The Christmas Priesthood Of Believers

We continue our meditation upon the Scriptures that speak about the birth and early life of our Lord Jesus.

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." - Luke 2:22-24 ESV

According to Jewish law, the firstborn male child belonged to God (Exod 13:2-18), and the parents had to "buy him back" on the 40th day after his birth by offering a sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24) in the temple (thus the "presentation" of the child).

Luke refers to the story of the Exodus when the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. During the tenth plague the LORD passed over the Israelites when he killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians. From that time onward all the firstborn were to be set aside for the LORD. 

The verb to pass over is also a commentary on the pagan practice of child sacrifice. Pagans of the ancient Near East would take a child and pass him over or through the fire as a child sacrifice. The LORD forbad such barbarism. 

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer - Deut 18:10 ESV (cf. 2 Kings 16:3)

Rather than child sacrifice the LORD wanted the firstborn to be set apart and devoted to His service as the priests of God. The Israelites were not to pass over their first offspring in the fire to death, but they were to pass them over to God to life. As the LORD passed over the Israelites during the plague, so now they were to pass their first offspring over to Him as priests who would teach, judge and offer sacrifices on behalf of all of Israel. In fact, the LORD wanted all of Israel to be a kingdom of priests. He declared: 

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." - Exod 19:4-6 ESV

However, Israel forfeited her priesthood when the people were unfaithful to the covenant and fell into idolatry by worshipping the golden calf (Exod 32:1-6).  Because of this great sin, they broke covenant with the LORD and lost the privilege of being His firstborn priesthood. They failed to reflect the LORD's holy character. So instead He chose the Levites who rose up on that day to stand on the LORD's side.

. . . then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Who is on the LORD's side? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.'" And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. And Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day." - Exod 32:26-29 ESV

From that day forward the tribe of Levi served as the priests. The law about the firstborn remained, however, as a reminder of the LORD's intention that the whole nation was to be set aside for the LORD's service. As noted above, parents could "buy the firstborn back" on the 40th day after his birth with a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons.

The New Testament picks this up, pointing out that Jesus Christ is the pre-eminent firstborn. 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. - Col 1:13-18 ESV

We who are reborn into Christ, we who are the members of His body, are now the restored priesthood. We are set aside (the meaning of the word holy) for the LORD. We are priests who serve in a living temple whose cornerstone is Christ. So the Apostle Peter writes:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1Pet 2:4-10 ESV

This then is how we celebrate Christmas and every day of the year. Set aside, made holy in Christ, our entire lives are devoted to Him. We are the priesthood of believers. 

Royal Priests

I'm continuing my meditation upon Jesus' conversation with the Sanhedrin member Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:1-21, especially our Lord's comments about being reborn.

My maternal grandmother used to tell us grandchildren that we are descended from British royalty. Of course, we all thought that a big joke. Anyway, as Americans who cares? And yet . . . it was kind of fun to imagine what that might mean. Her maiden name family was Brommel or Brummell—I never discovered how to spell it correctly. A brief Google search reveals that the Brommel family did indeed come from England and spelled the name in various ways, including Bromell, Bramhall, Bromhale, Bromhal, Bromehall, Brumel, Bromhill, etc. Further, Richard Bromwell came to Maryland in 1674 and Anne Brumwell arrived in Virginia in 1703, along with thousands of others with similar names.

Grandma like to say that we were descended from George Bryan Brummell (1778-1840), commonly known as "Beau" Brummell. He's the guy credited with introducing the modern men's suit, worn with a tie. It was a mode of dress that rejected overly ornate fashion in favor of fitted and tailored clothing with dark jackets and full-length trousers rather than knee breeches and stockings. Ta dah! I suppose that one day I'll have to research the validity of Grandma's fancy.

From Biblical times to the present birth status has been important. In fact, in Biblical times birth status was the single most important factor in determining a person's worthiness of honor. Such honor usually remained with a person for life. So if Jesus was talking about being born again (a meaning of the Greek adverb anohthen assumed by Nicodemus), such an event would be truly life changing. How could this be? One surely could not enter his mother's womb again.

