A Pure Priesthood

Read: Malachi 3:1-4

He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross.

Malachi 3:3

MALACHI PROPHESIED at a time when Judah’s priesthood needed a reformation. Many of God’s people had come back from exile to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, and while the religious leaders had reinstituted old patterns of worship and sacrifice, they had become apathetic in their commitment to God and corrupt in their practices. Traditions and memories of a vibrant priesthood under David and Solomon persisted, and contemporary moods seemed much less zealous by comparison. The prophet spoke of God’s desire for renewal. God himself would come to his Temple like a blazing fire that burns the dross out of precious metals to purify them. If anyone could stand at his appearing, it would be only by his grace.

This purge of priestly impurity may come across to us as an ancient concern, but it’s extremely important to the Messiah’s mission. Jesus came not to do away with the priesthood but to expand it. Where one tribe of Israel had once presided over the nation’s religious life, now every believer serves as a priest—a representative who stands at the intersection of heaven and earth, appointed to represent God to human beings and human beings to God. We have become a nation of priests (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6), filled with the holy presence of God in order to hear confessions (James 5:16), declare forgiveness (John 20:23), and intercede for each other (1 Timothy 2:1; Ephesians 6:18). Our ministry in the Messiah’s name is meant to accomplish what the Messiah himself came to do. We love, heal, deliver, teach, exhort, encourage, and more. We are messengers of a new and lasting covenant.

God wants pure messengers. His desire for a pure priesthood did not end when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. It applies to all believers—those who serve in his priesthood today. True purity, of course, means sinless perfection, and while we don’t have that inherently in ourselves, we do have it in the Messiah. It is given to us as a gift; we can claim Christ’s ministry and purity as our own. Our job now is to step into the image of God that has been restored to us—to grow into what has already been declared true. The more our life aligns with our identity, the more power and weight our priesthood carries. The zeal of the Lord ignites the zeal of his people as we minister in a transient, shaking world.

PRAYER

Lord, let me blaze with your holy zeal. Transform how I see myself. Open my eyes to my position as a priest between heaven and earth who represents you to others and others to you. May I reflect your character and your passion well. Amen.

REFLECTION

To what degree have you seen your life in Christ as a priesthood? In what ways have you received priestly ministry from others? How does awareness of that mutual role affect how you relate to people?

Further reading: 1 Peter 2:9-12

O Christ, look with favor upon your faithful people

Now gathered here to praise you;

Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory;

May they go forth filled with your gifts.

“CANTIQUE DE JEAN RACINE,” BY GABRIEL FAURÉ, FROM TEXT BY JEAN RACINE