-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
Hebrews 5 is a critical chapter in the Bible that gives us a better understanding of the Christ, and really leans in to the explanation that Jesus is now our high priest. Hebrews 5-8 really focuses in on this topic, but to my mind one of the most important bits of understanding that’s normally quickly brushed past is right at the beginning of chapter 5, in v1-5 it states: “1For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God… 4And no one takes this honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was. 5In this way also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a high priest…” (LSB).
So where is every high priest taken from? From among men. Who then calls them out from among men to fulfill that role? They receive the position when they are called by God. We are very blessed to have the simple understanding that there is one (1) God (Deut 6:4, Mark 12:29) and that there is one (1) mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). So when we read that God has called His high priest out from among men, it’s a very simple and straightforward understanding. Allow me to elaborate.
To be the high priest or the Messiah, according to scriptures and prophecy, it is a requirement to be a man. We know that Jesus was a man because he told us so (John 8:40), because that’s what his best friends understood (Matt 16:16, Acts 2:22), and because that’s what God told us, as was prophesied from the beginning (Gen 3:15, Deut 18:18, 2 Sam 7:12, Ps 89:19 to name just a few). This is not a “mere man”, but the chosen man to redeem, judge, and rule the entirety of humanity (Acts 17: 24-31), chosen by God. This is the man through whom the singular sin of Adam which cursed all humanity would be removed (Romans 5:15). As Christians we like to say that Jesus (Yeshua) rules in our hearts, but we also know that one day he will also physically rule over our bodies, in the kingdom.
We see from Hebrews 5 that Jesus is our high priest, and also The Christ (the anointed one, or, the king). This was prophesied as happening in both Psalms 110 and Zechariah 6 where the Messiah would be “a king and a high priest”. This is the first time historically that these two positions are consolidated, another fulfillment of prophecies which grants an even higher status to Jesus, which partially explains the phrase “crowned with many crowns” in Rev 19:12. This is a huge deal. We know from Hebrews 5:1-5 that God Himself selects the high priest from among the people, but who anoints the king?
1 Samuel 10:1 states (REV translation) “1Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head, and kissed him and said, “Is it not that Yahweh has anointed you to be ruler over his inheritance?”. So who anointed Saul? While we can see that while it was Samuel’s hand that poured out the oil over Saul’s head, it was God who commanded it and then Samuel clearly says to Saul that “Yahweh has anointed you”.
In 2 Kings 9:1-3 it says (REV) “1Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak under your belt and take this vial of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead.2When you arrive there, find Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi; and when you have come, have him rise up from among his brothers and take him to an inner room.3Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.” So who anointed Jehu? According to “one of the sons of the prophets” that Elisha sent, the one who physically poured the oil over Jehu’s head, Yahweh has anointed him king. Over and over again, repeatedly in scripture, we see that God sends an agent to anoint the man that He has chosen to be king. It is Yahweh God who ultimately anoints the king, even if it is His agent that carries out the actual pouring out of the oil. God does regularly interact with His creation through agents, though.
This perfectly aligns with 1 Corinthians 11:3, which breaks down exactly and in no uncertain terms the “corporate flowchart” of the Christian believer: “3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man…and God is the head of Christ.” (LSB). Jesus the Christ is our king, the king anointed and chosen by God, and God is Himself in authority over our king (unless you’ve got a very imaginative alternate reading of that verse). Who anoints the king? God does.
To say that God has become the Anointed One (as many Christians today do) is to completely misunderstand: God has no need to be anointed, He is already the Most High God, the Creator and Sustainer of all life, He already is the highest and most exalted authority and being in existence. Yahweh God is the one who anoints (or, causes to be anointed by an agent) the king, thereby granting that king the authority of rule over a kingdom, but that anointed king is still in every way subservient to the Most High God Yahweh. Anointer, anointee: there’s a very clear delineation of authority, and the power that the latter has is granted by the former. Jesus is, according to all of scripture, “The Christ” or “The Anointed One”, so who is he anointed by? Again, GOD.
In much the same manner, it is God who chooses the high priest from among men, and the purpose of that high priest is to act as a mediator between God and humanity, to reconcile the Creator with His creation. That’s why it’s a requirement that the high priest be a human. This is all a very important understanding to be able to interpret scripture properly: if you are trying to adjust the lens of an orthodox traditional understanding of the nature of God and of His Christ, you will be tweaking the lenses all day and still may never get a clear picture.
Do you know what’s even more important though? Listening to the king and high priest that God has appointed. Many times we get so caught up in our theology, and our correct understanding of it, that we aren’t focusing on what our king actually says. I am fully convinced that everything that any person needs to know about salvation and how to attain it can be found in Matt 5-8. Every now and then, go back through and read all the red letters (assuming you’ve got a red letter version). While it’s very important to understand the nature of the scriptures that we read, it’s even more important to try and follow what it says (and that’s a fair bit more difficult, if we’re being honest). Read Matt 5-8 again, and see if you agree: everything that any person needs to know about salvation and how to attain it can be found in Matt 5-8. Test it out, see what you think.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- Have you given much though to the responsibilities of a high priest/king, and the importance of having those positions combined?
- What is a “son of man” ?
- Which is more important: a proper understanding of who Jesus is, or a humble attempt to do what he said? Why?
PRAYER
Father God, thank you for life, breath, and all things. Please circumcise our hearts, and grant us the wisdom to listen to and live out the words of Your chosen king. Please help us to see the world through holy eyes, and to be servants who please you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Seek Grow Love 