Christ's Priesthood is Necessary for the Peace and Safety of His Subjects

In review, the Lord Jesus has been chosen by God to be the Ruler over all the world. He will make all things new and abolish sin and sorrow and death.

In order that His people might be saved, He has established a reign of rightousness in our hearts. He did so by His perfect life and His death as our substitute to satisfy every demand of divine justice.

Because He has taken away all enmity between His people and the holiness of God, we are reconciled to God by Him, and God can fulfill His promises in the New Covenant to remember our sins against us no more.

So Christ has conquered His people, that Righteousness might reign in each of us. Now we are fit to be subject to his military and political power, not through fear, but love and perfect obedience.

The Jews wanted a political kingdom, not realizing that their self-righteousness would never suit them for Christ's ultimate reign.

They repudiated his physical reign in the events leading to Calvary, and falsely accused Him of trying to set up a physical kingdom.

But what they really hated was His demand that sinners trust in Him for eternal life, and not rely upon their own law-works.

Religion was Israel's rulers' only power left over the people - the Romans had stripped them of most of their temporal powers. They despised the fact that He put the focus of reformation, not on Rome, but on their own sinful hearts.

No king before had ever taken to himself the duty to reconcile his people to God. Yet that was Messiah's purpose. His purpose subsumed the duties of priests as well as kings.

Isaiah fortold that Christ would intercede for His people after His sacrifice was accomplished.