Tag: Hebrews 5

Every High Priest

Esther 9-10

Psalm 93

*Hebrews 5

-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:

  1. Have you given much though to the responsibilities of a high priest/king, and the importance of having those positions combined?
  2. What is a “son of man” ?
  3. 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.

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In the Face of Death

Old Testament: Isaiah 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 60

*New Testament: Hebrews 5

      What makes a firefighter run into a burning building to save a human life?  What makes a police officer run towards gunfire rather than away from it?  What makes a nurse care for a patient with a contagious virus?  What makes a soldier live in constant danger in a far away land?  What makes a father or mother risk their own life in order to save their child?  These are common examples of bravery.  We often take these sorts of things for granted.  We often just assume that someone will be there to save us when we are in trouble.  However, these acts of bravery and self-sacrifice are counter intuitive.  Why would someone risk their own life to save another person, even a stranger?  Why would you run into a burning building or knowingly expose yourself to a deadly disease? Why would you count your own life as nothing for the sake of another?  We have here a special kind of love and a special kind of courage.  Normal human beings can do incredible things. 

      Hebrews chapter 5 teaches that Jesus is our High Priest by virtue of His sacrificial death upon the cross.  Hebrews portrays Jesus in a very human way.  Jesus was well acquainted with the human experience.  In fact, the experiences of Jesus made Him worthy to be our high priest.  Hebrews 4:15 reads of Jesus, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  He was tempted just like we are.  Hebrews 5:2 writes of the high priest, “…he can deal with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself is beset with weakness…”  For this reason, according to Hebrews 4:16, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in the time of need.”  For Jesus knows the human experience.  He knows that it is not easy to choose right over wrong.  He knows that the right choice is not always the easy choice. 

    Hebrews 5:7 reads, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”  This verse relives that most dramatic moment in Jesus’ life as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.  After observing the Passover with His disciples in the upper room, Jesus and company retired in the darkness to a garden located on the Mount of Olives.  Jesus knew what was about to happen.  He was about to be betrayed.  He was about to be judged by corrupt men.  He was about to be humiliated.  He was about to be nailed to the cross and killed.  Even knowing what was going to happen didn’t make it any easier for Jesus.  There Jesus prayed to His God, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done.”(Luke 22:42)  As He labored in prayer and poured His heart out to His Father, great drops of sweat dropped from His brow like blood.  An angel strengthened Him as He prayed.  For the Father had asked Him to willingly give His life for the sake of the whole human race.  Jesus, we know made the choice to obey God when it would have been easier not to obey God.  God was asking Jesus to give everything, all that He had.  Was it courage?  Was it bravery?  Was it faith in His Father?

     Notice the content of Jesus’ fervent prayer in Hebrews 5:7: “He offered up….prayers….to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety…”  That verse might make us pause for a moment.  For, Jesus in one sense was not saved from death.  He was crucified.  He died and was placed in a tomb.  However, “being saved from death” is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus.  His Father saved Him from being dead.  Jesus gave up everything and God restored it all…..and even more.  This act of obedience even in the face of death was a remarkable moment in human history.  It was not just facing death.  It was facing death with the expectation that life would be restored by God Himself.  Jesus trusted God, His Father, with His life.  Hebrews 5:9 says of Jesus, “Having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation.”  Jesus is the model and example of what God created all human beings to be.  Namely, Jesus trusted God with His life.  He obeyed God even when it was dangerous.  He obeyed God even when it was easier not to obey.  God wants you to trust Him with your life.  God wants you to believe His promise of resurrection.  God wants you to put your life in His hands.  God is calling us normal human beings to do incredible things.

