Melchizedek
Originally scheduled for July 15
Sometimes God uses the living bodies of human
beings as canvas on which to paint a picture. An example from the
Old Testament might be Hosea, and his love for his unfaithful wife —
a picture of God's love for the people of Israel. In our own time,
we are taught that marriage is a picture of the love Christ has for
his church.
One such picture is Melchizedek.[1]
The man appears out of nowhere — no genealogy, no explanation of his
existence and only the briefest description of him as the King of
Salem. He is a complete mystery in the Old Testament, but he is also
the greatest of priests. The ancient Jew would see this in the fact
that Melchizedek blessed Abraham, which is always the action of one
greater towards one who is lesser. Abraham tithed to him.
Interestingly, he brings out bread and wine to Abraham — the very
same elements we use in communion.
There is only one reference to him in the Old
Testament; it is Psalm 110. The Psalm is prophetic, concerning
Christ. Looking at this from the light of the New Testament, we see
that the Christ is a priest – but not like the Old Testament ones.
He is a priest like Melchizedek, and thus greater than the Old
Testament priests. The matter is explained more fully in the book of
Hebrews.[2]
Have you ever asked yourself just what it is
that the priest is supposed to be and do? Consider these three
duties:
·
The priest represents us to God – and
represents God to us.
·
The priest intercedes for us with
Almighty God.
·
The priest offers sacrifices.
We see all of this in Christ, our High Priest.
In him we see God in the flesh, the Word incarnate. But God also
sees us through him, for it is said that his blood covers our sins.
He intercedes for us with God the Father. He offered himself as the
ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
At communion we remember his sacrifice. The cup
represents his blood; the bread represents his body. It is by this
sacrifice that he is able to intercede for us; it is by his
sacrifice for our sins are covered. In the presence of communion we
are in the presence of Christ our Lord. The greatness of God is held
in our hands. It is fitting, therefore, that we do this in a worthy
manner. We should not take it trivially; we should not view it as an
interruption to the worship service; we should not take it as an
empty ritual. Rather, we are instructed to examine ourselves. Look
inside; see if there is any wicked way with you. Confess your sins
and repent of them – and then accept the sacrifice which covers
them.
God likes to draw living pictures; this is one
of them.[3]
[3] The reader
will pardon the extreme brevity of this explanation. I
encourage you to explore the depths of this matter more
fully on your own.