However, as I pointed out in yesterday's post, Jesus spoke instead of being born from above. That means being born of God's realm or kingdom. It means to become in truth a child of God. And such a birth raises one to the highest possible status, far above royalty or kings and queens of any sort. And all the children born of such a father would likewise be princes and princesses. Later on, the Apostle Peter does in fact make such a claim for all followers of Jesus Christ as he writes,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1Pe 2:9-10 ESV

The status of priest or kohen in Hebrew was originally conferred on Aaron, Moses' brother, and his sons as an everlasting covenant (Exodus 28:1-4). To be born into this family put you into the highest status level, especially since the priests were those who performed the ritual duties of the temple, praying for the people and offering sacrifices.

Jesus was not a descendant of Aaron's family. He was of the family and lineage of Judah. However, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews affirms that Jesus' priesthood is superior and more ancient than the Levitical priesthood of Aaron's family. He is of the priesthood of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20 and Psalm 110:4). You may read about this in Hebrews 5:1-10 and 7:11-19.

Note also that Peter calls Christians a chosen race of royal lineage. This fits in, of course, with Jesus' own lineage, recorded in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 1:26-35. He is of the royal family of David and has inherited David's throne and kingdom of which there will be no end. All born from above and again into that family share in the highest possible status of both priest and king or queen, or as Peter says, the royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession.

I did not choose to be born into my Grandma's family, if it is indeed true that I am descended from the Brummells. What is vastly more important and of eternal significance is that I was chosen and given rebirth into the family of Jesus of Nazareth, son of David and Son of God. This happened in my baptism, as Jesus says,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." - Jhn 3:5-8 ESV

If you, my brother or sister, have been born of the Spirit you know what Jesus means. If you have not, I pray that you will receive this blessing. Nicodemus asked, "How can these things be?" I shall try to explain it further in my next postings.
   

Priests, Priestesses, Magic and Spell Casting

How many priests do you know? If you are a Roman Catholic Christian you refer to members of the clergy as priests. Such a priest is quite different from the Biblical reference to priest and in the Bible passage I'm looking at this week (Hebrews 9:23-28) where Christ is called the high priest who put away the sin of all men by the sacrifice of himself.

All religions have one common idea about a priest. He—or she—is the person appointed by some authority to lead the people of the tribe or nation in worship and honor of God and offer Him sacrifices.

This was a critical issue in the Reformation led by Martin Luther. It has to do with an understanding of the primary worship service, known as the Mass. Here is the language to be found even to this day in the Catholic encyclopedia in reference to the priest:

"The Christian law also has necessarily its priesthood to carry out the Divine service, the principal act of which is the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the figure and renewal of that of Calvary."

Lutherans reject as unbiblical the idea that the sacrifice Christ offered on the cross of Calvary can and should be repeated in any sense. We Lutherans gladly and joyfully accept the fact that Christ offered Himself "once to bear the sins of many."

Roman Catholics still use phrases like "the unbloody Sacrifice of the Eucharist" and "expiation" to explain the Mass and what the priest does within the Mass. We  Lutherans reject such understanding, even while we retain a very high view of the Lord's Supper and Jesus telling us that we receive His Body and Blood together with the bread and wine.

All this has been argued at great length in many other places and I will not go into it here once more. My only point is that when the Germans who became Nazis in the 1920s rejected Christianity, either Roman Catholicism or Lutheranism, and embraced Odinism or Asatru, they still had priests. Their priests, however, were primarily and almost exclusively women, at least if they wanted to practice the magic and gain the wisdom of the gods.

Savitri Devi, the Hindu-Aryan Myth

Here's what modern day Odinists say about this issue—very strange and very interesting, I might add.