-Scott Deane

Reflection Questions

  1. How would you describe the relationship between God and Jesus described in Hebrews 5?
  2. What does eternal salvation mean to you? What does it mean to you that Jesus died for you to receive it?
  3. How did Jesus show us how to trust God? How did Jesus show us how to obey God? How are you doing following Jesus’ example?
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Understanding the High Priest

Hebrews 5

Friday, September 23, 2022

The Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament was responsible for bridging the gap between God and man. Their job was to make sacrifices for the people to turn away God’s wrath. People are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Every person sins against God and is therefore guilty and worthy of his wrath, and therefore, death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). In order to turn away God’s wrath, blood must be spilled, since blood is what is owed. By sacrificing an animal to God, that debt is paid, and our just punishment is delayed. The priest’s role in this is as mediator. Normal people don’t need to (and in fact aren’t allowed to) offer their own sacrifices. The priests do it on their behalf. The priest takes your offering and presents it to God. For this to work, priests need to be blameless in their own right and that is why they also offer sacrifices for themselves. The most important sacrifice of the year is on the day of atonement when the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies, the location of God’s mercy seat. On this day they offer a sacrifice for all people and bring it directly to God’s feet by sprinkling the blood on the mercy seat. Only the high priest is authorized to enter this area. All others would surely die.

If Jesus is our High Priest, then he is the one who can approach God on our behalf. He is the one who can turn away God’s wrath. He is the one who has our interests at heart, having been tempted the same as us. However, Jesus is different from the priests who came before. He is not of the old order or Levitical priests; he is a priest of the order of Melchizedek. Jesus isn’t selected for his priestly service because of his heritage, but instead because of his obedience (Hebrews 5:8). He is a High Priest who we can trust, because we know that he was truly obedient to God and was without sin. He himself said that God would send legions of angels on his behalf (Matthew 26:53). If God will do that for his Son, then we can truly believe it when Jesus said, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

What is it that you are hungering for? Do you long for a faith as strong as the apostles? Do you want to do the works that the disciples did in the book of Acts so that God can be glorified and more can be saved (Acts 3:6, 5:15, 6:8, 8:7, 9:34, 9:40, 14:3, 19:11-12)? Pray daily. Ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7). You have a High Priest who understands you. You have a High Priest who can ask the Father, and the Father will listen.

-Nathaniel Johnson

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Pretend you are God writing a job description for a mediator between God and man. What qualifications does the role require? Any benefits to the job?
  2. Can God mediate for himself?
  3. What makes Jesus the perfect mediator?
  4. How have you personally benefited from Jesus in his role as mediator and high priest? What coming benefits are you looking forward to?
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Stunted Spiritual Growth

Hebrews 5

Hebrews 5 12

Hebrews 5:12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 

As parents, my wife and I have the exciting opportunity to watch our daughter grow. We made a growth chart where we can visibly see how much she has grown over the years. It is exciting for her and us to watch the marks get higher and higher. 

But can you imagine how shocked and concerned we would be if, instead of growing up our daughter had shrunk! We would schedule an immediate doctor’s appointment to find out what was wrong. Growth is normal and causes joy – shrinkage would be crazy and cause for alarm.

Many of the Hebrews that this letter is written to have been backsliding in their faith. They are shrinking – the author notices this and raises the alarms. He states that they are back needing the milk instead of solid food. Imagine if a teenager or adult gave up solid food for formula and pureed fruits and veggies. For some reason this seems silly but for some reason long time Christians acting like new believers does not get the same reaction.

Instead of helping others with their faith – these believers still need someone to teach them the basics again. The author wants to go deeper but fears it will go over their heads. So before he dives in to that subject, he issues a strong warning – saying, “GROW UP! You have probably been in a situation where an adult was acting like a child. You want to shout, “act your age” or “grow up.” And essentially that is what the author of Hebrews does with these Hebrew Christians. 

In vs. 11 he calls them spiritually dull and they don’t seem to listen. But they didn’t used to be this way. The language used here indicates that there was a drop off – as if they were sick and lacking energy or possibly it is a spiritual laziness. We notice an opportunity to get into God’s word but instead flip on the tv or have a free Sunday morning to go to church but instead decide to sleep in. 

If there is spiritual life, there needs to be spiritual growth.
You have to be moving forward.
Sitting still or going back is not part of a healthy spiritual life.
Make a plan and go forward.
Don’t get lazy or give up.
It is time to grow up!

John Wincapaw