Hebrews 5 reintroduces Melchizedek through the New Testament lens of Christ’s priesthood. He first appeared briefly in Genesis 14 — the priest-king of Salem who stepped into Abraham’s life, bringing bread and wine, blessing him in the name of God Most High, and then disappearing just as quickly. A strange figure. No genealogy, no backstory, no ending. It is this very silence in Scripture that makes him a fitting forerunner of Christ, as Hebrews 5 unfolds.
Kings in the ancient world did not venture out alone. Yet Melchizedek goes out to meet Abraham personally, following his daring rescue of Lot from the northern kings’ raid on Sodom. Instead of arriving with soldiers or servants, he comes bearing bread and wine and speaking words of blessing — a solitary priest-king stepping into Abraham’s story at just the right moment. His offer of bread and wine, which for Christians reading later carry unmistakable echoes of Christ’s body and blood, turns an ordinary gesture of hospitality into a foreshadowing of the greater covenant to come. Melchizedek blesses Abraham with prophetic knowledge of his victory, speaking as though sent directly from God, and acknowledging that it was the Lord who had delivered Abraham’s enemies into his hand (Gen. 14:20). This was the first of many covenant blessings Abraham would receive, blessings that would extend across generations. God would similarly bless Isaac and Jacob. To Isaac, the Lord appeared in Gerar and said, “I will bless you, for you and your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father” (Gen. 26:3). Jacob, too, wrestled with God overnight and refused to let go until he received a blessing — and God not only blessed him, but also gave him a new name and a divine appointment (Gen. 32:26).
Everything about the encounter suggests that Melchizedek was no ordinary king. Nor was he an ordinary priest. He predates the Levitical priesthood by centuries and is described in Hebrews as one “without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever” (Heb. 7:3). Abraham, the patriarch of promise, responds by giving him a tithe — a recognition of Melchizedek’s greater priesthood — while refusing to keep even “a thread or a sandal strap” from the pagan monarchs. He would not allow the King of Sodom to claim that Abraham had grown rich from plunder. Instead, he accepted only what was due to the young men who had fought alongside him (Gen. 14:20–24).
So who was Melchizedek? Interpretations differ. Some see him as a real historical priest-king whose story was preserved because it pointed forward to Christ. Others take him as a literary type, his timelessness crafted by the biblical narrator to teach us about the eternal priesthood of Jesus. And at most, he may well be a Christophany — a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ Himself. I find myself drawn to this possibility, not as a settled doctrine but as a profound mystery, consistent with other divine encounters where God personally met with the patriarchs.
But what does Hebrews 5 really want us to see? That Jesus’ priesthood was not self-appointed but divinely ordained. “Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said … ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek’” (Heb. 5:5–6). His priesthood was established in time through His incarnation, suffering, and sacrifice. Yet it is also eternal, grounded in His divine Sonship.
The early church fathers reinforced this view. Athanasius insisted that the Son was always God, but became priest for our sake in the incarnation. Augustine taught that Christ’s priesthood began in time with His sacrifice, but had always been eternal in God’s plan. Chrysostom reminded his hearers that Jesus did not take this honor for Himself but received it so that we might have access to God. Together, they present a mystery that is both historical and eternal: Jesus was eternally the one chosen and qualified, and in time He entered fully into the office of High Priest — where He now intercedes for us at the Father’s right hand.
The writer of Hebrews stresses that the Levitical priests, beginning with Aaron, were “beset with weakness.” Their sacrifices atoned not only for Israel but also for themselves. Like Jesus, they were appointed to the priesthood, but unlike Him, their appointment was marked by human frailty. They entered their service burdened by sin, offering blood again and again for the people and for their own guilt. Had God not called, perhaps no one would have volunteered for such a bloody and lifelong calling. Jesus, by contrast, entered His priesthood in perfection — fully human yet without sin. Appointed by the Father, He offered Himself once for all, becoming “the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (Heb. 5:9).
He “did not exalt himself to be made high priest” (v. 5), but accepted the calling in obedience to the Father. This did not make the calling easy. In the days leading up to His crucifixion, He “offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death” (v. 7). The garden of Gethsemane comes to mind — Jesus falling to the ground in anguish, sweating great drops of blood, and praying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). And it was through this very obedience, sealed in tears and surrender, that He was made perfect in His role, becoming the true mediator — the High Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.
So what do we take away from Hebrews 5? That Jesus’ priesthood is unshakable. It has no end. We are seated with Him even now in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6) — the true fulfillment of what the earthly tabernacle and Temple could only foreshadow. How can this be? It is a divine mystery, made possible because Christ has made us “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Pet. 2:9). A place once closed off — the Holy of Holies, entered only once a year by the appointed high priest — is now open to all who come through Christ. The bread and wine Melchizedek once carried to Abraham find their fulfillment in Christ’s own body and blood, given for us. The blessing that fell on Abraham now rests on us in Christ. And the One who was appointed in time, yet eternally purposed in God’s plan, is still our High Priest forever — praying for us, interceding for us, and carrying us into the very presence of God.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blood of the Lamb, the perfect sacrifice of Your Son, and the permanent atonement secured through His death and resurrection. Strengthen our faith to believe that, by Your promise and the working of the Holy Spirit, we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. As You are with us here under the sun, so we are with You in Him, part of a royal priesthood where our prayers join with His to accomplish Your divine purposes. May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Thank you