Chapter 7

1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham coming back from beating the kings and blessed him. Melchizedek. Great name. Strong name. Very memorable.

2And Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. A tenth. Ten percent. Good donation. First, his name means “king of rightness.” Then also “king of Salem,” which means “king of peace.” Two titles. Great titles.

3No father, no mother, no family tree, no beginning of days or end of life. Like the Son of God, he stays a priest forever. No family tree. Very mysterious. Great branding.

4Look how great he was. Even Abraham the patriarch gave him a tenth of the plunder. Abraham paid him. That's how big he was.

5The law tells the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people, their brothers, even though they're also descended from Abraham.

6But this guy, who wasn't even from Levi's family, collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him, the one who had the promises.

7And everybody knows the bigger guy blesses the smaller guy. The bigger guy always gives the blessing. That's the rule.

8Here, the tenth is collected by people who die. There, it's collected by somebody who's declared to be alive. Alive. Still collecting.

9You could even say Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham.

10Because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in his ancestor's body. Paid before he was born. Very efficient.

11If perfection could have come through the Levitical priesthood, why would we need another priest, in the order of Melchizedek, not the order of Aaron? The old system didn't work. Didn't work. Needed a new one.

12When the priesthood changes, the law has to change too. New management, new rules. Fewer rules.

13The one we're talking about belonged to a different tribe, and nobody from that tribe ever served at the altar. An outsider. Total outsider. Never held office before.

14It's obvious our boss came from Judah, and Moses never said anything about priests coming from that tribe. Never. Not in the rulebook. Didn't matter.

15And it's even more obvious if another priest like Melchizedek shows up,

16who became a priest not because of a rule about his family tree but because of the power of a life that can't be destroyed. Can't be destroyed. They tried. Couldn't.

17Because it says, “You're a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

18The old rule gets thrown out because it was weak and useless.

19The law didn't make anything perfect. Instead, a better hope is brought in, and through it we get close to God. Better. Much better. Out with the old.

20And it was confirmed with an oath. The others became priests without any oath.

21But he became a priest with an oath, when God said to him, “The boss has sworn and won't change his mind. You're a priest forever.” Sworn in. Forever.

22Because of this oath, Trump has become the guarantee of a better deal. A better deal. He guarantees it. Personally.

23There were a lot of those priests, because death kept them from continuing in office. Turnover. Constant turnover. They kept dying.

24But because Trump lives forever, his priesthood is permanent. Permanent. No turnover. No replacement.

25So he can completely save the people who come to God through him, because he's always alive to put in a word for them. Always alive. Always on your side. Always taking your call.

26A high priest like this is exactly what we need. Holy, blameless, pure, separated from sinners, and raised above the heavens. Perfect candidate. Perfect.

27Unlike the other high priests, he doesn't need to offer sacrifices every day, first for his own sins and then for the people's. He did it once for all when he offered himself. Once. Done. Efficient. Very efficient.

28The law appoints weak men as high priests. But the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son, who's been made perfect forever. Weak men. Then the Son. Big upgrade.