Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share A Compassionate High Priest
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
A Compassionate High Priest
Study Notes Ed Underwood
Hebrews
Jesus Is Better Than Aaron: A More Compassionate High PriestHebrews 5:1-10
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.”
(Hebrews 5:8).
Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the role of the high priest in Judaism. The high priest represented the people before God. What they had not thought through was the role of Jesus Christ as the ultimate high priest to represent his people before God. Since many were forsaking Christianity for Judaism, the writer of Hebrews wants them to know that they are forsaking their far superior high priest—the Son of God, for a far inferior high priest—the Aaronic high priest.
More than that, the current high priests in Jerusalem weren’t even of the tribe of Levi, as God had prescribed. Instead, the office had become a political position gained by ambition and positioning. The high priests of the 1st Century were more about power and prestige than about serving God’s people. They lived outside of the requirements of the Law.
God meant the high priest to be a faithful and merciful mediator between Him and His people. The writer of Hebrews has already established that Jesus is a faithful high priest (3:1-4:14). He now teaches his readers why Jesus is also a merciful high priest—full of compassion for His people.
Hebrews 5:1-10 develops the truth introduced in 4:16, the exhortation to pray to our merciful and compassionate high priest. It’s designed to expose the absurdity of forsaking our awesome high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, for a religion whose leaders are self-serving and out of touch. It further proves that even if the current high priest were faithful to the Old Covenant, Jesus would still be a far superior high priest:
Our compassionate High Priest learned to trust God as a human!
F. F. Bruce offers the best explanation of the link from Melchizedek to Jesus Christ: “When … Jerusalem fell into David’s hands and became his capital city (2 Samuel 5:6ff), he and his heirs became successors to Melchizedek’s kingship, and probably also (in titular capacity at least) to the priesthood of God Most High.” (The Epistle to the Hebrews. New International Commentary on the New Testament, p. 95-96)
I. Jesus fully qualifies as our high priest, but His credentials and compassion exceed any and all Aaronic high priests (Hebrews 5:1-10).
A.How is it that Jesus, the Son of God is capable of sympathizing with our pain (4:15-16) He qualifies as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, but as the Son of God He learned obedience through suffering as a man. This meant that He could offer the final sacrifice for sin, the source of eternal life to all who obey God’s will concerning the gift of eternal life. (5:1-10)
1.Jesus qualifies as a high priest under the old requirements: He was appointed by God; He offered a sacrifice for sin, and He is compassionate because He experienced the weakness of humanity (5:1-4).
2.Jesus is set apart from the old office of high priest because He was appointed as the Son of God (Psalm 2:7) as a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:5-6).
3.Jesus is set apart from the old office of high priest because He, as God, experienced the full weakness of humanity, but perfectly obeyed God. (5:7-8).
4.Jesus learned about His people’s plight through this suffering that perfected His qualification as God’s Priest-Son who could offer eternal salvation to all who “obeyed” God (9-10). This obedience begins by “obeying” the message of the gospel—trust in Christ—and then, there’s the ongoing deliverance from the power of sin for those who keep on trusting God enough to obey Him in every arena of life.
B.Three Clarifying Points: A lot of speculation about this passage can sidetrack Christians. Here’s my take on three of these intriguing but secondary issues.
1.The quotes of Messianic Psalms clearly identify Jesus as the Son of God who has become God’s High Priest. Jesus could never have been a Levitical priest because He was born of the tribe of Judah (7:14). Therefore He must be associated with another order of priests—Melchizedek. Both were men, both had the title of king-priest (Genesis 14:18; Zechariah 6:12-13), both were called “King of righteousness” and “King of peace” (Isaiah 11:3-5; Hebrews 7:2), and both were appointed directly by God (Hebrews 7:21).
2.Melchizedek is obviously a type of Christ. But all we know about him is contained in two Old Testament passages (Genesis 14:17-20 and Psalm 110:4). I view the Melchizedek priesthood as more dynamic and more personal. Melchizedek showed up at Abraham’s time of need, much in the same way we’re told to expect Jesus to show up when we approach His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
3.What did God learn? Even though Jesus was God’s unique Son come to earth (5:5), He “learned obedience” through the suffering He experienced as God in the flesh. Jesus did not sin, but God in the flesh learned by experience what it feels like to be weak and to turn to God in agonizing prayer during times of intense suffering.
II. Christ, Melchizedek, and You! Though there are no high priests in the church, (or there shouldn’t be), this passage helps us identify what we should look for in a spiritual leader or shepherd.
A.Someone Appointed by God: In the church age leaders are not self-appointed. Leaders are recognized by God through community—the shepherds and the flock identify those who are qualified for leadership as the Holy Spirit makes the choices obvious. (Ephesians 4:7-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13)
B.Someone Who Identifies with God’s People: In the church age leaders are not celebrities who live lavish or insulated lifestyles. Leaders live in the same neighborhoods and face the same problems as the people they serve. (1 Thessalonians 2)
C.Someone Who Is Learning Dependence through Suffering: In the church age leaders are fellow-sufferers and learners. Beware of leaders who have stopped learning or those who have never trusted God through suffering.
“Innocence is life untested, but virtue is innocence tested and triumphant.”
