HEBREWS 7:23

In Hebrews 7:23-24 the Bible continues with a detailed explanation of why the priesthood of Christ is greater than the priesthood of the Levites. It says in Hebrews 7:23-24 “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” This is just a very practical explanation. Someone who never dies is better than someone who must be constantly replaced. It is the difference between death and eternal life. Every one of the Levitical priests died, and their work ended when they died. If there was a good priest who did a good work for the benefit of the people, it only lasted for a few years. Jesus lives forever. His work for us as a high priest goes on forever. There is no end to it, and there is no end to its benefit.

Concerning the work of the priest, the emphasis is on what the priest does for us. It is an important work that the priest does. He does something for us that each of us cannot do for ourselves. He makes reconciliation for sin. He brings us close to God. Because Jesus is an eternal high priest, we are eternally close to God through Jesus. Our sins are forever reconciled through Jesus because His is an eternal work that goes on forever ad never stops. That is eternal security. Unlike the Levites, Jesus has an “unchangeable priesthood.”

This same wonderful truth is declared one more time in Hebrews 7:25 that says, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing he ever liveth to make intersession for them.” This is what the new covenant is all about. It is all about how Jesus saves us in spite of our weakness and sinfulness. He knows all about our inability to keep His pure and righteous laws, and therefore, He designed a means by which we could be allowed into His presence in spite of our sin problem. The answer is Jesus. Notice that this verse says that God will “save them to the uttermost.” Those who are saved are saved completely. There is no flaw in their salvation. There is nothing that can happen to harm this salvation or make it any less than what it is because it is already complete. Those who are saved are saved eternally. There is nothing that can happen that can cause their salvation to end. It is a great thing to be saved “to the uttermost.” It is a great thing to have such a complete salvation. The reason that this salvation that comes through Christ is so complete is because Jesus is a high priest after the order of Melchisedec. When the Holy Spirit gave words to the writer of Psalm 100, it was settled forever that salvation would be eternal and that no one would ever lose their salvation. Once it was written of the Messiah, “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec,” it was settled for all believers for all time.

The Bible says in Hebrews 7:26, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” In this verse we are told some of the qualities and attributes of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are qualities that no other priest ever had, and these are also qualities that no other human being has ever had. The emphasis is on what Christ has done for us. At the judgment it will not be a question of what we are: it will be a question of what our Savior is. The righteousness of Christ will be credited to our account.

Jesus is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” Sometimes in casual conversation a person will be referred to as being a good or a holy person. But in reality only Jesus is holy because only Jesus is “harmless.” The word that is translated “harmless” means “no evil.” Every human being has some evil. “There is none that doeth good and sinneth not.” “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “There is none good, but God.” But Jesus is good because He is God. Jesus is “undelfiled.” That means that nothing corrupted Him or marred Him. He stayed perfect in all of His ways. He came into the world, but the world did not corrupt Him. He was the light of the world, and the darkness never touched Him. Jesus was a friend of sinners, but He was never corrupted by sinners.

So many human beings, especially in their youth, become corrupted by others around them, but not Jesus. You will either influence others for good, or they will influence you for evil. Jesus was always separate from sinners in the right way. He was never arrogant or self-righteous towards those who were not spiritual. He befriended them in order to bring them the truth, but of course, He never participated in any of their worldly activities. Finally, we are told that Jesus is “higher than the heavens,” perhaps to emphasize that no one: no angel, no human in heaven or in earth, could ever equal the holiness and the perfection of Jesus Christ. We have the best of all possible high priests: the Holy One Himself is our priest.

The Bible says in Hebrews 7:27, “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” Of course, one of the great differences between Jesus and the Levitical priests is the fact that all other priests were sinners just like all people, but Jesus was without sin. All other priests offered up sacrifices, but Jesus offered up Himself. The priests offered their sacrifices “daily” because their sacrifices could not take away sin for ever. Jesus offered Himself “once” when He died on the cross of Calvary. His one sacrifice paid for all sins forever. That is another reason that once someone is saved, they are always saved. The one great sacrifice for their sins has already taken place. As long as they have repented and called upon the name of Jesus, nothing else needs to happen for any of their sins: past, present, or future.

