Now, through Israel’s story, God raises up many people, who could have been this Royal Priest, like Abraham, Moses and David, but they all fail. Their stories point forward, anticipating the ultimate Royal Priest and this brings us to Jesus. In the time of Jesus, the people of Israel were ruled by the Roman Empire, but they were governed by their own priests, including the high priest, who worked in the Jerusalem Temple. The high priest was the only one, who could enter the most holy space and it was separated by a thick curtain, embroidered with images of cherubim. The high priest at this time was a man named Caiaphas, he is the one, who currently represents the people before God, but then, Jesus came onto the scene. When we’re introduced to Jesus, he’s outside of Jerusalem at the Jordan river getting baptized, the skies opened up and God says, you are my son, whom I love, with you I am very pleased.
Now, these words blend together three statements from the Hebrew Scriptures that are all about the coming Royal Priest, who will be the King that God promised to raise up from the line of David, “You are my son, Psalm 2:7” and also the beloved son, like Isaac was to Abraham, “whom I love, Genesis 22:2” and he’s the suffering Royal Servant of Isaiah, “with you I am very pleased, Isaiah 42:1,” who dies for the sins of his people. This baptism is like Jesus’ ordination as a Royal Priest and so, it’s no surprise that afterwards, Jesus starts going around acting like a priest. Forgiving people of their sins or restoring people who were impure, so they could enter the temple. These are the things that the priest who work in the Jerusalem Temple were supposed to be doing. But, Jesus is doing it outside their authority and so, they start to see him as a threat.
This leads to a story, where Jesus goes up with some friends to a high mountain and there, he’s transformed, Jesus starts shining and all of his clothes become pour white. This is like the vision Moses had of the ideal high priest, but Jesus is here being revealed as the ultimate Royal Priest. It’s here, that Jesus decides that he’s going to Jerusalem, even though he knows that he’ll get killed and so later, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, he challenges the authority of the current priesthood who are running things in the temple. Like when Jesus storms in and disrupts the sale of animal sacrifices, this is his way of showing he’s the priest in charge. Then later, Jesus is asked, who do you think you are? Jesus responds by quoting from Psalm 110 in Israel’s scriptures. This is the Psalm where King David speaks of someone that he calls his Lord, someone greater than him, who will rule as a Royal Priest. Jesus is claiming, that he is that priest.
This makes the priests in Jerusalem angry, they have Jesus arrested and they put him on trial before Caiaphas, the high priest, who asks Jesus, are you the anointed one? What Caiaphas means is, are you the Royal Priest, because right now, that’s my job. Jesus responds once more by quoting Psalm 110, saying, I am, and you are going to see me ruling at God’s right hand. But actually, we’re about to see Jesus get killed, how is that ruling as a high priest? Remember from Israel’s scriptures, the pattern of the Royal Priest who surrenders himself as a sacrifice. Jesus is saying, that offering his life for others, is the way that he’s going to ascend his Royal Throne. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple tore in two, God’s own life presence, the blessings of Eden that were once guarded and separate, now they can flow out of the temple to fill all of creation. When Jesus comes alive from the dead, he appears to his followers and commissions them to go out to the nations, so that they can share the good news that Jesus is the ruling King and Priest, who’s going to restore the blessings of Eden. This is why the apostle Paul called Jesus the New Adam, he’s inviting us back into Eden to become like him, so that we can take up our lost calling of being God’s Royal Priests.
Now, these words blend together three statements from the Hebrew Scriptures that are all about the coming Royal Priest, who will be the King that God promised to raise up from the line of David, “You are my son, Psalm 2:7” and also the beloved son, like Isaac was to Abraham, “whom I love, Genesis 22:2” and he’s the suffering Royal Servant of Isaiah, “with you I am very pleased, Isaiah 42:1,” who dies for the sins of his people. This baptism is like Jesus’ ordination as a Royal Priest and so, it’s no surprise that afterwards, Jesus starts going around acting like a priest. Forgiving people of their sins or restoring people who were impure, so they could enter the temple. These are the things that the priest who work in the Jerusalem Temple were supposed to be doing. But, Jesus is doing it outside their authority and so, they start to see him as a threat.
This leads to a story, where Jesus goes up with some friends to a high mountain and there, he’s transformed, Jesus starts shining and all of his clothes become pour white. This is like the vision Moses had of the ideal high priest, but Jesus is here being revealed as the ultimate Royal Priest. It’s here, that Jesus decides that he’s going to Jerusalem, even though he knows that he’ll get killed and so later, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, he challenges the authority of the current priesthood who are running things in the temple. Like when Jesus storms in and disrupts the sale of animal sacrifices, this is his way of showing he’s the priest in charge. Then later, Jesus is asked, who do you think you are? Jesus responds by quoting from Psalm 110 in Israel’s scriptures. This is the Psalm where King David speaks of someone that he calls his Lord, someone greater than him, who will rule as a Royal Priest. Jesus is claiming, that he is that priest.
This makes the priests in Jerusalem angry, they have Jesus arrested and they put him on trial before Caiaphas, the high priest, who asks Jesus, are you the anointed one? What Caiaphas means is, are you the Royal Priest, because right now, that’s my job. Jesus responds once more by quoting Psalm 110, saying, I am, and you are going to see me ruling at God’s right hand. But actually, we’re about to see Jesus get killed, how is that ruling as a high priest? Remember from Israel’s scriptures, the pattern of the Royal Priest who surrenders himself as a sacrifice. Jesus is saying, that offering his life for others, is the way that he’s going to ascend his Royal Throne. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple tore in two, God’s own life presence, the blessings of Eden that were once guarded and separate, now they can flow out of the temple to fill all of creation. When Jesus comes alive from the dead, he appears to his followers and commissions them to go out to the nations, so that they can share the good news that Jesus is the ruling King and Priest, who’s going to restore the blessings of Eden. This is why the apostle Paul called Jesus the New Adam, he’s inviting us back into Eden to become like him, so that we can take up our lost calling of being God’s Royal Priests.