Melchizedek, without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. The emphasis the Letter to the Hebrews puts on Melchizedek seems somewhat puzzling. A priest has the role of lifting the people up into the presence of God. In Israel this role was fulfilled by a hereditary caste, by a group set apart from the people as a whole. The Epistle stresses that Jesus had a priestly role despite not being part of the caste just as was Melchizedek. At our baptism we are all anointed as priests in our following of Jesus. Every one of us can bring blessing upon the people woven into our lives.
