Jesus, the Perfect Priest-King

Jordan West
Aug 1
4 min read

This is a transcript edited for reading purposes from a sermon preached at The Heights at Night, The Heights Baptist Church’s weekly Young Adult Ministry on Monday Nights.

Last week, we looked at Hebrews 4:14–16 and saw something astonishing: Jesus is our great High Priest. He sympathizes with our weakness. He has been tempted in every way we are and yet is without sin. Because of this, we can approach the throne of God with boldness and confidence to receive grace and mercy in our time of need.

That’s amazing. But here’s the thing. We didn’t really talk about what priests actually do.

Today, we look at Hebrews 5:1–10 to unpack what it really means for Jesus to be our High Priest. He is not just any priest. He is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. That is not a name you hear often, but it is essential for understanding Christ’s role in our lives.

Earthly Priests: Chosen, Yet Weak

Hebrews 5:1–4 sets the stage:

“For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God...”

These verses are not about Jesus yet. They describe earthly priests—normal men chosen from among the people. They were weak and obligated to offer sacrifices for their own sins before they could offer anything on behalf of others. These men did not volunteer for the job. They were called by God, just as Aaron was.

Because of their shared humanity, they could relate to the people. They were not elite or otherworldly. They dealt gently with the ignorant and wayward because they understood weakness and sin firsthand.

What Do Priests Do?

If Jesus is our High Priest, we need to understand the role of a priest. Here are ten responsibilities of a biblical priest:

Offer sacrifices for sin These included daily and annual offerings, especially on the Day of Atonement.
Maintain the tabernacle Priests were responsible for preserving sacred space. Today, we understand our bodies to be temples where God dwells.
Bless the people Priests pronounced blessings. We are now a kingdom of priests called to bless others.
Teach the law They helped the people understand and apply God’s Word.
Mediate between God and man They interceded on behalf of the people before God.
Determine ritual purity Priests examined diseases and pronounced individuals clean or unclean.
Oversee judicial matters They served as legal authorities in difficult cases.
Guard the holiness of the camp They protected the people from defilement and preserved the sanctity of the tabernacle.
Offer incense This symbolized the prayers of the people rising to God.
Represent the people before God The high priest wore an ephod with the names of the twelve tribes, bearing them before the Lord.

Jesus Was Appointed by God

“Christ did not exalt Himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed...” (Hebrews 5:5)

Hebrews quotes Psalm 2 and Psalm 110: “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

This appointment was not a later invention. From the very beginning, Jesus was designated to be our High Priest. He was not chosen after the fact. He was always the plan.

Melchizedek: The Mysterious Priest-King

Melchizedek appears briefly in Genesis 14. Abraham gives him a tithe. There is no record of his genealogy. He appears as “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace,” and then he is gone. Some see this as a Christophany. Others view him as a type. Either way, Melchizedek points to Jesus.

He held both priestly and royal authority—something the Mosaic law did not allow. Jesus fulfills both roles.

Obedience Through Suffering

“In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears...” (Hebrews 5:7)

Think of Gethsemane. Jesus was heard because of His reverence. Yet even though He was the Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.

This does not mean Jesus lacked perfection. Instead, it shows He experienced obedience fully, even when it cost Him everything. His obedience, even unto death, made Him perfectly qualified to be our High Priest.

Additionally, this shows us that Christ is our substitute before the throne. He was heard and yet rejected so that when we pray in His name we are accepted.

The Source of Eternal Salvation

“Being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” (Hebrews 5:9)

Because Jesus obeyed completely, He became the one and only source of eternal salvation. His life was not only sinless, it was also poured out in perfect obedience.

He did not bring the blood of goats. He brought His own. And He did not enter an earthly tabernacle. He entered heaven itself.

Jesus: Our Priest and Our King

Jesus does everything a priest should do, and He does it perfectly:

Offers the perfect sacrifice for sin
Sanctifies the heavenly tabernacle
Blesses His people with grace and mercy
Teaches the fulfillment of the law
Mediates between God and man
Declares the unclean clean
Judges with perfect wisdom
Guards the holiness of His people
Receives our prayers
Bears our names before the Father

As King, He:

Rules with justice and righteousness
Leads us in covenant faithfulness
Mediates God's reign
Protects and shepherds us
Unifies the people of God
Leads worship and commands obedience
Destroys idolatry and leads in holiness
Receives all glory and dominion
Brings final judgment and peace

This is the Jesus we worship. He is not a mild or abstract figure. He is the one who bore the weight of the world. He lives and reigns at a level we can hardly comprehend.

The more clearly we see Christ for who He truly is, the more we are moved to worship. If He is the great King and the great High Priest in the line of Melchizedek, then He deserves more than ten percent. He deserves your whole heart.

To withhold anything from Him is dangerous. He demands it all, and He is worthy of it all.