Fourth Sunday of Lent

The Epistle for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is Hebrews 6:13-20 (WEB):

Hebrews 6:

¹³For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself, ¹⁴saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." ¹⁵Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶For men indeed swear by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath; ¹⁸that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil; ²⁰where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6:13-14:

¹³For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself, ¹⁴saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

The reference is to Genesis 22:15-17:

¹⁵The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, ¹⁶and said, "I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.

This is from the conclusion of the passage where God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a whole burnt offering as a test; the complete passage is found in Genesis 22:1-14:

¹It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!"

He said, "Here I am."

²He said, "Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of."

³Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off. ⁵Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you." ⁶Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together. ⁷Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, "My father?"

He said, "Here I am, my son."

He said, "Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

⁸Abraham said, "God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they both went together. ⁹They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. ¹⁰Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.

¹¹The angel of Yahweh called to him out of the sky, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!"

He said, "Here I am."

¹²He said, "Don't lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."

¹³Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, "On Yahweh's mountain, it will be provided."

¹⁵The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, ¹⁶and said, "I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.

Hebrews 6:19-20:

¹⁹This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil; ²⁰where as a forerunner Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

“The veil” is the veil, or curtain, that separated the Holy Place in the Temple from the Holy of Holies.  In Matthew 27:51, we find that when Jesus was crucified:

⁵¹Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

“The veil … was torn in two from the top to the bottom” to signify that this was done by God or His angels, not by man.  Then, “Jesus entered for us, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

The reference to Melchizedek is to Genesis 14:18-20:

¹⁸Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. ¹⁹He blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand."

Abram gave him a tenth of all.

Hebrews 7:1-28:

¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ²to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace; ³without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God), remains a priest continually. ⁴Now consider how great this man was, to whom even Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth out of the best spoils. ⁵They indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brothers, though these have come out of the body of Abraham, ⁶but he whose genealogy is not counted from them has accepted tithes from Abraham, and has blessed him who has the promises. ⁷But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸Here people who die receive tithes, but there one receives tithes of whom it is testified that he lives. ⁹We can say that through Abraham even Levi, who receives tithes, has paid tithes, ¹⁰for he was yet in the body of his father when Melchizedek met him. ¹¹Now if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people have received the law), what further need was there for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? ¹²For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made also in the law. ¹³For he of whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴For it is evident that our Lord has sprung out of Judah, about which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵This is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchizedek there arises another priest, ¹⁶who has been made, not after the law of a fleshly commandment, but after the power of an endless life: ¹⁷for it is testified,

"You are a priest forever,

according to the order of Melchizedek."

¹⁸For there is an annulling of a foregoing commandment because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹(for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. ²⁰Inasmuch as he was not made priest without the taking of an oath ²¹(for they indeed have been made priests without an oath), but he with an oath by him that says of him,

"The Lord swore and will not change his mind,

'You are a priest forever,

according to the order of Melchizedek.'"

²²By so much, Jesus has become the collateral of a better covenant. ²³Many, indeed, have been made priests, because they are hindered from continuing by death. ²⁴But he, because he lives forever, has his priesthood unchangeable. ²⁵Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.

²⁶For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; ²⁷who doesn't need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself. ²⁸For the law appoints men as high priests who have weakness, but the word of the oath which came after the law appoints a Son forever who has been perfected.

The two references are to Psalm 109(110):4:

Yahweh has sworn, and will not change his mind: 

"You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."