Who Is Melchizedek Anyway?

Rev. Luke Zimmerman, pastor at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mechanicsburg, PA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Hebrews 7:1-10. The author of Hebrews begins to expound more fully upon the importance that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is mentioned in the Biblical narrative in Genesis 14 as both king and priest, though neither his genealogy nor his death is recorded. Abraham gave a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek, and Melchizedek blessed Abraham. From this account, the author of Hebrews sets the stage to proclaim that Christ's priesthood in the order of Melchizedek is superior to the Levitical priesthood.  “The New Covenant in Christ” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is best understood as a sermon preached to those who have gathered for the Divine Service, exhorting them to continued faithfulness to Jesus. As the Son of God and our Brother, Jesus is both our exalted King and faithful High Priest who is truly present with us so that we might fix our eyes on Him.