Over the years my parents have collected quite a few mementos from the places they visited on their travels. Most of them are displayed on shelves amongst their extensive collection of books. One of these items is a beautiful Russian nested doll or Matryoshka doll, that they purchased while in Moscow. A set of these dolls consists of a wooden figure, which separates at the middle, top from bottom, to reveal a smaller figure of the same sort inside, which has, in turn, another figure inside of it, and so on. Obviously, as with most objects, its ability to illustrate a spiritual principle is limited. However, a Matryoshka doll provides a picture of how the person of Melchizedek is a type of Jesus. The author of Hebrews adds layer upon layer to this Old Testament priest-king to point to the better and greater Priest-King, Jesus, who eclipses the Levitical priesthood and the old covenant.

Melchizedek is a figure introduced in Genesis 14:18-20. After Abram (later known as Abraham) returns from rescuing his nephew Lot from a group of five kings, Melchizedek meets him with bread and wine, blesses him, and receives from him “a tenth of everything” (v. 20). Hebrews 4:14-5:10 draws from this event, quoting David’s eschatological commentary found in Psalm 110:4 to demonstrate the wonderfully unusual priesthood of Jesus:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need… Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

The writer of Hebrews contrasts the old priesthood of the tribe of Levi with the new priesthood of Melchizedek. He places Jesus’ priesthood in the latter, superior category by quoting Psalm 110:4. Interestingly, David’s ability to understand the complex and layered meaning of the Melchizedekian priesthood 1000 years before the arrival of its messianic fulfillment and during the era of the Old Covenant is a direct result of spending time reading and studying his own personal copy of the Torah (Deut 17:18-20)! By connecting Melchizedek with the future Messiah, Priest and King, David looks forward to a time when “my Lord” will unite the offices of king and priest. He creates a tension that hangs in time until Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, resurrection and exaltation. The author of Hebrews then pulls the pieces together and shows that the inauguration of the Priest-King not only usurps the Mosaic Covenant, the law and the Levitical priesthood, but makes them obsolete, replacing them with the New Covenant and the priesthood administered by the High Priest, Jesus Christ. D.A. Carson states that “Melchizedek turns out to be one of the most instructive figures for helping us put the Bible together” and his connection is utterly revolutionary. Jesus is able to fully represent all of the unrivaled might of the reigning king described in much of the psalm and, at the same time, represent the humble, atoning ministries of the serving priest referred to in verse 4. The role and function of Psalm 110, then, in the book of Hebrews is to illustrate that Jesus, the Messiah, is both king and priest. It is no wonder that it is the most quoted Old Testament passage in all of the New Testament and is repeatedly injected into the exposition and argumentation of the book of Hebrews.

We should not miss or too quickly move on from this mysterious figure, Melchizedek. Based on the short account found in Genesis 14, we find a typological kinship with Jesus that is worth studying and lingering over. His name, Melchizedek, means “king of righteousness”. His reign is over the city of Salem (later to become Jerusalem), making him the “king of peace”. Abraham gave him a tenth of everything, an offering that would become the portion designated to the priesthood. His role as a priest of God Most High, and his lack of genealogy hint at an individual without beginning or end. All of these descriptions are thick with eschatological significance pointing forward to Jesus, who is the reality to Melchizedek’s type. It could be said that Melchizedek is the most vivid and concise picture of Christ and His role in all of the Old Testament.

So what does this mean practically for you and me? Are the connections between the historical events recorded in Genesis 14:18-20, the poetic prophecy of David found in Psalm 100:1-4, and the exhortation communicated in Hebrews 4:14-5:10 just cute tidbits of trivia to be remembered and discussed around the theological water cooler? Of course not! Jesus, our King and Priest has blessed us in an infinitely greater capacity than Melchizedek blessed Abram (Gen 14:19). Jesus successfully accomplished His high priestly mission and now offers its blessings to us. He is the perfect God-Man who has become the sole mediator between God and humanity (Heb 4:14), fully identifies and understands us (Heb 4:15), and graciously invites us to draw into the very presence of God with boldness (Heb 4:16). “We [truly] have a great high priest” (Heb 4:14)!

Psalm 37:3-6 (ESV) - Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.