Hebrews 5:1
Verse
Context
Sermons
Richard Owen Roberts
Allan Halton
Andrew Murray
C.I. Scofield
Arno Clemens Gaebelein Summary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
For every high priest taken from among men - This seems to refer to Lev 21:10, where it is intimated that the high priest shall be taken מאחיו meachaiv, from his brethren; i.e. he shall be of the tribe of Levi, and of the family of Aaron. Is ordained for men - Ὑπερ ανθρωπων καθισταται τα προς τον Θεον· Is appointed to preside over the Divine worship in those things which relate to man's salvation. That he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins - God ever appeared to all his followers in two points of view: 1. As the author and dispenser of all temporal good. 2. As their lawgiver and judge. In reference to this twofold view of the Divine Being, his worship was composed of two different parts: 1. Offerings or gifts. 2. Sacrifices. 1. As the creator and dispenser of all good, he had offerings by which his bounty and providence were acknowledged. 2. As the lawgiver and judge, against whose injunctions offenses had been committed, he had sacrifices offered to him to make atonement for sin. The δωρα, or gifts, mentioned here by the apostle, included every kind of eucharistical offering. The θυσιαι, sacrifices, included victims of every sort, or animals whose lives were to be offered in sacrifice, and their blood poured out before God, as an atonement for sins. The high priest was the mediator between God and the people; and it was his office, when the people had brought these gifts and sacrifices, to offer them to God in their behalf. The people could not legitimately offer their own offerings, they must be all brought to the priest, and he alone could present them to God. As we have a high priest over the house of God, to offer all our gifts and his own sacrifice, therefore we may come with boldness to the throne of grace. See above.
John Gill Bible Commentary
For every high priest taken from among men,.... Every one that was an high priest under the law was a man, and not an angel; and it was proper he should be so, that he might be a priest for men, have compassion on them, and offer for them; and he was among the number of common men, and was taken out from them, and chosen and separated from the rest of men, as Aaron and his sons were from the children of Israel, Exo 28:1. And such an one is ordained for men; in their room and stead, and for their good; and above them, as the word sometimes signifies; he was exalted unto, and invested with a superior office, to which he was ordained according to the law of a carnal commandment, by anointing with oil, and without an oath. In things pertaining to God; in things in which God had to do with men; and so he presided over them in the name of God, and declared the will of God unto them, and blessed them; and in things in which men had to do with God; and so he appeared in their name, and represented their persons, and presented their sacrifices to God, as follows: that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; freewill offerings, peace offerings, burnt offerings, sin and trespass offerings, all kind of sacrifice.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
We have here an account of the nature of the priestly office in general, though with an accommodation to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told, I. Of what kind of beings the high priest must be. He must be taken from among men; he must be a man, one of ourselves, bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh, and spirit of our spirits, a partaker of our nature, and a standard-bearer among ten thousand. This implies, 1. That man had sinned. 2. That God would not admit sinful man to come to him immediately and alone, without a high priest, who must be taken from among men. 3. That God was pleased to take one from among men, by whom they might approach God in hope, and he might receive them with honour. 4. That every one shall now be welcome to God that comes to him by this his priest. II. For whom every high priest is ordained: For men in things pertaining to God, for the glory of God and the good of men, that he might come between God and man. So Christ did; and therefore let us never attempt to go to God but through Christ, nor expect any favour from God but through Christ. III. For what purpose every high priest was ordained: That he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. 1. That he might offer gifts or free-will offerings, brought to the high priest, so offered for the glory of God, and as an acknowledgment that our all is of him and from him; we have nothing but what he is pleased to give us, and of his own we offer to him an oblation of acknowledgment. This intimates, (1.) That all we bring to God must be free and not forced; it must be a gift; it must be given and not taken away again. (2.) That all we bring to God must go through the high priest's hands, as the great agent between God and man. 2. That he might offer sacrifices for sin; that is, the offerings that were appointed to make atonement, that sin might be pardoned and sinners accepted. Thus Christ is constituted a high priest for both these ends. Our good deeds must be presented by Christ, to render ourselves and them acceptable; and our evil deeds must be expiated by the sacrifice of himself, that they may not condemn and destroy us. And now, as we value acceptance with God and pardon, we must apply ourselves by faith to this our great high priest. IV. How this high priest must be qualified, Heb 5:2. 