Melchizedek is one of the most mysterious persons in all of Scripture. He seems to come from nowhere, makes one brief appearance, and then totally disappears without leaving a forwarding address. His whole history is recorded in three verses in the Old Testament Scriptures:

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything (Gen. 14:18-21).

David makes the only other reference to Melchizedek in the Old Testament Scriptures. David, speaking prophetically, ties Melchizedek to the coming Messiah:

The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek” (Ps. 110:4).

Nothing else is recorded about this mysterious person in the Old Testament Scriptures. The Jewish commentators take little note of Melchizedek in all of their writings. The writer of the book of Hebrews sees Melchizedek as one of the most important persons in the Old Testament Scriptures. Actually he is shown to be a greater person than even the patriarch Abraham. Melchizedek is also seen as the ultimate proof that our Lord is not only a true high priest, but he is a much greater high priest than was Aaron. Melchizedek thus becomes an extremely important man in the New Testament theology of fulfillment. There is a sense in which this mysterious man is the bridge between the two testaments. Melchizedek is the clear proof that the old covenant made with Israel at Sinai was an inferior and temporary arrangement that has been replaced by a new arrangement that is in reality older than the Mosaic covenant. The message taught in Hebrews concerning Melchizedek leaves the wavering Jews without any excuse for even thinking about going back to Judaism.

Hebrews introduces Melchizedek to the New Testament.

And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 5:6).

The writer quickly notes an important bit of information about the attitude of the Jews toward Melchizedek. They did not like to hear about this mysterious person.

and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. 

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn (Heb. 5:9-11).

The Jews’ reluctance to hear about Melchizedek is at the heart of understanding the book of Hebrews. The exposition of the Melchizedek’s role in redemptive history establishes the biblical relationship between the old and new covenants. The truth the Jews were not interested in hearing is the very foundation of our hope, as Gentiles, in Christ as the true Messiah. We will come back to this point in a moment and show that the book of Hebrews is a masterpiece of biblical exegesis. I used to say; “You could read those three verses about Melchizedek in Genesis 14 a million times and never come up with the theology of the book of Hebrews.” Since learning new covenant theology I can see how wrong I was. Anyone using new covenant principles of exegesis will come to the same conclusions as this writer to the book of Hebrews. That is why the rabbinical writers are not interested in discussing Melchizedek. They can see where it leads and how clearly and thoroughly it ends the old covenant religion of Judaism it had established. We will come back to this after we demonstrate the importance of this mysterious person called Melchizedek.

Melchizedek Is a Type of Christ

First of all, we must realize that Melchizedek is a biblical “type” of Christ. A type is an Old Testament person or event that gives us a picture of a New Testament truth. A type usually foreshadows the person or work of Christ. The bronze serpent that Moses had placed on a pole was a type of Christ being lifted up on the cross to bear our guilt. This is not just our idea, but it is specifically set forth in the New Testament Scriptures:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, (John 3:14).

As we read the Old Testament Scriptures we will often see things that clearly remind us of something about Christ, and we call this a “type of Christ.” However, a biblical type of Christ will always have a reference in the New Testament Scriptures that informs us what the type in the Old Testament Scriptures means. John 3:14 proves that Numbers 21:8 is to be understood as a type of Christ’s atoning work. Jonah being in the whale’s belly is specifically mentioned in the New Testament Scriptures as a type of Christ’s burial and resurrection. The lambs slain by the old covenant priests were types of Christ, the true Lamb of God. John 1:29 states this clearly. Hebrews 7:1-3 tells us that the Melchizedek mentioned in Genesis and Psalms is a type of Christ as our High Priest.

Types are very limited in their use in that they give us only a very small aspect of the thing which they typify. For instance both Aaron and Melchizedek are types of different aspects of Christ’s high priestly work, but in Hebrews 7:1-10 the writer’s whole point is to show how totally inferior Aaron is to Melchizedek even though Aaron is a true type of Christ. Sometimes a type of Christ will only show one particular thing about him or his saving work.

