Our grandsons laugh uproariously as I open my Christmas present.  Why?  What is it?  Well, it’s a collection of about 50 gift boxes, each separately wrapped in a different decorative paper, each a tad smaller than the previous one, fitting neatly and tightly one within another.  Like Russian nesting dolls.  Takes more than a half hour to rip through all those boxes.  Gift wrap flies everywhere.  And the contents?   All empty.  All as in all.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  But such a great gift, hearing them laugh and laugh and then laugh even more.

Hebrews 7 is like those endlessly wrapped boxes, except it’s filled to overflowing with Jesus as God’s wonderful gift for all of us at Christmas.  Want to start unwrapping your gift?  For He’s more than we can imagine.  Lots more.  Like unwrapping His incalculable and interminable glory and majesty.  Taking off one layer as another emerges before an additional one shows up.  Inexhaustible and complete.  But, unlike my grandson’s gift, Jesus stuffs each one crammed full of meaning.

Hebrews 7 unwraps Jesus as One like Melchizedek (v.15).  Who’s that?  He’s a priestly king found in Genesis 14.   He’s without known genealogy as if having no beginning or ending, like the Babe of Bethlehem, having a history long before His earthly birth to the Virgin Mary and Joseph, her betrothed husband.  Jesus is boundless and timeless, having no dawn or dusk.  Eternal.

Here’s another Christmas gift box to be opened–‘…by the power of an indestructible life’ (Heb. 7: 16).  Jesus’ life is heavy-duty, industrial-strength shatterproof.  Tough.  Unbreakable.  He digs His heels in, standing with us through thick and thin.  Good times and bad.  Ups and downs.  When you’re His; well, you know, don’t you?  Nothing and no one can destroy Jesus or our relationship with Him.  Indestructible.

Opening the next Christmas gift box, we note that Jesus calls us to draw close to God the Father–‘…a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God’ (Heb. 7: 19).  A welcome entre to the Almighty Himself.  An open door unlocked by Jesus.  A green light to travel the paths of eternal life never, ever separated from God.  Safe and secure.  Happy as a lark.  Praise and thanks sing out like never before.  Intimate.

An additional Christmas gift box reveals that Jesus saves those who believe in Him all the way into the gates of heaven, where He’s acting on our behalf with the Father long before we arrive–‘Consequently, he (Jesus) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him (Jesus), since he (Jesus) always lives to make intercession for them’ (Heb. 7: 25).  The word ‘intercession’ means to meet with someone else for a specific purpose.  An attorney representing us, who argues our case.  An advocate with our best interests in mind.  As in Jesus speaking on our behalf with God the Father about whatever we’re facing until we’re ‘save(d) to the uttermost.’  How I love that word ‘always’ found in that verse.  A promise.  Made and ‘always’ kept.  Friend.

Eternal.  Indestructible.  Intimate.  Our true Forever Friend.  How do you like what you got for Christmas?

Lord Jesus, thank you for always being there for me.  I love you.  Amen.