50 Without father or mother, without genealogy, beginning of days

Last updated 08/29/15

his has not been checked against the internet
Some say that in Hebrews 7:1-3 without beginning of days also refers to Jesus so Jesus must be God
On the face of it this might seem like a valid argument, however I will show that this interpretation is an incorrect
conclusion and that Hebrews 7:1-3 does NOT show Jesus to be God.
Your question to ask will be, is the final conclusion supported and proven by the rest of the study?
Whether you agree or disagree, in part or in whole, big or small, please email me any feedback to help improve this
study. I would also appreciate any help with its logic, grammar, typos, editing etc.
Before analyzing the passage in question in Hebrews 7:1-3, and the relationship of Christ with God, I am going to
provide some evidence that has to be taken into account when interpreting our passage
Part 1 The Priesthood Requirements
Part 2 A Priest Like Melchizedek

Part 1 The Priesthood Requirements

The Law of Moses demanded that priests be descendants of Aaron and of the tribe of Levi. Of course, Jesus Christ
came from the tribe of Judah. This problem is actually clearly set forth in the book of Hebrews itself: For it is
clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests (Hebrews
7:14).
What is the solution to this problem? This section of Hebrews shows that if Melchizedek can be a priest recognized
by the great patriarch Abraham, and he had no priestly genealogy, then Christ can be a priest when he has no priestly
genealogy. The Jews were very aware of the qualifications for the priesthood, and if someone claimed to be a priest
but could not produce the required genealogy, he was disqualified (see Ezra 2:62). Thus, when this verse says
Melchizedek had no genealogy or beginning or end, the Jews understood perfectly that it meant he did not come from
a line of priests. They never thought, nor would they believe, that he had no father or mother or birth or death. They
understood that if Melchizedek could be a priest to Abraham without being a descendant of Aaron, the first priest, then
so could Jesus Christ.

Part 2 Hebrews 7:1-3

Jesus the Priest.
Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner
place behind the curtain,
20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek
A priest in the order of Melchizedek, what does that mean?
Hebrews 7:1-3 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning
from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king
of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace.
3 Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God
he remains a priest forever.

16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the
power of an indestructible life.
Vs19 Jesus is the hope that enters behind the curtain
Vs20 Jesus became a priest, like Melchizedek who was not from the tribe of Levi which is one of the foremost
requirements for any priest.
Vs1-2 Melchizedek was the king of Salem/Jerusalem, and was priest to God and was not from the tribe of Levi.
Vs2 The word Melchizedek means "King of Righteousness"
Vs2 Salem is from the Hebrew word meaning peace, therefore he is King of Peace.
Vs3 Without father or mother In Judaism, can mean an orphan or someone whose genealogy is not known.
Without end of days In Judaism this can mean there is no knowledge of his death, not necessarily that he didnt die.
With this in mind it is likely that the writer had no knowledge of the birth or death of Melchizedek, not that
Melchizedek was some uncreated eternal exception to life, or that he just appeared from heaven and disappeared the
same way. If this was true there would have been a lot more made of him throughout scripture because if he were
really uncreated and eternal it would mean Melchizedek was/is God! Therefore the idea that these two statements are
literally true, is not something we would consider.
Vs16 Jesus has "become" a priest shows that there was a point when Jesus was not a priest.
Unlike this scripture Jesus was born of Joseph and Mary and did have a father and mother.
Unlike this scripture Jesus did have a human genealogy, although he was in fact born of God by the Holy Spirit.
Unlike this scripture Jesus did have beginning of days on the earth although was also born before time started.
Unlike this scripture Jesus did have an end of life on earth but now has another life as he is with God forever.
Unlike this scripture Jesus did have a Father who he often referred to as teaching him everything etc.
Melchizedek also had a father, a mother, human genealogy, beginning of days, end of life we just don't know about
them.
Therefore Like the son of God he remains a priest forever is the only part of this scripture that compares to Christ.
This is the comparison in this verse, where Christ is a priest forever and now in heaven as an intercessor and mediator
with God. God is not a priest, nor an intercessor, nor a mediator with God.
Hebrews 5:1 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters
related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and
are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness
Every high priest is selected from among men, God is not a man as per Numbers 23:19 and Hosea 11:9.
If we say Jesus is God, then God is a priest selected from among men etc, this contradicts these passages.
Summary:
The main theme throughout the entire twenty eight verses of Hebrews 7, is that Jesus who came from the tribe of
Judah, did not have to come from the tribe of Levi to be God's priest. Just like Melchizedek he is not from Levi and
yet he is a Priest of God. The whole chapter is addressing that point.
If we say that because Jesus is without beginning of days that he is God, then we have to say the same about
Melchizedek. If this passage says Jesus is God then it says Melchizedek is God which we know he isn't.
Therefore nothing in Hebrews 7:3 says that Jesus is God.