1. He must be one that can have compassion on two sorts of persons: - (1.) On the ignorant, or those that are guilty of sins of ignorance. He must be one who can find in his heart to pity them, and intercede with God for them, one that is willing to instruct those that are dull of understanding. (2.) On those that are out of the way, out of the way of truth, duty, and happiness; and he must be one who has tenderness enough to lead them back from the by-paths of error, sin, and misery, into the right way: this will require great patience and compassion, even the compassion of a God. 2. He must also be compassed with infirmity; and so be able from himself feelingly to consider our frame, and to sympathize with us. Thus Christ was qualified. He took upon him our sinless infirmities; and this gives us great encouragement to apply ourselves to him under every affliction; for in all the afflictions of his people he is afflicted. V. How the high priest was to be called of God. He must have both an internal and external call to his office: For no man taketh this honour to himself (Heb 5:4), that is, no man ought to do it, no man can do it legally; if any does it, he must be reckoned a usurper, and treated accordingly. Here observe, 1. The office of the priesthood was a very great honour. To be employed to stand between God and man, one while representing God and his will to men, at another time representing man and his case to God, and dealing between them about matters of the highest importance - entrusted on both sides with the honour of God and the happiness of man - must render the office very honourable. 2. The priesthood is an office and honour that no man ought to take to himself; if he does, he can expect no success in it, nor any reward for it, only from himself. He is an intruder who is not called of God, as was Aaron. Observe, (1.) God is the fountain of all honour, especially true spiritual honour. He is the fountain of true authority, whether he calls any to the priesthood in an extraordinary way, as he did Aaron, or in an ordinary way, as he called his successors. (2.) Those only can expect assistance from God, and acceptance with him, and his presence and blessing on them and their administrations, that are called of God; others may expect a blast instead of a blessing. VI. How this is brought home and applied to Christ: So Christ glorified not himself, Heb 5:5. Observe here, Though Christ reckoned it his glory to be made a high priest, yet he would not assume that glory to himself. He could truly say, I seek not my own glory, Joh 8:50. Considered as God, he was not capable of any additional glory, but as man and Mediator he did not run without being sent; and, if he did not, surely others should be afraid to do it. VII. The apostle prefers Christ before Aaron, both in the manner of his call and in the holiness of his person. 1. In the manner of his call, in which God said unto him, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee (quoted from Psa 2:7), referring to his eternal generation as God, his wonderful conception as man, and his perfect qualification as Mediator. Thus God solemnly declared his dear affection to Christ, his authoritative appointment of him to the office of a Mediator, his installment and approbation of him in that office, his acceptance of him, and of all he had done or should do in the discharge of it. Now God never said thus to Aaron. Another expression that God used in the call of Christ we have in Psa 110:4, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec, Heb 5:6. God the Father appointed him a priest of a higher order than that of Aaron. The priesthood of Aaron was to be but temporary; the priesthood of Christ was to be perpetual: the priesthood of Aaron was to be successive, descending from the fathers to the children; the priesthood of Christ, after the order of Melchisedec, was to be personal, and the high priest immortal as to his office, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, as it is more largely described in the seventh chapter, and will be opened there. 2. Christ is here preferred to Aaron in the holiness of his person. Other priests were to offer up sacrifices, as for the sins of others, so for themselves, Heb 5:3. But Christ needed not to offer for sins for himself, for he had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in his mouth, Isa 53:9. And such a high priest became us. VIII. We have an account of Christ's discharge of this his office, and of the consequences of that discharge, Heb 5:7-9. 