As a kid, I remember hearing my dad preach from Hebrews 6:19–20: “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
I often wondered what that meant. I had questions I never asked my dad—like whether Melchizedek was a real person, or what it meant that Jesus became a high priest after the order of another human. And what curtain? Understanding what “the order of” meant would have helped immensely, but somehow, I never got around to asking.
I decided it was time to dive in and trace his story back to the beginning. Melchizedek first appears in Scripture in Genesis 14:18. He was the king of Salem (short for Jerusalem) and a priest of God Most High who blessed Abraham.
Beyond that, he appears only in Psalm 110:4 and throughout Hebrews. Scripture doesn’t record where he came from or where he went. Hebrews describes him as an earthly man whose name means “king of righteousness” and whose reign made him “king of peace.” Hebrews 7:3 notes that he resembles the Son of God and continues as a priest forever—because Scripture records no beginning or end to his life or lineage.
In biblical study, “order” denotes a pattern, model, or type. We see this in Adam, who was a type of Christ. As the ESV Study Bible notes, both are covenantal heads of humanity; we are either in Adam by physical birth or in Christ through spiritual rebirth. Likewise, Melchizedek was a prophetic figure who foreshadowed Christ—the true King of Righteousness who brings eternal Peace.
Melchizedek’s significance comes from what happens when he meets Abraham in Genesis 14. Melchizedek brings out bread and wine, blesses Abraham, and Abraham gives him a tenth of everything. In ancient biblical culture, the person dispensing the blessing held the greater spiritual authority or status. The author of Hebrews points out that although Abraham received God’s covenant promises directly, he willingly received Melchizedek’s blessing and paid him tithes. This key moment lays the theological foundation: if Melchizedek was greater than Abraham (the father of the Levites), then Jesus—who is of the order of Melchizedek—holds a priesthood far superior to the old Levitical system.
Before Christ, Levitical high priests entered the Most Holy Place behind the temple curtain just once a year, bringing animal blood to draw near to God on behalf of the people. But when Christ died on the cross, the veil tore from top to bottom. By His own blood, He opened a permanent way for everyone to draw near to God once and for all, defeating death when He rose from the grave. Psalm 110:4 highlights this messianic promise—a priesthood sealed by God’s unshakeable oath.
Through that divine oath, Jesus Christ stands as our eternal High Priest and King of Kings. He invites us into the Most Holy Place based entirely on His person and work. Melchizedek pointed to this reality, but Christ fulfilled it, sacrificing Himself so we might live forever.
God’s righteousness and holiness demand a resolution for sin, but His love is so profound that He provided the solution through His Son. The bottom line of the Bible’s redemptive story is simple: God desires an intimate relationship with us. He paved the way through Jesus so we could draw near to Him. That is the key to navigating a broken world while we wait expectantly for our King to return. We won’t ever measure up on our own—but because of Christ, we don’t have to.
