A Holy and Royal Priesthood

Oct. 16

Read: 1 Peter 2:1-12

The People of God;

A Holy and Royal Priesthood

“As you come to him (Jesus) , 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.” (v.4,5)

For many of us, the idea of a priest or priestess can be pretty odd. Often times, people are quick to point out the many ways this position has been corrupted and misused over the millennia. Some of us may even be tempted to think that Jesus came to “do away with” the “priesthood”. I have heard this taught before, as a set of contrasting ideas: the time before Christ was marked by a human priesthood, but now there is no longer any human intermediary… we have direct access to God through Christ. And yet, Jesus is described as a “High Priest” over and over again… and if we remember the role of a high priest is - in part - overseeing a priesthood! (Heb. 7:13, 2:17 - and following. It is in almost every chapter of Hebrews from beginning to end.) Here lies the truth: JESUS DID NOT COME TO ERADICATE THE PRIESTHOOD, HE CAME TO EXPAND IT! God’s goal, through Christ and in us as His people, is stated here in 1 Peter 2:5,9: to be made into a “Holy and Royal Priesthood”. You are being raised up to serve as a Royal Priest! When we serve Christ, who is a “High Priest”, we are functioning as part of the priesthood under his direction. (This aligns perfectly with other biblical images such as Christ is the head of the church which in Col. 1:18) So what exactly does that mean?

I would guess that most of us either do not feel very much like a priest, do not feel qualified to be a priest, or just plain out wouldn’t even want the title in the first place because it seems weird or creepy! This is the first hurdle in God’s people living into their identity as a priesthood. For many, the idea of being a priest seems restrictive, bland, mysterious, or maybe even heavy handed. Yet, the scriptures do not describe life as being this way in Christ. (cf. John 10:10) Likewise, we may feel as though we are not fit to be priests - feeling that we are not “good enough”. This is another example of how we lose site of the way that the scriptures describe us in Christ. God is doing his work of preparing us. By virtue of choosing us as His people, he has made us fit THROUGH Christ. When we read the scriptures, we see that God’s people are often called “saints”. (cf. Col 1 again) Do you realize that you are a saint? A Royal Priest? In the service of The King of Kings- Jesus? You are being made into a “Royal Priesthood”, and you carry with you those priestly duties into the world around you. This is what I want us to unpack over the next couple days.

For today, I want you to consider what it means to you that you are a holy and royal priest. If that idea bothers you, consider why? Whatever your disposition is, bring it to the Lord in prayer. Ask the Lord to show you how you can and will be used by him today in the priesthood of Jesus. You know, we hammer this idea of there no longer being a human intermediary between us and God… and this is partially true. “The curtain has been torn”. (cf. Matt. 27:51) The truth is THAT type of priesthood has been done away with. But I am afraid what we have done is stripped the Kingdom of God of the human participation that the bible describes. Mistaking the passing away of the old system of priests, we have painted a picture of the life of faith that has lost some of its meaning regarding the roles we play for one another in the life of faith. Faith begins to look like “just me and Jesus”. Consider this passage, this is not the building together of many stones or the Royal Priesthood described in 1 Peter 2. God is still choosing to very much work through humans to carry out His mission on this earth. That mission is the calling of a people unto himself to form them into a nation of royal priests. There is actual, real, spiritual work to be done THROUGH YOU and IN YOU. As you move through the world today, look for chances to be a priest in this biblical sense. Offer forgiveness to someone today. Tell them they are deeply loved by God. Listen to the words of those speaking to you, with a pastoral / counseling ear, and extend to them the love of Christ. Ask forgiveness of those you have offended (confession)... admit where you have been wrong today. Experience the freedom and joy of working under the High Priest Jesus. More to come. Love you guys. - JDP