1. The discharge of his office of the priesthood (Heb 5:7): Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, etc. Here observe, (1.) He took to him flesh, and for some days tabernacled therein; he became a mortal man, and reckoned his life by days, herein setting us an example how we should reckon ours. Were we to reckon our lives by days, it would be a means to quicken us to do the work of every day in its day. (2.) Christ, in the days of his flesh, subjected himself to death; he hungered, he was a tempted, bleeding, dying Jesus! He body is now in heaven, but it is a spiritual glorious body. (3.) God the Father was able to save him from death. He could have prevented his dying, but he would not; for then the great design of his wisdom and grace must have been defeated. What would have become of us if God had saved Christ from dying? The Jews reproachfully said, Let him deliver him now, if he will have him, Mat 27:43. But it was in kindness to us that the Father would not suffer that bitter cup to pass away from him; for then we must have drunk the dregs of it, and been miserable for ever. (4.) Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications to his Father, as an earnest of his intercession in heaven. A great many instances we have of Christ's praying. This refers to his prayer in his agony (Mat 26:39, and Mat 27:46), and to that before his agony (Jn. 17) which he put up for his disciples, and all who should believe on his name. (5.) The prayers and supplications that Christ offered up were joined with strong cries and tears, herein setting us an example not only to pray, but to be fervent and importunate in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wet ones, do we offer up to God! (6.) Christ was heard in that he feared. How? Why he was answered by present supports in and under his agonies, and in being carried well through death, and delivered from it by a glorious resurrection: He was heard in that he feared. He had an awful sense of the wrath of God, of the weight of sin. His human nature was ready to sink under the heavy load, and would have sunk, had he been quite forsaken in point of help and comfort from God; but he was heard in this, he was supported under the agonies of death. He was carried through death; and there is no real deliverance from death but to be carried well through it. We may have many recoveries from sickness, but we are never saved from death till we are carried well through it. And those that are thus saved from death will be fully delivered at last by a glorious resurrection, of which the resurrection of Christ was the earnest and first-fruits. 2. The consequences of this discharge of his office, Heb 5:8, Heb 5:9, etc. (1.) By these his sufferings he learned obedience, though he was a Son, Heb 5:8. Here observe, [1.] The privilege of Christ: He was a Son; the only-begotten of the Father. One would have thought this might have exempted him from suffering, but it did not. Let none then who are the children of God by adoption expect an absolute freedom from suffering. What Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? [2.] Christ made improvement by his sufferings. By his passive obedience, he learned active obedience; that is, he practiced that great lesson, and made it appear that he was well and perfectly learned in it; though he never was disobedient, yet he never performed such an act of obedience as when he became obedient to death, even to the death of the cross. Here he has left us an example, that we should learn by all our afflictions a humble obedience to the will of God. We need affliction, to teach us submission. (2.) By these his sufferings he was made perfect, and became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him, Heb 5:9. [1.] Christ by his sufferings was consecrated to his office, consecrated by his own blood. [2.] By his sufferings he consummated that part of his office which was to be performed on earth, making reconciliation for iniquity; and in this sense he is said to be made perfect, a perfect propitiation. [3.] Hereby he has become the author of eternal salvation to men; he has by his sufferings purchased a full deliverance from sin and misery, and a full fruition of holiness and happiness for his people. Of this salvation he has given notice in the gospel; he has made a tender of it in the new covenant, and has sent the Spirit to enable men to accept this salvation. [4.] This salvation is actually bestowed on none but those who obey Christ. It is not sufficient that we have some doctrinal knowledge of Christ, or that we make a profession of faith in him, but we must hearken to his word, and obey him. He is exalted to be a prince to rule us, as well as a Saviour to deliver us; and he will be a Saviour to none but to those whom he is a prince, and who are willing that he should reign over them; the rest he will account his enemies, and treat them accordingly. But to those who obey him, devoting themselves to him, denying themselves, and taking up their cross, and following him, he will be the author, aitios - the grand cause of their salvation, and they shall own him as such for ever.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
5:1-10 This section addresses the appointment of the Son of God as a superior High Priest. The focal text is Ps 110:4, which reveals God’s oath that the Son would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. 5:1 Every high priest: This phrase introduces requirements for high priests in general. • a man: The high priest was one of the people, so Jesus had to become human (see 2:17-18). • A second requirement for high priests was that they would represent other people by offering sacrifices on their behalf (7:25-28). Only the high priest could offer the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Exod 29; Lev 16:1-25).
