Like Melchizedek, Jesus is greater than the Levite priests
15 What we have said becomes even clearer now. Another kind of priest has come, who is a priest like Melchizedek. 16 Jesus did not become a priest because of a law about which family he came from. He became God's priest because of his powerful life that nothing could ever destroy. 17 The Bible speaks about him as a priest like this:
‘You will be a priest for ever,
in the same way that Melchizedek was God's priest.’
18 So the old law about priests no longer has authority. It could not help people and it was useless. 19 God's Laws that he gave to Moses could not make anything completely right. But now God has brought us something better to hope for. And in that way, we ourselves can come near to God.
20 Also, when God said that Jesus would be his special priest, he made a strong promise. When the Levites became priests, he did not make a strong promise like that. 21 But when Jesus became God's priest, God made a strong promise. God said:
‘The Lord God has promised this.
He will not change his mind.
You will be a priest for ever.’
22 Because God promised that to Jesus, we know that his new covenant with his people is very strong. It is a much better covenant than the old one.
23 In the past, there were many Levite priests. Each one of them died and they could not continue to serve God as priests. 24 But Jesus lives for ever, so he will never stop being a priest. 25 Jesus is alive and he is always asking God to help his people. So he can completely save everyone who believes in him. He will lead them to God.
Jesus offered himself as the complete sacrifice for sins
26 Jesus is the kind of great priest that we need. He completely belongs to God. He has never done anything wrong. He is completely good and clean. He is separate from everyone who does wrong things. God has raised him up to the most important place in heaven. 27 Jesus is not like the Levite priests. They needed to offer sacrifices to God every day. First, they offered sacrifices so that God would forgive their own sins. Then they offered sacrifices on behalf of the other people, so that God would forgive their sins too. But Jesus offered one sacrifice for all time. That sacrifice was himself.
28 In the old covenant, Moses' laws decided who would become leaders of the priests. Because those men are weak, they often do wrong things. But God's strong promise came after the Law that he gave to Moses. With that promise, God chose his Son to be his great priest. And his Son has become everything that God wants him to be, completely and for ever.
