Today's Scripture Reading (May 14, 2021): Hebrews 7
Erwin
Schrödinger proposed the thought experiment. The idea is that if you lock a cat
inside a metal box with a small amount of poison that may or may not be
released as a result of a subatomic reaction, the cat could be considered both
alive and dead. The only way to know for sure is to open the box. Schrödinger's
cat is supposed to illustrate the paradox of quantum superposition. Put more
simply; it is an explanation of describing the things that we cannot know.
In
Hebrews, Melchizedek is considered to be a type of Christ. And here, the author
explains why. In the story of Abraham, Melchizedek is without a father or
mother; he has no genealogy, is without a beginning or end, and remains a
priest forever. Scholars struggle over the words. What exactly is the author
trying to tell us? Some believe that we shouldn't look beyond the literal
meaning of the words. Melchizedek is not a type of Christ; he was Christ. When
Melchizedek met Abraham, and Abraham gave him a tithe, he was actually giving his
honor to God through the literal person of Christ.
But
others are not so sure. Another interpretation is that Melchizedek simply
appears amid the story of Abraham and then disappears again. Other than in his
interaction with Abraham, we know nothing else about him. No genealogy is given.
We are not introduced to his parents. We are not told when he is born or when
he was commissioned as a priest. And we are not told that he retired, or, more
importantly, the day on which he died. We don't know anything outside of the
moment when he interacts with Abraham. And, therefore, he is essentially Schrödinger's
priest. It is not that he wasn't born and never died; we are just not aware of
when those events took place. We have locked Melchizedek inside the metal box
of the story of Abraham, and locked inside the box; he is a priest forever.
And
inside the box, Melchizedek reflects what Jesus is outside of the box. Jesus
was involved in the creation of the world. He was present when the foundations
of the universe were laid. Jesus has ministered to the world through the
prophets, and he was physically present in Judea during his physical ministry. He
died on a cross, but three days later, he rose again and ministered to the
world through his people and his church.
But Melchizedek was a forerunner, a
model of what was to come. F. B. Meyer phrases it this way; "It was as if the Father could not await the day of
His Son's priestly entrance within the veil; but must needs anticipate the
marvels of His ministry, by embodying its leading features in miniature."
But it is Jesus who is really
a priest forever. He remains our priest today, and he will be our priest for
all eternity.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hebrews 8
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