In Hebrews 6:20 we are told that as the Forerunner, Christ has entered within the veil, “having become forever a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”
The Bible reveals two orders of the priesthood: the order according to Aaron and the order according to Melchizedek. The order of priests according to Aaron was a matter of man bringing his needs to God, because these priests were chosen from among men. By contrast, the order according to Melchizedek was a matter of coming from God to man, imparting God to man. The order of Melchizedek is revealed in Genesis 14:18-20, where we see that Melchizedek came from God with bread and wine to meet and bless Abraham who had fought in battle for God.
There are two directions, a “two-way traffic,” in these two orders of the priesthood. In the first order the direction is from man to God, and in the second it is from God to man. Christ as our great High Priest has these two orders with two directions. He is the High Priest according to the order of Aaron and also the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. On the one hand, according to the order of Aaron, Christ as the Son of Man was chosen from among men to go to God with all the needs of man. On the other hand, according to the order of Melchizedek, Christ as the Son of God came from God to impart God into us and bless us with God.
As the Forerunner, the Lord Jesus is now within the veil, in the Holy of Holies in heaven. His purifying of sins is typified by the work of Aaron, whereas His sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3) is according to the order of Melchizedek (Psa. 110:1, 4). His work on the cross on earth, typified by the work of Aaron, affords us forgiveness of sins. His ministry on the throne in heaven ministers to us the overcoming of sin. His cross delivered us out of Egypt; His throne brings us into Canaan. We participated in His work on the cross. Now we need to press on to enter into the enjoyment of His ministry on the throne. We need to enter into the full participation in His priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. If we do this, we will have a complete overcoming of sin, and sin will be absolutely under our feet. We will be in the Holy of Holies, having nothing to do with sin but continually enjoying grace.
As our High Priest, the heavenly Christ is not according to the order of Aaron but according to the order of Melchizedek. We need to be occupied with the present Melchizedek. Melchizedek is not a High Priest for the purpose of offering sacrifices to God for our sins but for ministering the processed God as grace into us. Now sin is over, and grace is here. Sin has gone, and the enjoyment of God has come. It is no longer a matter of offering sacrifices for sin but rather a matter of ministering bread and wine for our enjoyment.
The book of Hebrews reveals that although Christ completed His redemptive work, He is very active as our High Priest, ministering Himself into us as the processed bread and wine for our daily supply. This is why today the heavenly Christ is a High Priest not according to the order of Aaron but according to the order of Melchizedek. Today Christ on the throne is not the sacrifice-offering High Priest; He is the bread-and-wine-ministering High Priest. First, we need Christ’s priesthood as typified by Aaron to offer the sacrifices for sin. Then we need His priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek to minister the life supply to us.
Having the processed God ministered into us as our supply fulfills God’s eternal purpose. However, offering the sacrifices for sin is merely to deal with the negative situation. God’s original purpose was not to redeem us; it was to impart and work Himself into us. Since we became fallen, He had to rescue us, redeem us, and reconcile us to God. Whereas this is the function of His priesthood, as typified by Aaron, His priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek is for God’s original purpose. If we had not fallen, we would not have needed the priesthood typified by Aaron, but we would still need Christ’s priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek to minister God into us. Most Christians know only Christ’s priesthood as typified by the priesthood of Aaron for reconciliation. But according to Hebrews, Christ as our High Priest is not mainly the One who offers the sacrifice for sin, but the One who ministers into us the processed God as the bread and wine.
It is significant that when Melchizedek met Abraham, he ministered to Abraham, the one who fought for God’s interests, the bread and wine as the life supply from God. Likewise, Christ as a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek is supplying the divine elements as bread and wine to us who are today’s fighters for God’s interests on earth.
In Hebrews 4:14 we are told that we have “a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God,” and in verse 16 we are told to “come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” When we come to chapter 5, we see that the High Priest whom we meet at the throne of grace is not a priest typified by the order of Aaron but a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, ministering to us the bread and wine as our supply. Today we can come to the throne of grace and enjoy such a positive High Priest ministering the bread and wine. Instead of trying to be a success by our own effort, we simply need to come forward to the throne of grace and touch our High Priest who ministers to us bread and wine. This is the best meal. As much as we need a physical breakfast every day, we also should enjoy Christ as our breakfast every morning. The best dining table is the throne of grace where we enjoy Christ in such a positive way. Christ is our Melchizedek today. How we need to come forward to the throne of grace to Him, the One who ministers the bread and wine!