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You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. -- Psalm 110:4
Last week we looked at the kingly line through which Jesus had come, the bloodline of David. He was known by people as the Son of David. Even today, when people curse, they often use the words, Son of David. This week we want to consider another reason the religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus.
Jesus knew the scholars and the religious leaders of His day were well acquainted with the Messianic Psalm 110. When Jesus gave them a question they could not answer, He was referring to Psalm 110, as recorded in Matthew 22:43, Mark 12:36, and Luke 20:42, Matthew 22:46 says, "And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore."
Psalm 110:4 also says this about the Anointed One (Messiah) who was to come. "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews chapter seven gives us a little description of this Old Testament person. He was "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually."
Jesus was not from the Levitical line of priests, the sons of Aaron, who served the Lord in their time and then died. Christ, the very Son of God is eternal, He was appointed by God to be a high priest, "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood," Hebrews 7:24. Even now in this modern day, Jesus is making intercession for His people.
In light of these facts, let's think about the Pharisees and the religious leaders. Not only was Jesus claiming to be the Messiah, the king of the Jews; He was also claiming to be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, who was superior to any of the Levitical priests. Jesus would have had the right to claim the position of high priest. The carpenter's son was becoming a real threat to the Jewish leaders.
There was no way the religious leaders were going to allow this threat to exist. They began to plan how they could take Jesus by force and have him executed. Their plan to save their position and way of life under the Romans failed. In AD 70 the Romans came in and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and killed over a million people, (reference, google Wikipedia). All the scheming and planning of the religious leaders did not save them or their positions.
This brings me to another question. Are you trying to earn your salvation by your own works? They are all nothing but filthy rags. Why not put your faith in the Son of God who came as Prophet, Priest, and King. Put no confidence in your own works, but rely on His sacrifice on the cross. Contact the author at: (thoughtsonword@gmail.com) if you have any comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.