The first thing to understand is that Hebrews 7:3 is clearly stating that Melchizedek is a type of Christ.

Melchizedek’s Identity – Who, or What, is He?

Some commentators believe Melchizedek was an angel, others that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ on earth, and still others insist that Melchizedek was a real historical man. The evidence of the latter seems to me to be conclusive.

First of all, Melchizedek is said to be “like the Son of God” (Heb. 7:3). The writer would not say that if Melchizedek was in reality the Son of God but merely “like” him. Secondly, one of the specific requirements for anyone being a high priest was that the individual had to be a true human being.

Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins (Heb. 5:1). 

The whole argument of Hebrews 4:14-16 is designed to prove that the humanity of Christ is the foundational truth that gives us the courage to come to him with absolute assurance that he understands us and can help us. It can be argued that if Melchizedek is not a real human being, then he lacks the essential qualifications of being a high priest. If Melchizedek is in reality Christ himself, then there is no legitimate human priesthood “after the order of Melchizedek.” However, the most important reason for believing Melchizedek is a real human being is the point the writer is proving by associating Melchizedek with Christ as a High Priest. Remember that the writer of Hebrews is showing that the new covenant believer not only has a real High Priest, but our high priest is of an order that predates the Levitical priesthood. In fact, both Aaron and Abraham, the patriarch himself, paid tithes to a priest in the same order as our High Priest. More later!

I am sure many will ask, “But how do you understand the language used in Hebrews 7:3? Those things can only apply to Christ.” Let us look at the text carefully.

Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever (Heb. 7:3). 

The writer is not comparing two men but two kinds of priesthood. This fact unlocks the meaning of the passage. All of the things said about Melchizedek are exactly opposite of the Levitical priests. When we compare Melchizedek as a priest to a Levitical priest, then Christ is totally different than the Levitical priesthood, and he is like the Melchizedek priesthood. If this verse is comparing Melchizedek the man to Jesus the man then the words cannot possibly describe our Lord. Jesus, the man, had a mother, and his “beginning of days” or birth is one of the most clearly established facts in history—we celebrate it at Christmas time. His “end of days” is a public event that actually took place in history. Besides all of that, the two genealogies of Christ are carefully traced in the New Testament Scriptures. The man, Jesus, has a clear and recorded genealogy. Let’s look at the things in the text one at time.

First of all, ancestry was a big deal at that point in history. It meant everything in the Levitical order of priests. An event in the time of Ezra proves this point.

And from among the priests: 

The descendants of 

Hobaiah, Hakkoz and Barzillai (a man who had married a daughter of Barzillai the Gileadite and was called by that name). 

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most sacred food until there was a priest ministering with the Urim and Thummim (Ezra 2:61-63).

These priests were considered “polluted” and were not allowed to function until a testimony from God verified their heredity.

Secondly, the whole tribe of Levi was assigned to do the work of the Tabernacle. They alone were allowed into the Holy Place. Everyone else was shut out, or they would be put to death.

Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.” (Num. 3:9-10).

Jesus himself could not have ministered in the priestly temple service since he was not a Levite. Remember that God killed Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron, for daring to perform unauthorized ceremonies in the Holy Place.

Thirdly, all priests were Levites but not all Levites were priests. Most of the Levites “waited on the sons of Aaron.” Only the sons of Aaron were priests, and the rest of the Levites took care of the Tabernacle, the grounds, and any other work associated with the Tabernacle. The priests began their priestly functions at age thirty, and they retired at age fifty. 

Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting. 

“This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy thing” (Num. 4:3-5). 

Aaron’s sons did not begin their life at age thirty, but they did begin their priestly work at age thirty, and they ended that work at age fifty.

The significance of the words in the beginning of Hebrews 7:3 is not that “Melchizedek, like Jesus, had no father, no mother, and no human descent.” That could not be true as we have just demonstrated. The writer is saying, “Melchizedek is a priest of an order where natural descent has nothing at all to do with his being a priest. Melchizedek is a priest by virtue of his own person and by God’s sovereign calling.” The Levitical restrictions have no more to do with Melchizedek than they have to do with Christ.