Notice that Hebrews 7:27 says that Jesus “offered up himself.” No one took His life. He laid it down of His own accord. Yes, the powerful, and the wicked, and the religious hypocrites plotted against Him; but they would have had no power without Christ permitting them to do so. The same is true in our lives when we follow the Lord.Romans 8v28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and to them that are the called according to His purpose.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 7:28, “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” There are two problems with the law that are stated in this verse. The law made high priests of men who “have infirmity.” They had weaknesses. They had failures. They had limitations. Jesus had none of those things. Jesus is perfect, and therefore, He is the perfect high priest. Another problem with the law is the fact that God gave other teachings after the law was given. These other teachings, which center around the Son, Jesus Christ, are better teachings. God gave something that was good (the law), but then He replaced it with something that was better (the teachings of Christ). God gave something that was temporary (the law), and then He replaced it with something that is permanent (the teachings of Christ, “who is consecrated for evermore.”)

Concerning the work of Christ as high priest the Bible says in Hebrews 8:1-2, “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Another major difference between the Levitical priesthood and the priesthood of Christ is the fact that the Levitical priests performed their duties in the earthly tabernacle and in the earthly temple, but Jesus performs His duties as high priest in the temple of God in heaven. Jesus is right now “on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Which priest is the better priest: the one who is of the earth or the One who is of heaven?

Notice that Hebrews 8:2 says that Jesus is a minister of “the true tabernacle.” There were two tabernacles. One was on the earth and one was in heaven. That is very interesting and very revealing. That which is eternal is in heaven. That which is “true” is in heaven. That which existed first and that which will exist last is in heaven. At least some of the things that God created on the earth already existed in heaven before God created them on the earth. God took the heavenly and used it as a pattern and made the earthly. God did that with man himself. Man was created in the image of God. Perhaps God created animals after the pattern of animals that are in heaven also. We know that animals are in heaven and other creatures that look like animals are there. At the return of Christ to the earth He will come riding a white horse. John wrote in Revelation 19:11, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse.” The earth is marred and imperfect. Therefore, the things on the earth are simply a shadow of the true and the real. That which we see is not real: it is an image of the real. When you see something, try to understand its image. Try to understand what it really means. Jesus understood. He looked, He saw, and He understood what things really meant. For example, Jesus looked at birds feeding in a field, and He said what it really meant is that God will also take care of us. Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.” When you see something, try to understand its image. It is only an image of the real. Jesus is a minister of “the true tabernacle.” The true tabernacle is in heaven, where all truth dwells. This same point is made again in Hebrews 8:5 when it says that those who serve on the earth “serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 8:3-5, “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens: A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” One of the great differences between the priesthood of the Levites and the priesthood of Christ is the fact that Jesus performs His high priestly duties in the tabernacle of God in heaven. They were of the earth, but He is of heaven. They were of the law, which was of the earth and was given only for the time of the Old Testament. Jesus ministers the grace of God which was manifest in the New Testament and which continues for ever.

The Levitical priests only served “unto the example and shadow of heavenly things,” but Jesus serves “of the true tabernacle.” The true tabernacle is in heaven. The true tabernacle existed before the earthly tabernacle was built. That is obvious because back in the Old Testament when God revealed to Moses the need to make a tabernacle, evidently God showed Moses the true tabernacle. And then God told Moses to “make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount.” This not only shows us the greatness of Jesus’ ministry in heaven, it also tells us something interesting about the world in which we live. Many things and perhaps everything in the world were created after the pattern of heaven. Heaven existed first and then the world was created. Of course, heaven is perfect but the world is imperfect. So when we look at things in the world, we see something that was made after a pattern. We see a shadow, but the shadow is not the real thing. The shadow simply represents the real thing. The shadow tells us something about the real thing. It is the real thing that we are striving to know and that we need to know. Look at the things around you. If you really understand them, then you understand a little bit more about heaven. If you understand the wind, then you know that the Spirit of God moves like the wind: it comes from where you do not know, and it goes to where you know not. In a certain place (you know not where or when) the Spirit will move a certain heart to come to Christ. If you see a flock of birds feeding in a field, and if you understand what you see, then you know that it means that your heavenly Father feeds them and He will also take care of you. Look at the earthly tabernacle and the priests who ministered there. What does it mean? It means that there is a better tabernacle in heaven where a better Priest ministers a better covenant. Jesus is “a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”

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