HEBREWS: Lesson 14 - Jesus: The Guarantee of a Better Covenant

We completed chapter 7 with the lesson: Jesus: The Guarantee of a Better Covenant. The lesson covered verses 20-28. In these verses the author is piling up proofs that the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to that of Aaron.

The Jews, as you know, had put all of their stock in the Levitical priesthood, the priesthood that came through the line of Aaron and the tribe of Levi. And Jesus came as a priest of another order, the priesthood of Melchizedek (a man who predated Aaron, who was at the time of Abraham).

Jesus, as a priest after the order of Melchizedek, is therefore a superior priest to all the priests of Aaron. And the point is simply to prove that Jesus is superior to everything in the old covenant, therefore proving that the new covenant is better than the old.

He is writing to Hebrews and saying, "Come to Christ." He is writing to Hebrew believers and saying, "Drop all the Jewish trappings, Jesus is sufficient. He is superior."

In this last section of chapter 7, the author presents Jesus as a superior priest in three ways:

1. SURETY OF A BETTER COVENANT (v. 22-22)

2. SAVIOR TO THE UTTERMOST (v. 23-25)

3. SEPARATE FROM SINNERS (v. 26)

In the Old Testament, the priest wore a breastplate. And on the breastplate were all the stones representing the 12 tribes. When he went into the presence of God, he carried with him, on his chest, all the tribes of Israel.

He also wore, draped over his shoulders, what the Bible calls an ephod. We don't really know what an ephod looked like, but apparently it was something that went over the shoulders. And on the ephod, on his shoulder, were also all the names of the 12 tribes.

You say, "What was the point?" The priest bore the children of Israel to God on his heart, his affections, and on his shoulder, his strength. You see, this is the indication of what the priesthood is to be. First, a heart for the people. Secondly, the strength to help them.

The Old Testament priest could have the heart for the people, but he didn't have the strength. Jesus Christ, right now, is at God's right hand, interceding for those who are in saved. On His heart are the names of all those who are saved. Unlike the priest under the Old Covenant, Jesus is not only willing, He is able.

"...Jesus has become a surety (guarantee) of a better covenant." (v. 22)

"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession of them." (v. 25)

"For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners..." (v. 26)