Hebrews 5:1
The Perfect High Priest
1Every high priest is appointed from among men to represent them in matters relating to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is beset by weakness.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Do Not Be Dull of Hearing or Sluggish
By Richard Owen Roberts1.5K1:28:36DriftingSpiritual GrowthDiligence in FaithHEB 5:1Richard Owen Roberts emphasizes the critical importance of being attentive and responsive to God's word, warning against the dangers of becoming dull of hearing and stagnant in spiritual growth. He highlights that believers should progress beyond the elementary teachings of Christ and actively engage in their faith, lest they remain in an infantile state. The sermon calls for self-examination regarding one's spiritual maturity and the necessity of bearing fruit in response to God's blessings. Roberts urges the congregation to heed the warnings in Hebrews and to strive for a deeper relationship with Christ, ensuring that they are not merely tasting the heavenly gifts but fully partaking in the life of faith. He concludes with a hopeful reminder that growth is always possible through diligence and faithfulness.
The Call to Priestly Honour
By Allan Halton0HEB 3:1HEB 5:1HEB 5:4HEB 7:25Allan Halton delves into the heavenly calling of believers to participate in the priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, emphasizing the high and demanding nature of this calling, which requires sacrificing personal interests for God's interests. The role of a priest, derived from the Hebrew word 'kohen,' involves standing before men on behalf of God and before God on behalf of men, reflecting God's heart of love. The writer of Hebrews highlights the importance of compassion and gentleness in a priest, who can identify with the weaknesses of others and intercede for both the ignorant and the wayward.
Thirtieth Lesson. ‘An Holy Priesthood;’ Or, the Ministry of Intercession
By Andrew Murray0Ministry of IntercessionHoly PriesthoodEXO 28:2LEV 21:17ISA 61:6HEB 5:11PE 2:5Andrew Murray emphasizes the profound calling of every believer to be a priest, highlighting that through Jesus Christ, all redeemed individuals are granted the privilege of intercession. He explains that the priesthood involves both a Godward and manward responsibility, where believers are to draw near to God and represent the needs of others before Him. Murray stresses the importance of holiness and separation from the world, as well as the necessity of consecration through the blood and spirit of Christ to fulfill this calling. He encourages Christians to embrace their role as intercessors, living wholly for God and actively praying for the salvation of others. Ultimately, he calls for a commitment to the ministry of intercession, assuring that through Christ, believers can approach God with confidence and power in prayer.
An Holy Priesthood
By Andrew Murray0IntercessionHoly PriesthoodEXO 28:2LEV 21:17ISA 61:6HEB 5:11PE 2:5Andrew Murray emphasizes the profound calling of believers as a holy priesthood, highlighting that every redeemed individual shares in the anointing of Christ as High Priest. He explains that the essence of priesthood involves both a Godward and manward responsibility, where priests draw near to God and intercede for others. Murray stresses the importance of living a life set apart for God, embodying holiness and dedication, and the necessity of consecration to fully exercise this priestly role. He encourages believers to embrace their identity as priests, empowered by the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit, to intercede for the lost and bless others in God's name. Ultimately, he calls for a commitment to the ministry of intercession, urging Christians to live in the fullness of their priestly calling.
Nehemiah's Prayer
By C.I. Scofield0HEB 5:1C.I. Scofield preaches on the powerful prayer of Nehemiah, highlighting the importance of intercessory prayer, putting God's honor first, confessing failures and needs, acknowledging God's chastisement, and clinging to God's promises in times of failure and sin.
