From Hebrews, Chapter 7 (NLT)
“But Melchizedek who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. ” (vv. 6-7)
“For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he cam was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the high from him.
So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest I the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? ” (v. 11)
“What I mean is, our Lord came from the trip of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.
This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirements of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life cannot be destroyed.”(vv. 14-16)
“…but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,
‘The Lord has taken an other and will not break His vow: Your are a priest forever.’ (Psalm 110:4)
Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.
There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. Therefore, He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” (vv. 21-26)