Two thousand years before the Last Supper, a priest-king of Jerusalem brought out bread and wine.

Around 2000 BC, Abraham met a mysterious figure called Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the most high God. He brought out bread and wine and blessed Abraham. His name means "king of justice." Salem means "peace," and it's the old name of Jerusalem. A thousand years later, David wrote that the Messiah would be "a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech." At the Last Supper, in Jerusalem, Jesus took bread and wine.

THE SHORT VERSION
1

Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God, brings out bread and wine.

2

David: the Messiah is "a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

3

In Jerusalem, at the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread and wine.

The meeting

Abraham had just won a battle and rescued his nephew Lot. On his way home, a king came out to meet him:

"But Melchisedech, the king of Salem, bringing forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God, Blessed him, and said: Blessed be Abram by the most high God, who created heaven and earth."

Genesis 14:18 to 19 · around 2000 BC

Then Abraham, the father of the whole nation, gave this man a tenth of everything. The greater one blesses. The lesser one gives.

Who is he?

He appears in three verses and vanishes. But everything about him is loaded.

MELCHIZEDEK
Name: king of justice City: Salem, meaning peace A king and a priest at once He offers bread and wine

And Salem is Jerusalem. The Psalms use the two names side by side: "his place is in peace [Salem]: and his abode in Sion" (Psalm 75:3).

A king of Jerusalem, a priest of God, offering bread and wine. Two thousand years early.

David's psalm

In Israel, kings and priests were kept apart. Kings came from the tribe of Judah. Priests came from the tribe of Levi. No one could be both.

Then, around 1000 BC, King David wrote this about the coming Messiah:

"The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

Psalm 109:4 (110:4 in most Bibles) · David, around 1000 BC

A priest, but not from Levi. A priest like Melchizedek: a king and a priest at the same time, for ever.

Jesus

Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, the royal line of David. By the Law, he couldn't be a Levite priest. The letter to the Hebrews says he didn't need to be:

"As he saith also in another place: Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

Hebrews 5:6

And on the night before he died, in Jerusalem, the city of Melchizedek, he did this:

"And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke, and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat: This is my body. And taking the chalice he gave thanks: and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament which shall be shed for many, for the remission of sins."

Matthew 26:26 to 28

Why this is a big deal

The first priest named in the Bible is a king of Jerusalem who offers bread and wine. David said the Messiah would be a priest of his kind. And Jesus, a king from David's line, took bread and wine in Jerusalem and gave them as his body and blood.

Two thousand years apart, the same city, the same offering.

Keep exploring

Foreshadows Abraham offered his only son on the same mountain where Jesus died. Foreshadows For 1,500 years, Israel killed a lamb at Passover. Jesus died at Passover, as the Lamb of God. Understanding the Bible Jesus took the Old Testament's titles for God, and claimed them for himself.
Check it yourself: sources
  1. Genesis 14:18 to 20, Douay-Rheims Bible. Link
  2. Psalm 109:4 (Psalm 110:4 in most Bibles) and Psalm 75:3 (76:2), Douay-Rheims Bible.
  3. Hebrews 5:6 and 7:1 to 3, Douay-Rheims Bible.
  4. Matthew 26:26 to 28, Douay-Rheims Bible. Link

Bible text: Douay-Rheims. Last updated 16 October 2026.