The Gospel of Luke - Introduction
By Arno Clemens Gaebelein0LUK 1:1LUK 2:1LUK 6:12LUK 15:11LUK 23:39LUK 24:13LUK 24:50HEB 5:1Arno Clemens Gaebelein delves into the Gospel of Luke, highlighting its unique perspective on the life of Jesus as the perfect Man, emphasizing His humanity and moral perfections. The Gospel of Luke, written by the beloved physician Luke, showcases the tender sympathies of Jesus as the Savior of humanity, portraying Him in a way that reveals His true and perfect Manhood. Luke's Gospel includes exclusive events and circumstances not found in the other Gospels, shedding light on the ministry, prayers, and parables of Jesus, as well as His interactions with various individuals. Through a careful study of the Gospel of Luke, believers can gain a deeper understanding of Jesus' mission to seek and save the lost.
- Adam Clarke
- John Gill
- Matthew Henry
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
For every high priest taken from among men - This seems to refer to Lev 21:10, where it is intimated that the high priest shall be taken מאחיו meachaiv, from his brethren; i.e. he shall be of the tribe of Levi, and of the family of Aaron. Is ordained for men - Ὑπερ ανθρωπων καθισταται τα προς τον Θεον· Is appointed to preside over the Divine worship in those things which relate to man's salvation. That he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins - God ever appeared to all his followers in two points of view: 1. As the author and dispenser of all temporal good. 2. As their lawgiver and judge. In reference to this twofold view of the Divine Being, his worship was composed of two different parts: 1. Offerings or gifts. 2. Sacrifices. 1. As the creator and dispenser of all good, he had offerings by which his bounty and providence were acknowledged. 2. As the lawgiver and judge, against whose injunctions offenses had been committed, he had sacrifices offered to him to make atonement for sin. The δωρα, or gifts, mentioned here by the apostle, included every kind of eucharistical offering. The θυσιαι, sacrifices, included victims of every sort, or animals whose lives were to be offered in sacrifice, and their blood poured out before God, as an atonement for sins. The high priest was the mediator between God and the people; and it was his office, when the people had brought these gifts and sacrifices, to offer them to God in their behalf. The people could not legitimately offer their own offerings, they must be all brought to the priest, and he alone could present them to God. As we have a high priest over the house of God, to offer all our gifts and his own sacrifice, therefore we may come with boldness to the throne of grace. See above.
John Gill Bible Commentary
For every high priest taken from among men,.... Every one that was an high priest under the law was a man, and not an angel; and it was proper he should be so, that he might be a priest for men, have compassion on them, and offer for them; and he was among the number of common men, and was taken out from them, and chosen and separated from the rest of men, as Aaron and his sons were from the children of Israel, Exo 28:1. And such an one is ordained for men; in their room and stead, and for their good; and above them, as the word sometimes signifies; he was exalted unto, and invested with a superior office, to which he was ordained according to the law of a carnal commandment, by anointing with oil, and without an oath. In things pertaining to God; in things in which God had to do with men; and so he presided over them in the name of God, and declared the will of God unto them, and blessed them; and in things in which men had to do with God; and so he appeared in their name, and represented their persons, and presented their sacrifices to God, as follows: that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; freewill offerings, peace offerings, burnt offerings, sin and trespass offerings, all kind of sacrifice.
Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
We have here an account of the nature of the priestly office in general, though with an accommodation to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told, I. Of what kind of beings the high priest must be. He must be taken from among men; he must be a man, one of ourselves, bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh, and spirit of our spirits, a partaker of our nature, and a standard-bearer among ten thousand. This implies, 1. That man had sinned. 2. That God would not admit sinful man to come to him immediately and alone, without a high priest, who must be taken from among men. 3. That God was pleased to take one from among men, by whom they might approach God in hope, and he might receive them with honour. 4. That every one shall now be welcome to God that comes to him by this his priest. II. For whom every high priest is ordained: For men in things pertaining to God, for the glory of God and the good of men, that he might come between God and man. So Christ did; and therefore let us never attempt to go to God but through Christ, nor expect any favour from God but through Christ. III. For what purpose every high priest was ordained: That he might offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. 1. That he might offer gifts or free-will offerings, brought to the high priest, so offered for the glory of God, and as an acknowledgment that our all is of him and from him; we have nothing but what he is pleased to give us, and of his own we offer to him an oblation of acknowledgment. This intimates, (1.) That all we bring to God must be free and not forced; it must be a gift; it must be given and not taken away again. (2.) That all we bring to God must go through the high priest's hands, as the great agent between God and man. 2. That he might offer sacrifices for sin; that is, the offerings that were appointed to make atonement, that sin might be pardoned and sinners accepted. Thus Christ is constituted a high priest for both these ends. Our good deeds must be presented by Christ, to render ourselves and them acceptable; and our evil deeds must be expiated by the sacrifice of himself, that they may not condemn and destroy us. And now, as we value acceptance with God and pardon, we must apply ourselves by faith to this our great high priest. IV. How this high priest must be qualified, Heb 5:2. 1. He must be one that can have compassion on two sorts of persons: - (1.) On the ignorant, or those that are guilty of sins of ignorance. He must be one who can find in his heart to pity them, and intercede with God for them, one that is willing to instruct those that are dull of understanding. (2.) On those that are out of the way, out of the way of truth, duty, and happiness; and he must be one who has tenderness enough to lead them back from the by-paths of error, sin, and misery, into the right way: this will require great patience and compassion, even the compassion of a God. 2. He must also be compassed with infirmity; and so be able from himself feelingly to consider our frame, and to sympathize with us. Thus Christ was qualified. He took upon him our sinless infirmities; and this gives us great encouragement to apply ourselves to him under every affliction; for in all the afflictions of his people he is afflicted. V. How the high priest was to be called of God. He must have both an internal and external call to his office: For no man taketh this honour to himself (Heb 5:4), that is, no man ought to do it, no man can do it legally; if any does it, he must be reckoned a usurper, and treated accordingly. Here observe, 1. The office of the priesthood was a very great honour. To be employed to stand between God and man, one while representing God and his will to men, at another time representing man and his case to God, and dealing between them about matters of the highest importance - entrusted on both sides with the honour of God and the happiness of man - must render the office very honourable. 2. The priesthood is an office and honour that no man ought to take to himself; if he does, he can expect no success in it, nor any reward for it, only from himself. He is an intruder who is not called of God, as was Aaron. Observe, (1.) God is the fountain of all honour, especially true spiritual honour. He is the fountain of true authority, whether he calls any to the priesthood in an extraordinary way, as he did Aaron, or in an ordinary way, as he called his successors. (2.) Those only can expect assistance from God, and acceptance with him, and his presence and blessing on them and their administrations, that are called of God; others may expect a blast instead of a blessing. VI. How this is brought home and applied to Christ: So Christ glorified not himself, Heb 5:5. Observe here, Though Christ reckoned it his glory to be made a high priest, yet he would not assume that glory to himself. He could truly say, I seek not my own glory, Joh 8:50. Considered as God, he was not capable of any additional glory, but as man and Mediator he did not run without being sent; and, if he did not, surely others should be afraid to do it. VII. The apostle prefers Christ before Aaron, both in the manner of his call and in the holiness of his person. 1. In the manner of his call, in which God said unto him, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee (quoted from Psa 2:7), referring to his eternal generation as God, his wonderful conception as man, and his perfect qualification as Mediator. Thus God solemnly declared his dear affection to Christ, his authoritative appointment of him to the office of a Mediator, his installment and approbation of him in that office, his acceptance of him, and of all he had done or should do in the discharge of it. Now God never said thus to Aaron. Another expression that God used in the call of Christ we have in Psa 110:4, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec, Heb 5:6. God the Father appointed him a priest of a higher order than that of Aaron. The priesthood of Aaron was to be but temporary; the priesthood of Christ was to be perpetual: the priesthood of Aaron was to be successive, descending from the fathers to the children; the priesthood of Christ, after the order of Melchisedec, was to be personal, and the high priest immortal as to his office, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, as it is more largely described in the seventh chapter, and will be opened there. 