The writer to the Hebrews has a great aim in view, which is to bring his hearers to maturity. He knows that they were becoming dull in their hearing of the word of God, and that they were slipping away from the gospel, neglecting the word that they had heard. His aim is to fix their eyes again on Christ, and to renew them in the hearing of the word, to which they were growing deaf. His purpose is to arrest their descent into moral and spiritual confusion, by getting them to see again the foundation of their lives laid in Christ. Christ was (and is for us today) our forerunner, our anchor and our High Priest.

It is the latter description of Christ that occupies the bulk of Hebrews 7-10, but it does so not as an isolated thread. Rather, the role of Christ as High Priest is shown to be the connecting link between many things that are all significant. Given the context of the Old Testament priesthood-its inseparable relationship to the giving of the Law, its constant testimony (through the sacrifices) to God's holiness and his grace, and its interconnectedness with every aspect of the covenant life of God's people-it is impossible that the priesthood should change, without affecting the whole package. Thus, if there is to be a change in priesthood, there must be a change not only in the worship and sacrifices related to that priesthood, but also the covenant arrangements under which that priesthood operates. This, of course, is the great point of Hebrews 8 and 9. There is indeed such a change of covenant, with the old arrangements having come to the end of their purpose, and the new covenant now being fully and finally established by God through Christ.

The new priesthood that presides over this new covenant is (necessarily) of a different order than the old Levitical priesthood. That the priesthood can be changed is clear: God had already sworn with an oath that there would be Messiah who would hold the office of Priest, but according to Melchizedek's order (this is the point of Psalm 110). This priesthood is not only older than the Levitical priesthood, but superior to it. The Old Testament priesthood could only offer temporary relief to the guilty conscience and all the sacrifices were with a view to a better offering to come. The writer has introduced Melchizedek as the hinge point on which his discussion will turn as early as Hebrews 5:6, but now, in Hebrews 7, he turns to give full attention to this theme.

Melchizedek was a real historical figure, but in his person and his office he embodied a depiction of Christ's priesthood (Heb. 7:3). Interestingly enough, at about the time of the New Testament there seemed to be a lot of interest in Melchizedek. This interest related to the prophecy of Psalm 110, as well as to questions about the nature of Melchizedek's ministry and when and where he would appear to officiate in his priestly role. The writer to the Hebrews makes that point that he has no ‘line' of hereditary priesthood, for the simple reason that he was illustrative of the priesthood of Christ, which was to come at a later date. Now that Christ has come, all that Melchizedek represented has been fulfilled. And, like Melchizedek, Christ has no line of hereditary priests either! Jesus and Jesus alone, is the one and only High Priest for all the people of God for all time. No one, under any circumstances, should now seek to be a priest to another. All the people of God have a perfect priest forever. This is why we need to encourage one another in and through the word of the gospel, for this word turns us away from ourselves and focuses our eyes on him.

In Hebrews 7 the writer tells us of the nature and character of this High Priest, Jesus. The central point regarding the nature of his priesthood is that it is perpetual. This is the repeated refrain of the chapter (e.g. see Heb. 7:3, 8, 16, 24, 25, 28) and it stands in contrast to the mortality of the other priests (e.g. Heb. 7:23). With regard to the character of Jesus' priesthood, the emphasis falls on its total efficacy, which is in turn related to Christ's utter purity (e.g. Heb. 7:26-8:6). This stands in marked contrast to the sinful weakness of the Levitical priests and therefore to the inability of that system to bring perfection (e.g. Heb. 7:11, 19, 27 cf. 9:6-14). The priesthood of Christ is morally superior to that Old Testament priesthood because of the superiority of Christ's person as the Son of God. Because of the perfection of his person, he was able to do what no other priest could ever do: he could offer up himself as a sacrifice to God!