The Death of a Priesthood-and the Resurrection of a Greater One

The Death of a Priesthood - and the Resurrection of a Greater One

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was far more than a demonstration of divine power. It was a turning point in spiritual history—a powerful, symbolic act that declared the end of one priesthood and the beginning of another. What looked like a miracle was also a message: the old order of religion, sacrifice, and temple authority was fading, and something new, eternal, and unshakable was rising in its place.

To understand the depth of this moment, we need to go back to the Old Testament. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was Israel's first high priest. His sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered unauthorized fire before the Lord and were struck down. Their failure disqualified them, and the priesthood passed instead to Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons. Eleazar would carry the name that later becomes familiar in the New Testament in its Greek form: Lazarus.

Now fast-forward to the Gospel of John. Jesus receives word that His friend Lazarus is sick. Rather than rushing to heal him, Jesus waits. He delays deliberately. By the time He arrives, Lazarus has been dead four days. Why wait? Because this moment wasn’t just about healing a sick man—it was about showing the death and resurrection of something greater.

In allowing Lazarus (symbolically representing the priesthood) to die, Jesus points to the end of the old system—one that had become corrupted, rigid, and more concerned with power than with God. In raising Lazarus, Jesus reveals that a new priesthood, rooted in life, righteousness, and resurrection, was emerging.

What happens next is just as important. The miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection shakes the religious establishment. The high priests and Pharisees gather and say, “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation” (John 11:48). Caiaphas, the high priest that year, responds, “It is better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”

They feared losing control. But in their effort to preserve their power, they fulfilled the very plan of God. Caiaphas spoke prophetically without realizing it. He called for Jesus to die to save the nation, but Jesus’ death would do much more—it would open salvation to the world and establish a new covenant.

Jesus didn’t just challenge the old priesthood. He fulfilled it. The book of Hebrews explains this beautifully: Jesus is our great High Priest, not in the order of Aaron, but in the order of Melchizedek—eternal, without beginning or end. He didn’t offer a temporary sacrifice, like goats or lambs. He offered Himself.

Hebrews 9:11-12 says, “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle... He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

The death and resurrection of Lazarus were a signal. The old priesthood had run its course. Its time had ended. Just like Eleazar replaced a failed line of priests, so Lazarus' return from the grave pointed to the arrival of a new, perfect, eternal High Priest.

Jesus is that Priest. And the sacrifice He made was once and for all—not just for one nation, but for every person who believes.

The raising of Lazarus led directly to the cross. But in God's wisdom, what the priests feared would destroy them actually became the foundation of a better hope. The temple veil would tear. The curtain between God and man would fall. And a new way—through Jesus, our risen Lord—would be open forever.

The death of a priesthood wasn’t the end. It was the beginning of grace.