Hebrews 7:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Apostle points out two advantages of the New Testament priesthood. It has no end, unlike the priesthood under the law, and it was established with an oath. He proves all this from the person of Christ, who received this priesthood. He says, "according to the power of an endless life." He also proves it by the oath, because God "swore," and by the fact itself. For that law, he says, has been annulled because it was weak, while this one stands because it has power.

That is, because He swore that He would always be Priest. For He would not have sworn if He were not greater. Hence the New Testament also is greater than the Old.

Divine Paul writes that Christ became “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Heb 3:1). He also clearly affirmed that Christ brought us a commandment incomparably better and more excellent than the ancient one given through Moses, namely the Gospel.

He “became the surety of a better covenant.” This saying is true if “the Law produces wrath” (Rom 4:15) and serves as the indicator of sin, while the grace granted by the goodness of our Savior justifies us.

For He Himself says in one place that He “came not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (Jn 12:47; Jn 3:17).

Thus Jesus Christ has become so much better than the former priests, as Mediator of that good which He promised us in the New Testament.

Having shown that the priesthood is joined to the law, and then that the Levitical priesthood ceases while the priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek is established, the Apostle now boldly brings forward the New Testament. He declares that it differs from the Old to the same degree that the second priesthood is better than the first. Since the New Testament promised us the Kingdom of Heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life, and none of these things was visible, the Apostle rightly called the Lord Jesus the "surety" of this covenant. By His own resurrection He confirmed the hope of our resurrection. He gave assurance of His own resurrection through the miracles performed by the apostles. Then the Apostle again proves the superiority of this priesthood in another way.

"By so much" means insofar as it was "not without an oath," as was said above. For He swore that Jesus would exist as Priest forever. If His priesthood is eternal, then His ministry will also be eternal. Consequently, the covenant proper to this ministry will also be eternal. In every respect, what is to remain is better than what is temporary. Therefore the latter, being powerless and unprofitable, is annulled. The former, being powerful and profitable, takes its place and remains forever. By "surety" the Apostle means the cause.

"He became surety of a better covenant." The New Testament promised us the Heavenly Kingdom and the resurrection of the dead, which the Old Testament did not promise. Jesus, the High Priest of the New Testament, is our surety in this promise, because by His own resurrection He confirmed the hope of our resurrection.

In accordance with all the actions accomplished for us by the death of our Lord, He Himself is called in Holy Scripture the Surety, Ἐγγυος, of the New Testament (Heb 7:22). By His death He paid our debt before God for our sins. He blotted out "the handwriting that was against us in ordinances, which was contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the Cross" (Col 2:14).

Third, by the time of the Messiah’s coming, the weakness and uselessness of the former law had become evident in fact. For it brought nothing to perfection.

Therefore human hope of drawing near to God required both a new foundation and a stronger assurance from the Lord God.

This foundation was revealed in the new and better covenant of God with men, of which Jesus became the surety. The assurance was revealed in the oath by which the Lord established this covenant with men and ordered the new and better priesthood.

All this again happened according to the words of Scripture concerning Melchizedek, the Old Testament type of Christ: “The Lord has sworn and will not repent: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

In defining the dignity of this new hope, or, as the Apostle later says, covenant, he directs attention to the Minister of this covenant or union.

The Old Testament priests were appointed to their ministry without receiving oath-bound assurance that the priesthood would remain forever in their lineage. But concerning the New Testament High Priest, God swore that He would be High Priest forever.

Therefore Jesus serves a better covenant (cf. 7:19), a more reliable union, and even becomes its surety. That is, He guarantees that the conditions of the covenant will be kept holy by both sides.

Moses and the Old Testament priests could not say this. Jesus guarantees it by the very fact that in Him we already see the conditions of the union fulfilled, both on God’s side and on man’s.