The Curtain Was Torn

The letter to the Hebrews gives a full account of Jesus' high priesthood. New humanity did not emerge through prestige and possession but through weakness, failures and humility. When the letter to the Hebrews mentions 'you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek' (5:6, 7:17, 7:21), we need to remember that the new priesthood of Jesus Christ does not belong to a cultic priesthood. Melchizedek was neither a cultic priest nor a priest who exercised the cultic rituals. Jesus was not associated with Old Testament priesthood. When he died on the cross, the curtain of the Jerusalem Temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mtt 27:51). The cultic priestly way of prestige and possession was over through his sacrifice. The new priesthood therefore comes through victimhood. In light of this, the author, following Pope Francis, calls for the renewal of the priesthood of our time.