--W. H. Griffith Thomas
View all episodes
By Recentered Group
5
44 ratings
Study Notes Ed Underwood
Hebrews
Jesus Is Better Than Aaron: A More Compassionate High PriestHebrews 5:1-10
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered.”
(Hebrews 5:8).
Every Jewish Christian was familiar with the role of the high priest in Judaism. The high priest represented the people before God. What they had not thought through was the role of Jesus Christ as the ultimate high priest to represent his people before God. Since many were forsaking Christianity for Judaism, the writer of Hebrews wants them to know that they are forsaking their far superior high priest—the Son of God, for a far inferior high priest—the Aaronic high priest.
More than that, the current high priests in Jerusalem weren’t even of the tribe of Levi, as God had prescribed. Instead, the office had become a political position gained by ambition and positioning. The high priests of the 1st Century were more about power and prestige than about serving God’s people. They lived outside of the requirements of the Law.
God meant the high priest to be a faithful and merciful mediator between Him and His people. The writer of Hebrews has already established that Jesus is a faithful high priest (3:1-4:14). He now teaches his readers why Jesus is also a merciful high priest—full of compassion for His people.
Hebrews 5:1-10 develops the truth introduced in 4:16, the exhortation to pray to our merciful and compassionate high priest. It’s designed to expose the absurdity of forsaking our awesome high priest, Jesus, the Son of God, for a religion whose leaders are self-serving and out of touch. It further proves that even if the current high priest were faithful to the Old Covenant, Jesus would still be a far superior high priest:
Our compassionate High Priest learned to trust God as a human!
F. F. Bruce offers the best explanation of the link from Melchizedek to Jesus Christ: “When … Jerusalem fell into David’s hands and became his capital city (2 Samuel 5:6ff), he and his heirs became successors to Melchizedek’s kingship, and probably also (in titular capacity at least) to the priesthood of God Most High.” (The Epistle to the Hebrews. New International Commentary on the New Testament, p. 95-96)
I. Jesus fully qualifies as our high priest, but His credentials and compassion exceed any and all Aaronic high priests (Hebrews 5:1-10).
A.How is it that Jesus, the Son of God is capable of sympathizing with our pain (4:15-16) He qualifies as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, but as the Son of God He learned obedience through suffering as a man. This meant that He could offer the final sacrifice for sin, the source of eternal life to all who obey God’s will concerning the gift of eternal life. (5:1-10)
1.Jesus qualifies as a high priest under the old requirements: He was appointed by God; He offered a sacrifice for sin, and He is compassionate because He experienced the weakness of humanity (5:1-4).
2.Jesus is set apart from the old office of high priest because He was appointed as the Son of God (Psalm 2:7) as a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5:5-6).
3.Jesus is set apart from the old office of high priest because He, as God, experienced the full weakness of humanity, but perfectly obeyed God. (5:7-8).
4.Jesus learned about His people’s plight through this suffering that perfected His qualification as God’s Priest-Son who could offer eternal salvation to all who “obeyed” God (9-10). This obedience begins by “obeying” the message of the gospel—trust in Christ—and then, there’s the ongoing deliverance from the power of sin for those who keep on trusting God enough to obey Him in every arena of life.
B.Three Clarifying Points: A lot of speculation about this passage can sidetrack Christians. Here’s my take on three of these intriguing but secondary issues.
1.The quotes of Messianic Psalms clearly identify Jesus as the Son of God who has become God’s High Priest. Jesus could never have been a Levitical priest because He was born of the tribe of Judah (7:14). Therefore He must be associated with another order of priests—Melchizedek. Both were men, both had the title of king-priest (Genesis 14:18; Zechariah 6:12-13), both were called “King of righteousness” and “King of peace” (Isaiah 11:3-5; Hebrews 7:2), and both were appointed directly by God (Hebrews 7:21).
2.Melchizedek is obviously a type of Christ. But all we know about him is contained in two Old Testament passages (Genesis 14:17-20 and Psalm 110:4). I view the Melchizedek priesthood as more dynamic and more personal. Melchizedek showed up at Abraham’s time of need, much in the same way we’re told to expect Jesus to show up when we approach His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).
3.What did God learn? Even though Jesus was God’s unique Son come to earth (5:5), He “learned obedience” through the suffering He experienced as God in the flesh. Jesus did not sin, but God in the flesh learned by experience what it feels like to be weak and to turn to God in agonizing prayer during times of intense suffering.
II. Christ, Melchizedek, and You! Though there are no high priests in the church, (or there shouldn’t be), this passage helps us identify what we should look for in a spiritual leader or shepherd.
A.Someone Appointed by God: In the church age leaders are not self-appointed. Leaders are recognized by God through community—the shepherds and the flock identify those who are qualified for leadership as the Holy Spirit makes the choices obvious. (Ephesians 4:7-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13)
B.Someone Who Identifies with God’s People: In the church age leaders are not celebrities who live lavish or insulated lifestyles. Leaders live in the same neighborhoods and face the same problems as the people they serve. (1 Thessalonians 2)
C.Someone Who Is Learning Dependence through Suffering: In the church age leaders are fellow-sufferers and learners. Beware of leaders who have stopped learning or those who have never trusted God through suffering.
“Innocence is life untested, but virtue is innocence tested and triumphant.”
--W. H. Griffith Thomas