At our public school we have changed Superintendents thrice in twenty-three years. Each time, we have had to go through a regular round of meetings and seminars to accommodate the vision of the new boss. In a like manner our country regularly changes presidents who bring with them visions which have ranged from fair deals & new deals to a great society or a new world order. Each time a new administration takes office there is a change in policies and regulations. The Constitution or foundation for the government may even be reinterpreted.

Of course we know that such reinterpretation may not be in accord with the intent of the founding fathers who framed our system of constitutional order. This order is changed very slowly. Only in the summer of 1992 was the twenty-seventh amendment finally approved after only two hundred years of critical consideration.

Now if you think that is a long time for change, then let us consider the change in administration reported in the seventh chapter of Hebrews which was approximately 1,500 years coming to conclusion. Our text for this morning comes from the twelfth verse of chapter seven: "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law."

Just as a change in presidential administration does not necessarily undermine and drastically change the United States Constitution so also may we affirm that the revealed Word, will and law of our Father in heaven remains consistent in application.

However, the character of new Priest described in Hebrews mandates a change in the ordering of the New Covenant as the regulating practices of the Old Covenant are set aside. We may understand that just as American statesmen have always been concerned with the spirit of the Constitution over the form and letter of the law practiced by petty politicians, so too may we understand that even though no small part of the law will be set aside under Christ's administration, His focus will be wholly on the original spirit of the revealed Word of our Father in heaven.

You see, over 1,500 years of time the Aaronic priesthood at the time of Christ was several degrees off target in their administration of God's revealed wisdom. Of course we know that in the time of Moses, even Aaron missed some essential points and had to be corrected, so to do we realize that Samuel's oversight of his son priests was flawed. The Aaronic priests even for a time lost the body of law until it was rediscovered in the time of Josiah. Can you imagine the New Covenant Church losing for a long period of time the canonical texts of Scripture? Perhaps not the copies, but there have been periods of time when the true Spirit of the texts have been shadowed from divine light.

Our writer to the Hebrews would have us understand that in the time of Christ the religious administration of the Aaronic priests was set aside for all time in favor of the New Covenant administration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The old order, even the religion of the Jews is set aside permanently if favor of the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ. Judaism is thus, from then and forever, a dead end religion.

The New Covenant revelation is that Christ's priesthood is superior to the administration of the Old Covenant. The author of Hebrews gives us three proofs for this assertion.

Of first importance is the eternal nature of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. This is demonstrated by our writer in his obscure reference to the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek over that of Aaron. Now very much speculation is made about the nature of this superiority. It is evident from verse sixteen that Melchizedek's priestship came from his character instead of His ancestry. We may appreciate that like the life and writings of Job, Melchizedek's ministry and witness occurred outside the history of God's special people. If we consider the revealed historical witness of Scripture, the time of Abraham is one which is just barely datable from outside historical sources. Melchizedek thus lives prehistorically without a known father and lineage. In a quite different way, Jesus too exists outside of human history as a higher and better priest because of His perfect character.

Of second and even primary importance is the oath of the Father demonstrated in verses twenty to twenty-two. The other orders of perpetual priests had been given authority without an oath. Those orders being that of Aaron in the time of Moses and Phinehas in the time of the Maccabees. The new order under Christ is underpinned by the greatest authority of God the Father. This underpinning gives the authority of Christ's administration of the New Covenant as an authority that will be permanent. The literal implications of the words here in these verses confirms the permanency of our New Covenant. By the oath of our Father in heaven we may anticipate no third testament.

Of third importance is the number of priests in the Old Covenant compared to the single Priest of the New Covenant. Josephus reported that there were eighty-three high priests from the time of Aaron until the temple was destroyed in AD 70. This number is confirmed from another extra-biblical source even though some rabbis held that there were more than three hundred high priests. These priests were all removed by death. But Christ abides forever. The singular permanence of His priesthood affirms the salvation of those who trust in Him because He is continuing to intercede for us.

And so at this point, let us affirm what is the whole purpose of Christ's administration of the New Covenant. His administration is entirely different from that of worldly superintendents and presidents who may be tempted to use their administration to maintain power and privilege. By complete contrast, the priestly administration of Christ is wholly for our benefit. As our writer affirms in verse twenty-five "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him ..." May we, through the terms of His New Covenant learn to better appreciate His abiding love for us, who have been called into His spiritual kingdom. Amen.