The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 214

Vers. 23-25.-The immortal priesthood of Christ enhanced by weighty considerations. The first is that the ancient priesthood passed through many hands, in which fact there were some obvious diiadvantages. Some priests were so neglectful of their office that the prophet had to become a preacher of righteousness. All preachers had to pass through a process of education to gain fitness for their ministry ; others were priests when there was no temple, no altar, and no holy of holies. Death came to them in tt:rn, and lifted the mitre from the brow, the breastplate from the breast, and closed the lips which pronounced the priestly benediction. 'l'he second consideration is tbat our Lord has an unchangeable appointment, because death has no power over him now that he has taken his life again. There is no death in the sublime sphere of his ministry. He can say, "0 death, where is thy sting? Ograve, where is thy victory'?" The value of this unfailing life is that it is devoted to the work of salvation. He is able to save to the uttermost by superintending the personal life of his followers, and supplying them with Christian peace and spiritual power, e.nd by keeping before their minds hill idea of salvation. He can infuse his own precious life through their souls, and lead through the paths of fellowship with God, evangelical obedience, and gracious discipline, until they are saved to the uttermost and attain to the resurrection of the dead. This is associa.ted with his intercession, of which we have a sublime and affecting example in the seventeenth chapter of St. John's Gospel. If others condemn, he makes interces- sion. If others neglect or persecute, he is their friend in the presence of God. If his  :ion THE EPISTLE TO THE HEDilEWS. [cu. vtr. 1-28, -- - - - - - ---------------------------- people arc in the outer court engl\gerl in prayer, he is within the veil to offer acceptable incense. Bf his undecaying lifo he quietly pursues his own plans; and by the constancy ol his ministry he gives a unity to his people of various communions places of abode, and ages of time, who thus become one in Christ Jesus,-B. ' Vcrs. 2G-2S.-The two priestl,oods: a contrast. I. THE EXALTED AND PERFECT CHARACTER OF CHRIST IS CONTRASTED WITH THAT OF THE l'RIESTS OF THE OLD LAW, 'l'here was a Divine fitness in the appointment of our Lord, because, as we learn from the e\"llngelists, he was holy, and full of love to God; and so pure that the temptations of Satan and the wickedness of an" adulterous generation" never sullied his nature. He was harmless, and Pilate asked the question, "Why, what evil bath he done?" In our Lord there was no need of a sin offering to repair his relations to God. Angels who have never left their first estate need no sin offerings, for they have never transsrressed the Divine Law, By the pc1fect purity of Christ's nature he was lifted above th; level of the necessities of sinful men, and he consequently required no atonement for him- self. Had he been imperfect, and his sacrifice of limited power, he must have suffered daily to remove the daily accumulation of sin. This is needless; for by one holy obla- tion, in which all the blessing redounds to men, he has provided au atonement which, like an ine1:naustible fountain of grace, flows day and night, century after century, to wash away sin and produce Divine peace in the hearts of men. Il. .ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE CONTRAST IS ADDUCED BETWEEN TEE LORD JESUS AND THE PRIESTS OF THE LA w. The descendants of Aaron are described as .havina infirmity which denotes the weakness, instability, and frailty of their nature. It points probably to something more serious, and may allude to the serious deficiencies and imperfections of their moral character. Some of them were grievously unmindful of the responsibility of their office, and allowed alien altars and idolatrous worship to defile the temple of Jehovah. The last traces of the priesthood in the pages of Holy Scripture present the unlovely portraits of Ce.ia.phas, Annas, and others. To these men the writer does not allude by name, though the Christians who read the Epistle might feel the awful force of the reference, and say," How is the fine gold changed!" Tlie high priest deliveretl Christ to Pilate, and had the greater sin. 'l'he word of the oath appoints our Lord, who was consecrated and maJe perfect through sufferings ; and therefore, over against the weak, sinful, and unworthy priesthood of mortal men, the Divine Son stands in the glory of his character and permanence and effects of ministry.--B. Vers. 1-17.-.7'ie priesthood for ever after the order of Melchizedelc. It is evident that the whole of this elaborate argument with respect to Melchizedek must be looked nt in the light of the reference to Ps. cL In quoting this psalm, the writer was on firm ground so far as bis readers were concerned. They would not repudiate the significance of this utterance, that it must have some weighty, practical meaning; and it was his to show them what that meaning was, and so to cheer their hearts amid what so distressed them-the thought of having to give up entirely the ordinances of Judaism. There are the two orders of priesthood : the order of Aaron, and the order of Melchizedek. To the first of these the people attached great moment; and rightly so. The priest was a depositary of sacrificial commandments and . practices, the temporary and defective nature of which were hidden by their long continuance. 'fD use the common saying, " Possession was nine points of the law," and so it was needful to make them see very clearly how there was another order of priesthood, with more stability and power of service in it than anything the Aaronic priesthood could show. The Aaronic service, by showing its own insufficiency, was doing its best to prepare for the service after the order of Melchizedek. As to who Melchizedek really was, it is vain to inquire; and it is less needful to know because it is the office and not the man that is in question. Indeed, our very ignorance is part of the fitness of the type. Mysterious in his origin and his destiny, starting up all at once and as quickly die. appearing, of whom we know nothing more than that ho was a king and himself a priest, he becomes a very fitting type of that Priest who will never lay down his office while priesthood is needed. 'l'he abiding character of the priesthood of Jo~us is the one great truth that we are to learn from all this comparison between Melchizedek and Aaron. The whole of this cLaptcr was of supreme importance a•. the time, and it may IHI, VII, 1-28.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE HEBrrnws. 201