Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Wise men still seek him today. The Word of God is so full, so rich and varied that a hundred lifetimes of reading and research would only begin to scratch the surface of the greatness of God's wonderful Word. Here once again in the book of Matthew we have so many wonderful truths recorded in just two short verses. I'd like to take some time to dig out and expound just one of the great truths. It is in verse two where we observe the question ...Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
Matthew chapter one lists Christ's genealogy. It is here that we find that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah.
The word Judas in verse two is the Hebrew word Judah. Judas or Judah was the forth son of Jacob or Israel. Jesus Christ was from the tribe of Judah. This makes perfect sense because Jesus was to sit on the throne of his father David and rule the kingdom because he was the long awaited King of the Jews.
There is another verse I'd like to bring to your attention in the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Here we have another great truth revealed. In Matthew we learn that Jesus was born king of the Jews and here in Hebrews we see that Jesus was the great high Priest.
Now, either one of these statements individually reveals great truths regarding our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
However, place them next to each other and we then have an apparent contradiction in God's Word. You see if you check the scriptures you will find that in order for someone to be a priest he must be able to document his lineage back to the Tribe of Levi. Furthermore, if you were to serve as a high priest you not only had to come from the Tribe of Levi but specifically from the family of Aaron. For no one but the family of Aaron was to serve as a high priest.
NIV Numbers 18:1-7 1The LORD said to Aaron, "You, your sons and your father's family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. 2Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the Testimony. 3They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the Tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting-- all the work at the Tent-- and no one else may come near where you are. 5"You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the Tent of Meeting. 7But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death."
The priest that serves inside the tent (tabernacle) had to come from the Tribe of Levi and specifically from the family of Aaron. So, if Jesus Christ is the high priest and the king of the Jews we have a problem. The high priest must descend from the tribe of Levi and particularly from the family of Aaron.
Jesus Christ did not. According to Mathew 1:2 he came from the Tribe of Judah.
Genesis 49:8-10 8Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. 9Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Here we find that the kings would come from the Tribe of Judah and we have a prophecy of a coming King to whom the scepter belongs (Jesus Christ).
So we know that the priest would come from the tribe of Levi and distinctively from the family of Aaron and the kings would come from the tribe of Judah.
Jesus does fit with the kingly line however; he does not meet the requirements of the priesthood.
Do you know how God resolved this? By a man called Melchizedek. Melchizedek appears out of nowhere in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
After Abram (Abraham) defeated the kings that took his nephew Lot captive, as he was returning home, he meets up with Melchizedek King of Salem. (Jerusalem)
Melchizedek cannot be traced in God's Word. He was not from the tribe of Levi for Levi was still in Abrahams' loins. His family is not mentioned nor his death or burial. He appears and disappeared with out a trace. The book of Psalms adds some insight to the mystery.
Psalm 110:1 [A Psalm of David.] The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. 3Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. 4The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
This is a messianic psalm referring to Jesus Christ. Note verse four.
The Messiah's priesthood would be after the order of Melchizedek not Levi.
NLT Hebrews 7:1-4 1This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against many kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had won in the battle and gave it to Melchizedek. His name means "king of justice." He is also "king of peace" because Salem means "peace." 3There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.
Melchizedek was a type of Christ.
NLT Hebrews 7:5, 12-17 5Now the priests, who are descendants of Levi, are commanded in the law of Moses to collect a tithe from all the people, even though they are their own relatives.6But Melchizedek, who was not even related to Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 12And when the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. 13For the one we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members do not serve at the altar. 14What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned Judah in connection with the priesthood. 15The change in God's law is even more evident from the fact that a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has now come. 16He became a priest, not by meeting the old requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17And the psalmist pointed this out when he said of Christ, "You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek."
God already knew that Jesus would come from the tribe of Judah. He also knew how he wanted the priestly line set up.
God had Melchizedek just appear thousands of years before the Christ to resolve this problem. With no beginning (no genealogy, mother father etc. and no end burial place or record of death he vanished as secretly as he appeared).
It was after the order of Melchizedek that God chose to make Jesus Christ a high priest forever.
God bless you! ÿ