Thought for Today
Genesis 14:18 And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High.
Exodus 3:1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
John 1:38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
Matthew 26:25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" He replied, "You have said so."
Some Christian denominations have priests, some do not. Some have ministers, some do not. I refer to myself as a minister and a pastor. There is a real and substantive difference between a priest and a minister or pastor. My theological dictionary defines a priest as “Term for clergy below the office of bishop in some churches. The term is used only in the plural in the New Testament to describe Christians. A priest is the people’s representative with God.” In many ancient religions, priests essentially functioned as a shield protecting people from the awesome, destroying power and presence of their deity. If you read the book of Exodus, you can understand that protective function operative in our ancestors-in-the-faith, e.g., “28:29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord.”
When you read the book of Exodus, it can be helpful to understand all those verses dealing with the garments Aaron and his sons were to wear as being a sort of spiritual hazmat suit. Priests wore the garments and knew the procedures to withstand being in the presence of God. Aaron and his sons were priests; and, all priests were descendants of Aaron and his sons (no mention of Aaron’s daughters). Since Aaron and his sons were from the tribe of Levi, all priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. The last High Priest I could find in the lists I consulted was Phannias (67-70 AD). His reign ceased when the Second Temple was destroyed in the First Jewish-Roman War.
In Christianity, the Catholic and Anglican denominations have priests as do most Orthodox denominations. Worship in Protestant churches is led my ministers. My theological dictionary defines minister as “One who serves God. The term is most often used for ordained clergy, though the biblical perspective is inclusive of all who seek to carry out God’s will.”
In meeting or conversing with Catholic and Anglican friends, when I mention that I am a minster, they often have made comments similar to “I understand. That’s just like our priest.” I always try to patiently explain the essential difference between priest and minister.
I understand everyone in our congregation as being a minister in the sense of that dictionary definition of “one who serves God.” They all serve God in whatever role God has called them to serve. Some as deacons, some as chair or member of a committee, some as congregants living out their lives loving their neighbors. All of God’s children are offered opportunities to minister to other of God’s children, in church and/or in the greater world around us.
The best biblical analogy for my understanding of my own role as an ordained clergy is a title often used for Jesus, rabbi. That verse above tells us “(which translated means Teacher).” My dictionary offers this definition, “A teacher of Jewish law. Jesus was recognized as a rabbi. Also, an ordained Jew who is usually the spiritual leader of a congregation.” As a minister, I minister to a congregation. In the sense of the common biblical analogy of pastoralism, I pastor a flock.
Do Protestants have a priest? Yes! One of Martin Luther’s teachings is that of “the priesthood of all believers.” Luther was influenced by verses like, “Hebrews 3:1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, holy partners in a heavenly calling, consider that Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,” and “4:14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.” Jesus is our priest, our high priest. Jesus sits at the right hand of God and constantly intercedes for us. Jesus will be our judge when the time comes. In the interim, we just need to listen to what Jesus said and do what he told us to do.
Stay safe, listen to our high priest, trust God,
Pastor Ray