus high priesthood is superior to that of the Old Testament high priests because He lives forever (vs.23-25). Because the Old Testament priests died, they had to be continually replaced (v.23). Conversely, because Jesus was raised from the dead in an immortal, incorruptible body, His high priesthood is eternal (v.24). Since Jesus lives forever, He is able to save those of us who trust in Him forever because lives forever to make intercession for us (v.25). Despite the accusations of Satan who acts as a prosecuting attorney (Rev. 12:10), Jesus stands before God the Father, the great judge of all in the court of heaven, to testify as our defense attorney that He has already paid the penalty for our sins (I Jn. 2:1).
Second, Jesus’ high priesthood is superior to that of the Old Testament high priests because He is sinless (v.26-28). Unlike the Old Testament high priests, Jesus did not have to offer up a sacrifice for His own sins (v.27). The animal sacrifices offered up by the Old Testament high priests were not acceptable to pay for the peoples’ sins (Heb. 10:4). Sin, which is the breaking of God’s laws (I Jn. 3:4), requires a sinless human being to be sacrificed and pay for the sins of sinful human beings. Even the Old Testament high priests couldn’t sacrifice themselves for the peoples’ sins because they too were sinners. No human being could be an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of mankind because all human beings are sinners (Rom. 3:23). But God Himself provided the solution in becoming a human being in the person of Jesus Christ, and then living a sinless life here on earth. As a perfect, sinless man, He became the perfect, acceptable sacrifice for our sins (v.26).
Third, Jesus high priesthood is superior to that of the Old Testament high priests because He paid for all of our sins forever with His one sacrifice (v.27). Jesus’ last words from the cross were “It is finished.” (Jn. 19:30). By His substitutionary death, He had accomplished everything that needed to be accomplished for the redemption of His people. Nothing more needed to be done. Contrast that with the sacrifices of the Old Testament high priests which had to be continually offered over and over again for sins (Heb. 10:1,3). When you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, every sin you have ever committed, or will ever commit, is paid for forever (Heb. 10:11-14). To use an Old Testament metaphor, the sacrifices of the Old Testament high priests were but a cracked cistern that frequently ran dry and had to be constantly refilled, but the sacrifice of Jesus is an unceasing fountain that flows continuously for the cleansing of sin (Zech. 13:1).
What about you dear reader? Have you been to the unceasing fountain of Jesus’ blood opened to cleanse all your sins forever? Have you repented of your sins and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?
Bethel Bible Church Hawaii 