There were few things I liked about maths when I was at school, but one of the things I found relatively easy to grasp was the idea of symbols. Mathematical symbols to me represented a form of shorthand. = was a very easy way of saying ‘equals to’. x wasn’t an alegebraic letter to me, but a way of saying ‘multiplied by’. I had no problem learning these symbols, and so came to understand > (greater than) and < (less than) as a way of shorthand that was extremely useful.
(This led to complications with textspeak as I grew older, however, as I<3 was read as ‘1 less than 3’ which was so obvious as to leave me frowning over the message, only to be told by my son that the <3 was meant to be looked at at an angle to represent a love heart, and simply meant ‘I love you’. Clearly, mathematical symbols were not part of that language!)
In terms of symbols, however J>M. In our Bible studies on the Messianic Psalms, we’ve been looking at Psalm 110, and one of the truths there is that the Messiah would be ‘a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek’. (Ps 110:4) Melchizedek is one of those Old Testament characters who appears briefly (Genesis 14) and then disappears, but as this psalm makes clear, and the writer to the Hebrews expounds at some length, Melchizedek is a type of Christ, a foreshadow of the Messiah who would not only be king but an eternal priest. Once again, the Jews were familiar with the idea of a Messiah who would be king and rule in justice and with truth, but the Levitical priesthood was so familiar to them that the idea of a priest coming from the tribe of Judah (as Jesus did) would have been unthinkable (see also 2 Chron 26). Hebrews 7 makes it plain, however, that this reference from Ps 110 illustrates the truth that the Messiah really is a priest and that this superior priesthood paves the way for our reconciliation to God. Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant (Heb 7:22), establishing a permanent, eternal priesthood. (Heb 7:23-25) His sinlessness meant there was no need for endless sacrifices: ‘But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.’ (Heb 10:12-13, see also Heb 7:27 & Ps 110:1).
There are some who feel that Melchizedek represents a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ on earth. What is definite is that the Messiah’s role as priest, interceding before God (Heb 7:25) and offering that perfect sacrifice (Heb 10:9-10), gives us confidence to approach God (Heb 4:16) and ultimately provides the basis for a better hope (Heb 7:19).