Book of Common Prayer
18 What is happening here is that the previous commandment is being set aside. It was, after all, weak and useless; 19 the law brought nothing to perfection, did it? Instead, what appears is a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
The permanent priesthood of Jesus
20 This is all the more so when you consider that an oath was sworn. The Levitical priests, you see, become priests without an oath, 21 but the Messiah attains his priesthood with an oath, through what was said to him:
The Lord has sworn and will not repent;
you are a priest forever.
22 Jesus has thus, additionally, become the guarantee of a better covenant.
23 There needed to be a large number of Levitical priests, since they stop holding office at death. 24 But since he continues as a priest forever, his priesthood is permanent. 25 That’s why he is able to save those who come to God through him, completely and forever—since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 It was appropriate that we should have a high priest like this. He is holy, without blame or stain, separated from sinners, and elevated high above the heavens. 27 He doesn’t need (like the ordinary high priests do) to offer sacrifices every day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people. He did this once for all, you see, when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints ordinary, weak, mortal men as high priests; but the word of the oath, which comes after the law, appoints the son, who has been made perfect forever.
The parable of the good Samaritan
25 A lawyer got up and put Jesus on the spot.
“Teacher,” he said, “what should I do to inherit the life of the coming age?”
26 “Well,” replied Jesus, “what is written in the law? What’s your interpretation of it?”
27 “You shall love the Lord your God,” he replied, “with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 “Well said!” replied Jesus. “Do that and you will live.”
29 “Ah,” said the lawyer, wanting to win the point, “but who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus rose to the challenge. “Once upon a time,” he said, “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and was set upon by brigands. They stripped him and beat him and ran off leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, and when he saw him he went past on the opposite side. 32 So too a Levite came by the place; he saw him too, and went past on the opposite side.
33 “But a traveling Samaritan came to where he was. When he saw him he was filled with pity. 34 He came over to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine. Then he put him on his own beast, took him to an inn, and looked after him. 35 The next morning, as he was going on his way, he gave the innkeeper two dinars. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my way back I’ll pay you whatever else you need to spend on him.’
36 “Which of these three do you think turned out to be the neighbor of the man who was set upon by the brigands?”
37 “The one who showed mercy on him,” came the reply.
“Well,” Jesus said to him, “you go and do the same.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.