Perfection and the priesthood

The whole point of the book of Hebrews is to point us back to Christ to show his superiority to the old way, there are extensive mentions of the Old and New Covenants but today's passage has us looking at the priesthood and perfection.

The audience he is writing to is a group of Christians tempted to go back to the old way due to persecution and so he talks about the priesthood:
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. (Hebrews 7:11-12 NIV)
The priesthood with all its rules and regulations were not going to make anybody perfect, if it could it would have already worked. It's not a back up option, it was always the option. So if the priesthood is changed then the law has to be changed as well.

The writer continues, discussing who these words are about:
He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews 7:13-16 NIV)
It is of course Jesus that this all refers to, Jesus is our high priest, and from the order of Melchizedek, a different order and something the writer to the Hebrews spends great amounts of time talking about. Why does Jesus make this even more clear? Because it was already apparent, Psalm 110 talks about it, and the writer to the Hebrews quotes from that Psalm. In addition, it's like I was saying earlier, Jesus wasn't plan B but plan A, the law & the priesthood is just a foreshadow of what is to come, and that is why it would be foolish for his audience to go back.

For us the temptation might not be to go back to the Jewish priesthood. But what Jesus has done is do away with religious/cultic obedience to a certain code. God wants us to be obedient to him but not to be saved, rather out of thanksgiving to him, it is that reason that we follow his laws. Obedience will never make us perfect, it's Jesus who does that.