Book of Common Prayer
Melchizedek, the great priest-king
7 For this Melchizedek, “king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was coming back after defeating the kings, and blessed him; 2 and Abraham portioned out to him a tenth of everything.”
To begin with, if you translate Melchizedek’s name, it means “king of righteousness”; then he is also “king of Salem,” which means “king of peace.” 3 No mention is made of his father or mother or genealogy, nor of the beginning or end of his earthly life. He is described in a similar way to the son of God; and he continues as a priest forever.
4 Look and see what an exalted status he has. Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the spoils! 5 Those of Levi’s sons who receive the priesthood have a command to take tithes from the people according to the law—from, that is, their own brothers and sisters, although they, too, are physical descendants of Abraham. 6 But this man, who doesn’t share their genealogy at all, received tithes from Abraham, and blessed the man who possessed the promises. 7 It is beyond all question that the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the former case, mortal humans receive tithes; in the latter case, the one who received them was one of whom scripture declares that he is alive. 9 And, if I can put it like this, even Levi paid tithes through Abraham—Levi, the one who receives tithes! 10 He was still in his ancestor’s loins, you see, when Melchizedek met him.
A new order of priesthood
11 So, you see, if it had been possible to arrive at complete perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for the people received the law by that means), what further need would there have been to speak of another priesthood being established “according to the order of Melchizedek,” rather than “according to the order of Aaron”? 12 Change the priesthood, after all, and you’re bound to change the law— 13 especially when you consider that the one of whom these things are spoken comes from another tribe altogether, one from which nobody is recruited to serve at the altar. 14 It’s obvious, isn’t it, that our Lord was descended from Judah, and Moses never made any connection between that tribe and the priesthood.
15 This is even clearer when another priest arises “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 16 who attains this rank not because of a law concerning physical descent but through the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 What scripture says about him, after all, is, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Jesus and the woman
16 “Well then,” said Jesus to the woman, “go and call your husband and come here.”
17 “I haven’t got a husband,” replied the woman.
“You’re telling me you haven’t got a husband!” replied Jesus. 18 “The fact is, you’ve had five husbands, and the one you’ve got now isn’t your husband. You were speaking the truth!”
19 “Well, sir,” replied the woman, “I can see you’re a prophet . . . 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain. And you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
21 “Believe me, woman,” replied Jesus, “the time is coming when you won’t worship the father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you don’t know. We worship what we do know; salvation, you see, is indeed from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed, it’s here already!—when true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and in truth. Yes; that’s the kind of worshipers the father is looking for. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
25 “I know that Messiah is coming,” said the woman, “the one they call ‘the anointed.’ When he comes, he’ll tell us everything.”
26 “I’m the one—the one speaking to you right now,” said Jesus.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.