by Mike Bennett

The book of Hebrews makes the case that the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial system were but symbols of the real thing—the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ supersedes the Levitical high priest for many reasons, not least of which is that His priesthood is unchanging and eternal.

“In the Levitical system, the high priest’s office was always changing hands. When one high priest died, another assumed the office. Josephus estimated that there were 83 different high priests between Aaron and the fall of the temple in A.D. 70” (The Nelson Study Bible, note on Hebrews 7:23, 24).

Some of the human high priests served God faithfully, and some did not. But they all had human failings, and they all died. Since His leadership is perfect and He lives forever, Jesus Christ’s priesthood is far superior and was the spiritual reality that Aaron’s priesthood represented.

To learn more about Jesus Christ’s role as High Priest, read “Jesus Christ, Our High Priest: What Is the Meaning of Hebrews 4:15?” For more about Jesus Christ, see our section on “Who Is Jesus?”