18. Jesus the Son: High Priest, King, Temple
Last teaching we wrote of how Jesus has entered the story.
His arrival came with joy, worship, praise, thanksgiving, witness and so much more!
But today we look at the question: who exactly has arrived?
Scripture’s answer begins with something foundational to everything that follows.
Jesus is the Son.
At his baptism, the Father declares:
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)
Pay close attention to the order.
Before the works we are about to see him perform in his ministry, the Father declares Jesus is Son.
Who you are isn’t defined by what you do.
What you do flows from who you are.
This matters for Jesus, and it will matter significantly when Scripture later reveals our identity in him.
From the identity of the Son, three enormous threads running through the unified story begin to converge:
High Priest.
King.
Temple.
God appointed Aaron and his sons to serve as priests (Exod. 28:1).
It was only the high priest who could enter the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence appeared above the mercy seat, and he could not enter without the blood of sacrifice (Lev. 16:2–17).
His role was to represent the people before God.
Then, long after Aaron, the LORD speaks something remarkable through David:
“Sit at my right hand…” (Ps. 110:1)
“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Ps. 110:4)
Hebrews makes the connection explicit:
“Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son…’” (Heb. 5:5)
“You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb. 5:6)
A Son who is Priest.
Scripture had only shown us one remarkable and mysterious figure who was explicitly both king and priest: Melchizedek.
Long before Aaron or David, Melchizedek appears as “king of Salem” and “priest of God Most High” (Gen. 14:18).
Now David reaches back to him.
King and Priest would meet again in one Person.
Jesus Christ.
He is our “great high priest” (Heb. 4:14).
And unlike the priests who died and had to be replaced, Jesus “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever” (Heb. 7:23–24).
What does that mean for his people?
Our High Priest never dies, never needs to be replaced, and “always lives to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through him (Heb. 7:25).
And what of the King?
God had promised David:
“I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Sam. 7:13)
“As for me, I have set my King on Zion…” (Ps. 2:6)
“You are my Son…” (Ps. 2:7)
A Son who is King.
Generations passed, kings rose and fell, but the promise remained.
Then Gabriel announces that Jesus will receive “the throne of his father David” and “of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33).
The promised King has arrived, the Son of David and the Son of God.
And what does that mean for his people?
It means his kingdom cannot pass away, and our King reigns forever!
But there is still another thread: the temple.
God told Israel to build a sanctuary “that I may dwell in their midst” (Exod. 25:8).
Later, the temple became the house associated with God’s name and presence among his people (1 Kings 8:10–13, 29).
Then Jesus stands at the temple and says:
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)
They think he means the building.
But John tells us: “He was speaking about the temple of his body.” (John 2:21)
And what does this mean for his people?
Jesus himself says: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
The meeting place between God and humanity is no longer merely a place; it is a Person.
The Son is our great High Priest.
The Son is the everlasting King.
The Son himself is the Temple.
And time would fail us to trace every thread of Scripture that converges in Jesus.
He is the Lamb (Gen. 22:7–8; Exod. 12:3–13; Isa. 53:7; John 1:29)
The Seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16)
The Son of Man (Dan. 7:13–14; Matt. 26:64)
The Servant (Isa. 42:1; 52:13–53:12; Acts 3:13)
The Shepherd (Ezek. 34:11–16, 23; John 10:11)
The Branch (Jer. 23:5–6; Zech. 6:12–13)
The Cornerstone (Ps. 118:22; Matt. 21:42)
The Rock (Exod. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4)
The Last Adam (Gen. 2; 1 Cor. 15:45).
Thread after thread, promise after promise, pattern after pattern converges in Jesus.
And now the Son, the High Priest, the King, the Temple, the Lamb, the One toward whom the unified story has been moving, is going to the cross.