Fortran

A series on the book of Hebrews:
Christ’s priesthood in the order of Melchizedek
 (Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Hebrews 7:1-28 

[When you first start to follow Christ, often it’s done with great excitement. It’s like falling in love when all you can think about is the other person, and you want to tell everyone you know. But then the day-to-day pressures of living can push out those feelings and dull your enthusiasm. In this series, we will look at how the author of Hebrews tried to counteract falling out of love with Jesus.]

 

In 1971, I took a computer course called Fortran. It’s a programming language that is still used today in scientific and engineering fields. Back then, it involved writing code by hand; transferring the code to punch cards; verifying the cards to catch any errors; then finally, the completed program was stored in stacks of punch cards.

 

The computer itself was massive and expensive. You had to go to a classroom building to use it. Turnaround time for your program could take hours or even days. One single error could mean repeating the whole process. Although it was a far cry from today, Fortran laid the foundation. Though overlooked, Fortran was pivotal!

 

Returning from routing his enemies where he rescued his nephew Lot, Abram was greeted by Melchizedek. Foreshadowing Jesus, Melchizedek was both a king (of Salem) and a priest (of “God Most High”).  His name means “king of righteousness” and he was also known as the “king of peace”. Both are Messianic titles.

 

Melchizedek brought Abram bread and wine with this blessing.

 

¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
²⁰ And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”         NIV    Genesis 14

 

Centuries later, referring to the mysterious king/priest from Genesis, David wrote a Messianic psalm that prophesied about Christ.

 

⁴ The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”      NLT   Psalm 110

 

Not including Hebrews, Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Bible. Though easily overlooked, Melchizedek was pivotal. The writer of Hebrews clearly states that being a priest in the “order of Melchizedek” was a significant shift.

 

Once Levitical priests were established, only the high priest could enter into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place in the Temple. And then he could only enter once a year. His purpose was to offer sacrifices for his sins, as well as the sins of the nation.

 

But Jesus changed all of that.

 

²⁶ Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 

²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.         NIV

 

“Once for all” means that no more sacrifices are required. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. It means that instead of being in the presence of God once a year, we can enter his presence anytime because our high priest Jesus, is always with him.

 

¹⁸ Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. ¹⁹ For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.     NLT

 

Like Fortran, Melchizedek can be easily overlooked. Yet, he was the precursor to Christ. In turn, Jesus was the fulfillment of Melchizedek’s priesthood. “Jesus has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek”.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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