19 June 2022 Corpus Christi
And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said,
‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.
From Genesis 14:18-20, NRSV
On this day when the church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, we hear a reading which points to the priesthood of Christ. On returning from a successful battle against some local kings who had taken everything that belonged to his nephew Lot, Abram was met by Melchizedek. Unusually, Melchizedek was both king and priest. Melchizedek’s priesthood is considered to be an eternal and higher order of priesthood than that of the Temple priests of the time whose appointment was hereditary. Melchizedek’s priesthood was not based on his genealogy but on the fact that he was seen as worshipper of the “one true God”. Many consider his priesthood to have been fulfilled in Christ. Many also see a link between Melchizedek bringing forth bread and wine and giving a blessing as Christ himself was later to do. In giving his blessing, Melchizedek made clear that it was the same God whom they both worshipped who had given Abram his victory. Abram’s response was to give a tithe of his assets which would have amounted to a considerable sum. It is as if he wanted to bless Melchizedek in return for the blessing he had received.
- Why do you think Melchizedek offered this blessing to Abram?
- How do we respond to the blessings we receive?
On this feast of Corpus Christi, you may like to reflect on your membership of the “Body of Christ” – on how you are nourished by the blessings you receive from other members and of how you bless the lives of others.
