Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Hebrews 6:20

"whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." — Hebrews 6:20 (ASV)

We return to the imagery of the Day of Atonement, when the high priest entered the Most Holy Place on behalf of the people. Our forerunner, Jesus, has entered the holiest of all for us—something more than the Levitical high priest could do. Though he entered the Most Holy Place to make atonement on behalf of the people, at the end he and they were still outside. But to call Jesus our “forerunner” implies that we will follow in due course. “On our behalf” indicates that Jesus did something for us. He not only showed the way but also atoned for us. So we come to the thought that he has become “a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The thought had been introduced in 5:6, and the author will now proceed to develop it. VI. Melchizedek (7:1–28) The writer has mentioned Melchizedek before and has spoken of Jesus as a priest of the Melchizedekian kind, but he has done no more than glance at the theme. Now he develops it. This is an understanding of Christ’s work that is peculiar to this letter, and in the author’s hands it is very effective. He uses it to show something of the uniqueness of Christ and of the greatness of the work he accomplished for humanity. For the Jews of his day, it would have been axiomatic that there was no priesthood other than the Aaronic. We are now shown that the Law itself proves that there is a higher priesthood than that.