In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:5-10)
Ah, Melchizedek. He’s such a cool metaphor or type. So mysterious. He’s only mentioned twice in the Old Testament, in Genesis, and in the Psalms. Chabad.org says that he was described in the Targumim (Aramaic commentary) that Melchizedek was Shem, Noah son through whom all the Israelites were born. Shem was 98 when Noah took his family aboard the ark. He lived more than five hundred years after the flood. That’s hard to get our brains around since few of us live past one hundred, but it means that Shem would have been alive for most of Abraham’s life:
Ah, Melchizedek. He’s such a cool metaphor or type. So mysterious. He’s only mentioned twice in the Old Testament, in Genesis, and in the Psalms. Chabad.org says that he was described in the Targumim (Aramaic commentary) that Melchizedek was Shem, Noah son through whom all the Israelites were born. Shem was 98 when Noah took his family aboard the ark. He lived more than five hundred years after the flood. That’s hard to get our brains around since few of us live past one hundred, but it means that Shem would have been alive for most of Abraham’s life:
In fact, one nonbiblical ancient text, The Book of Jasher, says that Noah, Shem, and Abram lived together for nearly four decades. (http://weareisrael.org/2012/05/08/noah-and-abraham/) It’s not Scripture, but it’s possible. The thing that leads me to suspect that it is not true is material in later chapters of Hebrews which says that Melchizedek was without father or mother, which is taken to mean of unknown ancestry, but Shem’s ancestry is known. Given that the people of the Middle East trace their lineage back to Shem, even if he was not Shem, he would have been from the same family. In short, I doubt it, but it could be.
The main thing that today’s passage tells us is that Jesus followed the pattern of Melchizedek rather than of Levi. Jesus did not descend from Levi, but there is a precedent in the Old Testament that not all priests of the Most High God had to be Levites. Since Levi hadn’t been born, he couldn’t have been a Levite. Get ready for more about him.
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