"Seið is a term which is used in Old Norse for any magical practice which requires altering consciousness and raising energy. It includes shamanic skills such as spirit journeying and weather working, magic that affects men's minds, spell casting and oracular divination (spæcraft) for good or for ill. As such, it is the natural complement of the more intellectual, controlled, runic galdor magic. A woman who practiced this craft was known as a Völva, visenda (wisewoman), spákona, or seiðkona (spá- or seið-woman). The titles for male practitioners were thul (a lorespeaker, though this could also refer to galdor magic), vitki (sage), andspámaðr or seiðmaðr (spá- or seiðman)."


No Christian priest or pastor claims such powers, nor should he. Yet the desire for magic, divination and spell casting still attracts. 

Women Governors and Women Pastors

When Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain announced that Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska was his choice as running mate, I was excited and pleased. The more I read about her, her husband and family, the more I find myself happy with his choice. The decision will be explored in great detail throughout the week before us as the Republican Party has its convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is not, however, my task on this Blog to explore the ins and outs of political campaigns. What I want to look at from the Biblical viewpoint is the question of the ordination of women into the public office of the holy ministry, especially in the light of the strong influence of American culture.

With the nomination of Governor Palin, much is being made of the fact that women suffrage in the USA did not take place until, in August 1919, the 19th Amendment gave women full voters rights. Around the world women won voting rights in New Zealand (1893), Australia (1902), Finland (1906), Norway (1913), the Soviet Union (1917), England & Poland (1918), Sweden (1919), Germany (1919), and Ireland (1922). 

After World War II woman-suffrage laws were adopted in many other countries, including France, Italy, India, and Japan. Women now comprise more than half of the U.S. electorate. Among them is my granddaughter, who will be voting for the first time in her life. She is curently beginning her freshman college year at M.I.T. in Boston. As far as public office holders go, Wyoming elected the first U.S. woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, in 1924. Twenty-nine women have been or are currently serving as the governor of a U.S. state.

Women now serve at all levels of government and participate at all levels in the worlds of business, education, science, the law, sports, communications, news, entertainment and the arts. As I said, I'm delighted with these advances by women in public and private offices. Why, then, are there some Christian denominations that do not permit women to occupy the public office of pastor or priest? In the majority of American protestant denominations this question is no longer an issue. Women have served in the local pastorates and various oversight positions for decades.

The largest denomination in the U.S. still forbidding women to the priesthood is, of course, the Roman Catholic. Among Catholics you can find many movements and books by theologians urging the change of this policy. Arguments for the admission of women to the Catholic priesthood include: 
 1. All baptized women are members of the priesthood of all believers. 
 2. Since Jesus' mother and other women were present at the first Lord's Supper, they were empowered by Him to perform the Eucharist; thus He empowered them to be priests. 
 3.There has been a cultural bias against women as being less than men physically, mentally and emotionally. They were also the carriers of sin since Eve first sinned and their monthly menstrual cycles made them unclean. 
 4. Women were ordained as deacons well into the tenth century. 
 5. Mary was long believed to be a priest who offered Jesus in the Presentation at the Temple and during His crucifixion. Those following this line of thinking also believe her capable of offering the forgiveness of sins. 
 6. The wider church (e.g. Anglicans, many Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc.) ordain women to the priesthood. Supported by the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has something to learn from them.
 7. The fact that many responsible Catholic women discern in themselves a vocation to the priesthood is a sign of the Holy Spirit we may not ignore.

The denomination that offered me ordination back in 1957 also does not permit women into the public office of the pastoral ministry. I speak, of course of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I do, in fact, support that position and have been discussing it on the website by the same name as this Blog. I am the editor of Reclaiming Our Heritage. 

If you would like to read more about my reasons, I invite you to drop in to look at the articles on The Role of Women in the Life of the Church. I will be submitting the fourth in that series in September and a fifth in October. My reasons have to do with the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins we are all offered in the person of the Man Jesus Christ, Son of God. None of the seven reasons noted above apply, especially since they are not drawn from the one authority in the Christian church, namely the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God. 

The question of women's equality to men is also, in fact, not the issue in this case. Women and men all share in the image of God. They are all called by the Gospel and in Christ share in His eternal life. If, upon reading my articles, you would like to discuss this matter further, feel free to drop me a note.