Hebrews 7:23-28 – Christ the Eternal Priest

“The Levitical priesthood is transient.” That’s the emphasis of verses 23-25. Although there were a greater number of priests in that order, each had to be succeeded by another because all of them were subjected to death. In contrast, Christ’s ministry as a Priest is permanent, and He does not need any successor because He will never die. Verse 25 brings believers great comfort. Because Christ will never die, there will not be a need to find a replacement for Him. Since He lives forever, He can deliver His people to the very end. He will see the believers through to its completion, where they will enter into their eternal rest in God’s presence.

Having shown that the new ministry superseded that of the old order, the author then said the only fitting thing to do was to have a superior person as the High Priest. In thinking of an appropriate person for such a superior ministry, who else could be better qualified than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself?

Verses 26-28 make some positive assertions concerning Christ’s character, achievement and status as a High Priest. In verse 26, we see that Christ’s character made Him more than a suitable candidate for the High Priesthood. Firstly, He is holy, meaning blameless. Secondly, He is innocent. This word stresses the fact that He is free of guile and malice. Thirdly, being undefiled meant that Christ’s purity is beyond question. Fourthly, Christ is separated from sinners, suggesting that He is totally different from sinners. This also suggests that He is not only inherently pure but He remains pure despite His contact with sinners. And fifthly, Christ is exalted even higher than the heavens.

Every high priest had to offer a sacrifice to God for his own sins, before he could offer one for the sins of others. Jesus, however, need not offer any sacrifice to atone for Himself or those of the people. He had already given Himself as a once and for all Sacrifice on the Cross that had completely pleased God. Hence, there is no necessity for any subsequent sacrifices. This issue will be further dealt with in Hebrews 9:11-14 and 10:1-15. 

In verse 28, the author gave some contrasts between the priesthood of Levi and that of Christ. It appears to be a summation of chapter 7. In the old system, the Law appointed to the priesthood men who were weak. However, in the new order, Jesus the Son was appointed as High Priest through an oath. This appointment was more recent than when God appointed the Levitical priests.

When the author said that Jesus the Son was “made perfect forever,” he meant that He was made perfect through His suffering and this perfection continues. And He will never fail us. Furthermore, He can never and will never be replaced by another high priest. Here, the author wanted his readers to understand that the superior priesthood after the order of Melchizedek foreshadowed the Priesthood that Jesus Christ fulfilled. This being the case, why would anyone want to revert to the Levitical order?

When Abraham met Melchizedek, he stopped, gave his tithes and other offerings, and stayed for but a brief moment, and went on his way. But with Jesus, this will not do. We cannot just visit on Sunday and happily go our way. We cannot afford just to give Him brief moments. It would be a gross injustice if we don’t give Him our entire life.  In offering Him our lifetime, we get to spend an eternity with Him. What a joy and delight this thought brings! Go for it!