Small Group

If Jesus is a forerunner on our behalf then, as we discussed, so too are we part of this new priestly order.  As members of this new order of priests, we do not require the intermediation of another person such as the Aaronic priesthood.

Therefore, as we read through these chapters, think about whether we, like the intended recipients of the letter, fail to have a mature faith.  How do we, like them, ground our salvation in legal obedience or ritual observance and not in the freedom given to us by Christ?

The main character in this section is Melchizedek of (Jeru)Salem –which means the King of Righteousness and Peace.

When we say that Jesus is our Great High Priest, we see him as fulfilling both roles of the priestly sacrifice – priest and victim.  He is Abraham and Isaac, Aaron and the scapegoat.

The overriding theme of this passage is the superiority of Christ to Moses.  We will find this same theme running through both the Gospels of Matthew and John. 

Tonight we will discuss these passages from the Old Testament, and discuss where Jesus can be found within these passages. (And, remember that the name “Jesus” is simply the Aramaic version of the Hebrew ”Joshua” and that in the Septuagint they would have had the exact same name.)  

In this section, the writer explores the superiority of Christ to Moses in that only through Christ can we gain the Promised Land. 

For William Barclay, the great theme of the letter is how we access God, and how the barriers are removed and the doors opened through Christ so that we may forever dwell in God’s presence.