Hebrews 7:20-28 (NKJV)
20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:
“The Lord has sworn
And will not relent,
‘You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),
22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 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.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 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. 28 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.
The writer to the Hebrews offers in these verses even more reasons why Christ is the greater Priest—greater than all the Levitical priests, with a priesthood greater than theirs.
First, Christ is greater because His priesthood was established by an oath of God. The Levitical priests did not have such an oath. Concerning the Christ, “The Lord has sworn…You are a Priest forever!” This makes Him the surety or the guarantor of a better covenant, that is, of the New Testament in His blood.
Second, Christ is greater because His priesthood remains forever, whereas the Levitical priesthood kept changing hands, because all the Levitical priests eventually died. But Christ lives forever, making Him “able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” This is the powerful effect of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He now continues forever as our Mediator and Intercessor at the right hand of God the Father.
Third, Christ is greater, because He is sinless. Earthly priests can err. Earthly priests can mislead or even be wicked. And, because they are sinful, they have to devote some of their time to making atonement for their own sins. But Christ, being sinless, cannot err or mislead.
Finally, Christ is greater, because He doesn’t need to spend each day offering sacrifice after sacrifice to atone for sins, as the Levitical priests did. No, by offering Himself on the cross once for all, Christ has actually accomplished what none of the Old Testament sacrifices could: He has provided atonement for the sins of the world.
That sacrifice “perfected Him forever.” Christ was always sinless, but until He offered the sacrifice of Himself on the cross, He wasn’t yet the “perfect” High Priest. Now He is! And He will be forever! Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we praise You for making Your Son into the perfect High Priest to reconcile us to You and to bring us into Your presence as Your beloved children. Amen.