The Mysterious Figure of Melchizedek

You don’t hear much these days about Melchizedek. The last time anyone mentioned Melchizedek to me was when a nineteen year old Mormon elder stood at my door and told me that he belonged to the Melchizedek priesthood–whatever that means. It has long been common for Christian people to use biblical names for their children, yet I don’t recall ever meeting anyone named “Melchizedek.” No doubt, this lack of interest in Melchizedek is because he is a rather obscure and mysterious figure. Yet according to the author of Hebrews, Melchizedek figures prominently in redemptive history as a type of Jesus Christ. Understanding who this man is as well as the role he plays in redemptive history is essential to the author’s case for the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus. Although nobody talks about Melchizedek these days, perhaps we should.

In chapter seven of the Book of Hebrews the author returns to a discussion he began in chapter 5 when he cited from Psalm 110:4 which speaks of the future messianic king as being a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Having made his initial point about Melchizedek’s priesthood, the author of Hebrews then broke off his discussion about Melchizedek to express his frustration with this congregation when he realized that those to whom he was writing probably would not be interested in his theological arguments which demonstrated why Jesus was superior to Moses, to angels, and to the priests of Israel. This lack of interest in what the Old Testament teaches about Jesus Christ, sadly, was indicative of the circumstances under which a number of those in the church receiving the Letter to the Hebrews had quickly wilted under persecution, given up on Christianity, and then returned to Judaism.

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