The Letter to the Hebrews is probably better described as an extended sermon rather than an epistle or letter.  The unidentified preacher of this sermon is determined to persuasively convey the truth of who Jesus Christ is; in theological terminology, this is a Christological argument.  In our particular segment of the sermon, the preacher is drawing on the imagery of the high priesthood to achieve his purpose.  Earlier in the chapter he has presented evidence that Jesus is even greater than the greatest priest the Israelites had ever known, Melchizedek.  We are picking up the argument in mid-stream, and in these six verses the preacher focuses on three specific areas—time, the call to priesthood, and priestly sacrifices to advance his claims about Jesus.  Let’s look at what he says about each of these.

              The words that the Preacher uses to talk about Jesus regarding the issue of time are so obvious that they seem to leap off the page:  in verse 24, “permanently”; also in verse 24, “continues forever”; in verse 25, “for all time”; and in 25, “always lives.”  The preacher uses these words to describe the kind of priest Jesus is:  Jesus’ priesthood is permanent, continues forever, and is for all time because Jesus always lives.  This is in stark contrast with the priests who lived and served before Jesus whose priestly ministries were all ended by death.  The preacher repeats his point four times to make sure his audience “gets it”:  Jesus is not just one in a long line of priests to the Israelites; Jesus is a totally new kind of priest.  There has never been a priest like him before, and there will never be another like him in the future.  The message is not just that Jesus is different and new but that Jesus is superior to the priests of old.   Jesus was someone special.  Jesus deserves our attention; Jesus is important.  The preacher continues his argument in order to tell us why.

           After showing Jesus’ superiority to other priests on the basis of time, the preacher next moves to the area of priestly call.  Who is Jesus?  Jesus is holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.  Need more evidence that there is something different, something special about Jesus?  Look! says the preacher:  no one else can come close to matching him.  No one else can hold a candle to the kind of man he was and what he has accomplished.  Jesus’ nature is holy, sacred, set apart.  Despite experiencing the same temptations we all face, Jesus made choices that allowed him to remain blameless, completely undefiled and without sin.  Being without sin separated him from the rest of us; he accomplished something that no one else could, and that has earned him the right to be exalted above the heavens.  No other priest, not even the great priest Melchizedek can claim to have lived a blameless life or be deserving of exaltation.

           Furthermore, Jesus is different from Melchizedek and other former priests not only because of the life he lived but because of his unique relationship with God.  Jesus, we are told in verse 28 was a Son, and because of that relationship and because of the life Jesus lived, he received a different kind of call to the priesthood.  Under the old Mosaic law, priests were Levites.  Jesus, however, as a descendent of David was of the house of Judah, a tribe who never served at the altar.  The old priests acquired their office because they happened to be born into the right family, and they had the law and the right connections on their side.  But, Jesus is a priest because of the oath of God, not because of the law.  The source of his call, grounded in his relationship to God and in the life he lived, is different than all the priests before him, including Melchizedek, and not only different, but superior.  Jesus’ call rests in the very word of God. 

           Finally, the preacher moves his argument into a discussion of priestly sacrifices.  After watching the progression of the preacher’s sermon thus far, I’m sure it won’t surprise us that in this area, too, Jesus is shown to be superior to the priests of old.  The preacher points out the repetitive nature of the sacrifices offered by the Levite priests—over and over, day after day, year after year…..there was no end to the need to make atonement for their own sin and for the sin of the people.  But, of course, Jesus is different.  Jesus made a sacrificial offering only once because he offered not the blood of an unblemished lamb or goat or bull, but he offered the unblemished life of himself.  Jesus WAS the sacrifice.  He was both priest and offering.  And, because of this remarkable act, his sacrifice, made only once, was not only superior, it was decisive, final.  No other sacrifice will ever be necessary.  His was sufficient. 

