About the Priesthood

The writer of this letter wrote about Jesus Christ as a high priest in
this letter. And the word "high priest" is used 17 times in this
letter. And especially the phrase "high priest after the order of
Melchizedek" stands out in those passages. Who is the high priest?
What do they commanded to do? What did the writer of this letter tried
to teach the Hebrews about high priest through this letter?

The Beginning of the Priesthood

There are two choices of answers about the beginning of the
priesthood. One is the story of Melchizedek in Genesis 14 where he
blessed Abraham after he came back from the battle against the
Gentiles. And another answer is Moses. But the story Melchizedek and
his priesthood existed before all the liturgy and commandments about
worship were given to Israel. So the detailed order of priesthood was
first given to Moses. At the same time, by reading the phrase "high
priest after the order of Melchizedek." that comes out several times
in this letter, we can say that the priesthood of Melchizedek is the
beginning of the priesthood.

The Work of Priest and Holiness

The specific orders about the priesthood were first given to Moses in
Exodus 28. It is clear that the priests existed in Israel before this
chapter was written. In the beginning of this chapter, God commanded
Moses to chose Aaron and his sons to appoint them and to sanctified
them, in order to make them priests. So that they will serve Him in
the House of God. In this chapter, God also gave an very specific
orders about clothes that priests wear. So every detail of the clothes
had some kind of the meaning and these clothes were called "holy
garments (Exodues 2:2)". Priests are who reveal God's holiness, not
only through their works at the house of God but also through their
clothing. With these points in mind, we can say that the keyword in
the priesthood is "holiness". Because the priests were also called
'Holy to the LORD (Exodus 28:36)'. It was also engraved on the plate
of the holy crown (Exodus 29:6, 39:30).

Why Not the "High Priest After the Order of Aaron"?

The priests were anointed to be appointed as priests is like the kings
in Israel (Exodus29:7). So Aaron and his sons were also anointed and
were sanctified to become the priests. And God told Moses that "the
priesthood shall be theirs by a statute forever(Exodus 29:9)". Than
why Jesus Christ was called "high priest after the order of
Melchizedek" and not "high priest after the order of Aaron". Because
descendants of Aaron became the priests on the basis of a legal
requirement which belongs to the "fresh"(7:16). But Christ became a
priest but by the power of an indestructible life(7:16). So unlike
Aaron's priesthood Christ's priesthood is eternal and never changes
(7:24). The priests that were appointed by the Mosaic law were sinners
so they had to offer sacrifices repeatedly. But Jesus Christ who
became a priest by the power of indestructible life (7:16) perfected
the redemption by offering himself as the sacrifice just once.

The Earthly Place of Holiness

The priests that were appointed by the Mosaic law served in the
earthly place of holiness (9:1-5). But when Jesus came as the high
priest, he built the greater and perfect tent which is not made with
hands (9:11-14). And in the days of the Old Covenant, the priests had
to offer sacrifices everyday. So he fulfilled the law of Moses and
brought the eternal redemption. So we offer sacrifices no more. Jesus
Christ the high priest offered himself as a sacrifice for the eternal
redemption. Aaron and his descendants were also appointed for the
redemption but they could not fulfill the Mosaic law because they were
sinners.

The Perfect Redemption

Jesus Christ the high priest sat down on the right hand of the Lord.
And He is serving at the true tabernacle now and forever. Compared to
the priests of the Old Covenant who served at the earthly tabernacle
and offered up the sacrifices everyday, Jesus Christ offered himself
just once as the fulfillment of the priesthood and for the perfect
redemption. In the days of the Old covenant, great number of people
became the priests. Because of deaths. But Christ became the eternal
priest by the power of life.

Christians As the Priests

The new priesthood brought us an important change . Because in the
days of the Old Covenant, only the descendants of Aaron and the people
from Levites were choses as the priests. But by Jesus Christ becoming
the high priest the people like us who is not from Levites nor the
descendant of Aaron but normal Christians, also became the priests in
Christ. So we were allowed to enter the Holy of Holies where only the
high priests were allowed to enter only once a year. These are all
because Christ offered up himself as the sacrifice and He shed His
blood to cleanse from sins. For this reason we are allowed to draw
near to Christ with true faith (10:22).