The later part of the verse is not saying that Melchizedek was never born, or that he never died (Jesus was born and he died); rather, Melchizedek’s priesthood had no time or age restrictions. He “remains a priest (not a man) forever” (not eternally) which means his priesthood did not, like the elliptical priesthood, end when he was fifty years old. Melchizedek became a priest by God’s sovereign appointment with no reference at all to genealogy, and he continued in a perpetual priesthood as long as he lived. So does our High Priest, and since he truly does live forever to make intercession for us, we too will live forever.

It is significant that Melchizedek was both a king and a priest. Under the Law of Moses this was not allowed. But Christ, like Melchizedek, is both King and Priest. Zechariah 6:12-13 clearly foretold that the Messiah would be both King and Priest.

It is also clear from the titles given to Melchizedek that he is a type of Christ. He is King of Righteousness and King of Peace. It is only at the cross that these two things meet (see Psalm 85:10). John 3:16 is text that declares both God’s holy love and his holy wrath. His holy love gave his Son up to the death on the cross. God’s giving his Son up to death on the cross made his love possible. The cross satisfied God’s righteousness. Understanding the fact that God is satisfied with Christ’s atonement is what gives us assurance that we are acceptable in God’s sight. We are just as acceptable to God as is his son. Notice the correct order. Righteousness is the only foundation for true peace. We can only be satisfied when we are acceptable with God as we see ourselves united to Christ in his death, burial and resurrection. 

In one sense, it is surprising that Jewish writers say so little about Melchizedek. You would think they would love to be intrigued with the obvious obscurity of these few verses. The writer of the book of Hebrews builds the whole authority for Christ’s ministry as High Priest on the three verses from Genesis and the one verse in the Psalms.

Why is Melchizedek so Important?

Hebrews 7:4 raises and answers that very question. The main purpose of this section in Hebrews is not to show that Melchizedek is greater than Aaron. It does that very clearly, but it does it in a way designed to show that Melchizedek is also greater than Abraham himself. The main purpose of the writer of Hebrews in this section is to show that the gospel of grace not only predates both Moses and Aaron, but it also predates the patriarch Abraham himself. The religion that we espouse was in existence long before Israel and Judaism existed. The gospel of sovereign grace is not integrally connected to anything that is Jewish. This is a masterful argument. What is essential to see is that everything in the old covenant, including the basic covenant document itself, is finished, and in each case something much better has taken its place.

1:1–Christ is superior to all of the Old Testament prophets – 1:1-3

1:4–Christ is superior to the Angels–1:4-2:18

3:3–Christ is superior to Moses–3:1-6

4:8, 9–Christ is superior to the Sabbath–4:1-11

4:8, 9–Christ is superior to Joshua–4:1-11

8:6–Christ is superior to Aaron–4:14-10:25

The Jew might be ready to respond, “Yes, but what about our father Abraham? Where is it claimed that Christ was greater than Abraham?” This writer responds to this possible objection. “Have you not read how Abraham was blessed by a priest after the order of our High Priest? Surely you agree that the lesser is always blessed by the greater. You also know that Aaron, your High Priest, actually paid tithes, because he was in Abraham’s loins at the time, to a priest named Melchizedek.” The crowning argument of this section is that Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham and receiving tithes from him is positive proof that Melchizedek is greater than Abraham himself, and Christ is greater than Melchizedek. We must see this master stroke in the argument of the book of Hebrews.

Before we come down too hard on these people who are “slow to learn,” must we not admit we are the same way? It is a very short step to move from traditions to traditionalism. Some people do not “feel” they have “really worshipped” if either the music or worship format was “different from their Church.” It is amazing how “slow to learn (dull of hearing, ESV)” we become when we hear something that isn’t part of our particular creed or that our favorite preacher has never mentioned. It was a failure to keep looking to Jesus alone that created the problem of slowness in these Hebrews.