           The theological argument that the preacher makes is an impressive one.  It is logical, it is systematic, it is thorough—just the sort of sermon to warm an order-loving Presbyterian’s heart.  But, what does is all mean ultimately?  Let’s remember the purpose of this sermon—the Preacher’s audience is one that does not need to be introduced to the importance of the priesthood or of Melchizedek.  They know the history and the reputation of Israel’s great high priest.  This particular audience is less sure about who Jesus is, and the Preacher’s goal is to persuasively and eloquently remove their doubts.  Many of us hear this sermon and have no idea who Melchizedek was, but we are pretty familiar with the stories of Jesus.  Our question might be, “Melchizedek, who?” whereas for the early church, their question was, “Who is Jesus?” 

            Like the early church, we are surrounded by people asking the same question as the audience of the Preacher’s sermon:  who is Jesus?  Who is Jesus really?  Not the Jesus of Sunday school stories, not the baby that causes all the commotion with shepherds in bathrobes and angels wearing tinseled halos every Christmas, but what does it mean to say that Jesus is the Son of God?  What does it mean to believe that Jesus offered his life as a sacrifice on a cross and rose again three days later?  What difference does it make whether Jesus was blameless and is therefore qualified to be our high priest?  Why do I need a high priest anyway and what significance does any of this have for my life?

          These are good questions.  They are necessary questions.  And they are questions that are asked not just by the unchurched, by those often labeled “seekers”, but by seekers within the church as well.  These are the questions which form and ground a lifetime of discipleship, and as we move through the seasons of our lives, we answer them differently.  What satisfies us in our twenties will be outgrown by our forties, and by our seventies, we may be surprised to find that we are revisiting the questions yet again.  For many in the postmodern world, understanding who Jesus is and what discipleship means cannot be separated from an understanding of purpose and meaning.  They are eager to commit, eager to serve and willing to work tirelessly for those values that prove to have worth and meaning.  So how does our passage this morning address that?  I see two significant ways and both of them are related to relationship.

          First, remember that under the old Mosaic law, the priest acted as a “go between” between the people and God.  The priest offered sacrifices on the people’s behalf and returned to them with the word of God’s mercy and forgiveness.  The priest spoke to God on their behalf and returned with God’s word to them.  Jesus, by his superiority in time, in his call, and in the sacrifice he offered, completely shattered that system and instead, he himself became the direct access to God for all people.  Never again would it be necessary to go through an intermediary to reach God.  Personal relationship and direct access are the results of Jesus being our high priest.  That’s why the preacher of Hebrews goes to such lengths to make his case that Jesus’ priesthood is different, that is, superior to any that came before him.  He is expending his considerable talent and energy to convey the truth of who Jesus is, not so the church’s Christology will be right but so that relationship will happen, relationship between his listeners and Jesus Christ.   It is the difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing the person. 

           The second aspect of relationship is one that is likely to make us squirm a bit.  Nothing speaks as loudly to those struggling with questions of faith, with questions about who Jesus is, than our lives.  Whether we realize it or not, our lives are a sermon everyday, everywhere we go, and in every encounter we have with others.  What are our lives preaching about who Jesus is and about what a relationship with God is like?  When others look at how we treat our neighbors, how we parent, and how we define success, what will they learn about who Jesus is?  When we have the chance to be forgiving, when we face medical hardships, when we lose a job, what testimony is our life giving about who Jesus is?  The world notices how we spend our time, what activities we’re committed to, and what we do with our money.  What sermon are they hearing?  These are hard questions.  They make us uncomfortable.  But, the church is not doing anyone a favor by apologizing for asking them.  The sacrifice that our high priest made for us is worth our being honest with him and with ourselves. 

          The good news is that we are not alone.  Our Scripture passage this morning tells us that we have a high priest who is always interceding for us before God.  In our high priest, we find absolute forgiveness and mercy when we fall short; we are equipped to fulfill the calling to which Jesus calls us, just as Jesus was equipped to fulfill his call to be our great high priest and offer a perfect sacrifice.  And, Jesus’ presence with us is permanent.  We never walk alone.   

           The question for us to ask ourselves this morning is, “who is Jesus?”  Do our lives speak to the truth of who he is and what he has accomplished for us?  Let us receive the sacrifice of our high priest and let our lives preach the good news.  Amen.