The first mention of a priest in the Bible is in Genesis 14:18. In fact, it isn’t even the priesthood that God, Himself would institute for the Israelites but is Melchizedek, who Abraham encountered long before the institution of the Levitical priesthood which we see in Exodus 28:1-4, “ And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. And thou shalt speak unto all that are wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office.” The duties of the priest would thus be established by God in the Bible, primarily spelled out later in Leviticus. Here we read how the people would bring sacrifices to the priests, who would then present them before God. Likewise, when God had a message for the people, it was sent through the priests who would convey it to the people.
The duties of the priest extended to much more than we have time or room to get into here but suffice it to say, they were pillars of the community. Bear in mind that the nation of Israel lived with a theocratic government, meaning that its religious laws were very much the foundation of its criminal and civil code as well. Therefore, the priests were more than just religious leaders.
Major Change
At the very moment Jesus died and the veil in the temple was “…rent in twain from the top to the bottom…”Matthew 27:51, God was forever exposed and opened up for all to be able to access without the need for a special priest! Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice, had opened the way. Man could now enter into the presence of God in a more personal way than he had been able to since before the fall in the Garden of Eden.
What does this mean for us today? We still certainly do have clergy who lead and direct our churches and ministries. We have spiritual leaders and counselors to whom we turn. So where does this leave us regarding the priesthood? Do we still have them? Do we still need them? The Bible gives us this to consider regarding this in I Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” (Emphasis mine). Notice that Peter not only mentions that we are priests but royal priests. We are of royal lineage by adoption into the family of the King of kings.
One only has to look at the events that took place at the moment of Jesus’ death. One of the most significant for us today took place in the temple, itself as mentioned above.
Wood engraving after a drawing by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
At this moment, the single thing that kept the children of Israel, God’ chosen people from seeing or being able to access the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the Temple, had been torn and the likeness of God, His glory, access to His presence, had been exposed. This was no accident; it was no act of terror or vandalism conducted by someone in defiance or protest. Quite the opposite. It was an act of God Himself, declaring that the final sacrifice for the sins of all mankind had been made. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished” He was, in fact, declaring that the need for any further sacrifice or separation of God from HIs people was over! What a glorious moment!
We are all Now Priests!
The priests of the Old Testament had exclusive access to God and were able to communicate with Him in a way that no one else could. As mentioned previously the apostle Peter says that Christians are called to a new order of priesthood. John further states that in his prophetic book Revelation in the opening chapter almost immediately, when he states, “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Emphasis mine)
What does this mean?
Christians now have access to God in a way that the Children of Israel never did before. For centuries, when God spoke to His people, He used a mediator; a go-between. First, it was Moses, and later it would be the priests, to bring instruction to the people or questions, complaints, supplications, and requests on behalf of all believers. Furthermore, much of the Old Testament book of Leviticus spells out the practice of the countless sacrifices offered by the people not only on the Day of Atonement but for many other reasons. Scholars are unable to determine exactly how many innocent animals were sacrificed over the hundreds of years in the name of upholding the Law but the number is in the millions! These priests not only performed these all-important sacrifices but were the intermediaries, the line of communication, between God and His people. As we saw above the veil that had separated the people from the Holy of Holies had been torn, giving open access to God to all the people, and the final sacrifice, the blood of Jesus Christ, Himself, had been offered and accepted, meaning that henceforth, all who would come to God the Father would have a direct line to Him.
The priests, once a select group who had been called upon to be able to speak directly to God and to transmit or relay His message to His chosen people, were now no longer an elect group among God’s children. All believers had this honor and privilege but along with it came (and still comes) responsibility. While we do not wear priestly garments or have titles or hold court to rule in judgment in a theocratical society along with the judges of the Old Testament, we, as Christians, are still charged with being well versed with the Word of God and keeping it in our hearts and minds.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.(Psalm 119:11)
Being a priest today also means being a disciple for Jesus. In His parting words before leaving this world, Jesus gave His final instructions to His disciples; whether it was just the remaining eleven apostles or more we do not know but the message has been referred to through the ages since simply as “The Great Commission”. Matthew 28:18-20 shows us Jesu giving firm and direct instruction to spread the message of the Gospel everywhere and to make disciples, or followers, of those who believe. This is the job of the Christians who are the “royal priesthood…” today.
Photo by Ludovic Migneault on Unsplash
We may find that when we go out into the world as disciples that we are met with curiosity and even skepticism instead of always being met with joy and enthusiasm to hear the “Good News”. To some, there is no good news to be had. To others, they simply didn’t know it was there or they thought that they already had all the answers. We need only look at the reactions that Jesus got to see that this is a reality. If the Son of God, Himself was met with confrontation and objection, just imagine what you and I will face! However, we have in Him, an advocate. We have, in the Holy Spirit, a comforter. Remember, also, that “all things work together for good…” as we seek to serve Him.