Priests and High Priests: Foreshadowing Jesus Christ

Speaking of the ordination of priests in the Book of Mormon, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote, “God has ordained priests ‘after the order of his Son.’ . . . They have been ordained in a way that serves as a type and shadow of Christ, letting the people know in what manner they may look forward to the Son of God for redemption.”[1] The priests who ministered in the Old World under the Mosaic law system, too, were types and shadows of Jesus Christ. Their sacred duties typified Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice (see Lev. 9, 16, 17) by making atonement on the people’s behalf for their iniquities (Lev. 4:20).

A major difference existed, however, between the earthly priests and Jesus Christ. The earthly priests were subject to sin, but Jesus remained a “high priest . . . who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7:26). More significantly, Jesus was a “merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Heb. 2:17).