The Setting and Context

Before we look at these verses about Melchizedek in detail, let me remind you of the setting and purpose of the letter to the Hebrews. Many Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that he had died and risen again from the dead. They believed he had ascended into heaven. They had accepted these facts as true. The problem with many of these “believers” was their refusal to accept the clear implications and certain consequences that flowed from those facts. If Calvary was the true and final Day of Atonement, and if Christ had indeed risen from the dead and ascended into the true Most Holy Place, and if the rending of the veil was the voice of God from heaven ending the old covenant and all of its attendants, then it follows that Christ is our true Great High Priest in God’s presence, and Aaron and Judaism are finished. Aaron has been replaced, and Judaism and all it stood for is gone.

If all of this is true, then Aaron, the Prophets, the temple worship, the sacrifices, the holy days and holy places have all been done away and been replaced with the reality that they were only a “shadow” or type. A.W. Pink has said it well:

At Hebrews 5:11 the apostle declared, “Of whom we have many things to say and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing”. The difficulty lay in the strong disinclination of man to relinquish that which has long been cherished, which nowhere appears more evident than in connection with religious things. To say that Christ was a High Priest “after the order of Melchizedek” was tantamount to affirming that the Aaronic order was Divinely set aside, and with it, all the ordinances and ceremonies of the Mosaic law. “This,” …, “was the hardest thing of all for a Hebrew, even a converted one, to bow to, for it meant repudiating everything that was seen, and cleaving to that which was altogether invisible. It meant forsaking that which their fathers had honored for fifteen hundred years, and espousing that which the great majority of their brethren according to the flesh denounced as Satanic.”^[1]

It is interesting that Pink, an ardent covenant theologian, cannot bring himself to say, “The Mosaic Law (or even “the old covenant”) is set aside. It was not only the “ordinances and ceremonies” that were done away at the cross, but the whole Law covenant, including the Tables of the Covenant, or Ten Commandments, were all done away and replaced with a “better covenant” (Heb. 8:6). Christ canceled the written code (Tablets of Stone), with its regulations, (whole Law of Moses) that was against us and that stood opposed to us. He took it (the “written code that was against us”) away, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14). The text clearly distinguishes between the “written code” (Tables of the Covenant) and the “regulations” that administered that covenant. See the same truth set forth in Hebrews 9:1-4.

The Greatness of Our High Priest

In Hebrews 2:17 the writer introduces Christ’s priesthood. He emphasizes the merciful and sympathetic character of our Priest. It is this that gives us confidence to draw near and find grace to help in time of need. In Hebrews 5:1 we are reminded that a priest was neither a prophet nor a king. His primary function was to represent men to God. The prophet represented God to man and said, “Thus saith the Lord.” The priest offered “gifts and sacrifices” to God and made intercession for those for whom the offering was made. The two things essential in the priest’s ministry were to make atonement and then to intercede. In Hebrews 2:17 the writer emphasizes that the priest’s ministry was “in service to God” by “making atonement for sins.”

Now it follows that if the whole purpose and function of the priesthood was to make an atonement for sins, and further, if that priesthood with all of its offering could not effect true atonement (all it could do was “cover over sin,” and that for only a year) then it had to be replaced with a priesthood that could offer an acceptable sacrifice and accomplish the necessary work of true and eternal atonement.

Log this into your memory bank: The old priesthood, and everything associated with it, had to be discarded and totally replaced. It was not just altered, or updated, or even revised just a bit. It had to be totally done away with and replaced by something “better.” It had to be done away because it was ineffective in bringing sinners into the most holy presence of God. The Aaronic priesthood could not offer a sacrifice that could pay the debt our sin incurred. Hebrews 2:17 is telling us that Christ is the first High Priest that could successfully make a true atonement for sinners. He is the first High Priest who could open the veil and give us assurance to “come boldly” into the presence of God.

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