2. Christ is here preferred to Aaron in the holiness of his person. Other priests were to offer up sacrifices, as for the sins of others, so for themselves, Heb 5:3. But Christ needed not to offer for sins for himself, for he had done no violence, neither was there any deceit in his mouth, Isa 53:9. And such a high priest became us. VIII. We have an account of Christ's discharge of this his office, and of the consequences of that discharge, Heb 5:7-9. 1. The discharge of his office of the priesthood (Heb 5:7): Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, etc. Here observe, (1.) He took to him flesh, and for some days tabernacled therein; he became a mortal man, and reckoned his life by days, herein setting us an example how we should reckon ours. Were we to reckon our lives by days, it would be a means to quicken us to do the work of every day in its day. (2.) Christ, in the days of his flesh, subjected himself to death; he hungered, he was a tempted, bleeding, dying Jesus! He body is now in heaven, but it is a spiritual glorious body. (3.) God the Father was able to save him from death. He could have prevented his dying, but he would not; for then the great design of his wisdom and grace must have been defeated. What would have become of us if God had saved Christ from dying? The Jews reproachfully said, Let him deliver him now, if he will have him, Mat 27:43. But it was in kindness to us that the Father would not suffer that bitter cup to pass away from him; for then we must have drunk the dregs of it, and been miserable for ever. (4.) Christ, in the days of his flesh, offered up prayers and supplications to his Father, as an earnest of his intercession in heaven. A great many instances we have of Christ's praying. This refers to his prayer in his agony (Mat 26:39, and Mat 27:46), and to that before his agony (Jn. 17) which he put up for his disciples, and all who should believe on his name. (5.) The prayers and supplications that Christ offered up were joined with strong cries and tears, herein setting us an example not only to pray, but to be fervent and importunate in prayer. How many dry prayers, how few wet ones, do we offer up to God! (6.) Christ was heard in that he feared. How? Why he was answered by present supports in and under his agonies, and in being carried well through death, and delivered from it by a glorious resurrection: He was heard in that he feared. He had an awful sense of the wrath of God, of the weight of sin. His human nature was ready to sink under the heavy load, and would have sunk, had he been quite forsaken in point of help and comfort from God; but he was heard in this, he was supported under the agonies of death. He was carried through death; and there is no real deliverance from death but to be carried well through it. We may have many recoveries from sickness, but we are never saved from death till we are carried well through it. And those that are thus saved from death will be fully delivered at last by a glorious resurrection, of which the resurrection of Christ was the earnest and first-fruits. 2. The consequences of this discharge of his office, Heb 5:8, Heb 5:9, etc. (1.) By these his sufferings he learned obedience, though he was a Son, Heb 5:8. Here observe, [1.] The privilege of Christ: He was a Son; the only-begotten of the Father. One would have thought this might have exempted him from suffering, but it did not. Let none then who are the children of God by adoption expect an absolute freedom from suffering. What Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? [2.] Christ made improvement by his sufferings. By his passive obedience, he learned active obedience; that is, he practiced that great lesson, and made it appear that he was well and perfectly learned in it; though he never was disobedient, yet he never performed such an act of obedience as when he became obedient to death, even to the death of the cross. Here he has left us an example, that we should learn by all our afflictions a humble obedience to the will of God. We need affliction, to teach us submission. (2.) By these his sufferings he was made perfect, and became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him, Heb 5:9. [1.] Christ by his sufferings was consecrated to his office, consecrated by his own blood. [2.] By his sufferings he consummated that part of his office which was to be performed on earth, making reconciliation for iniquity; and in this sense he is said to be made perfect, a perfect propitiation. [3.] Hereby he has become the author of eternal salvation to men; he has by his sufferings purchased a full deliverance from sin and misery, and a full fruition of holiness and happiness for his people. Of this salvation he has given notice in the gospel; he has made a tender of it in the new covenant, and has sent the Spirit to enable men to accept this salvation. [4.] This salvation is actually bestowed on none but those who obey Christ. It is not sufficient that we have some doctrinal knowledge of Christ, or that we make a profession of faith in him, but we must hearken to his word, and obey him. He is exalted to be a prince to rule us, as well as a Saviour to deliver us; and he will be a Saviour to none but to those whom he is a prince, and who are willing that he should reign over them; the rest he will account his enemies, and treat them accordingly. But to those who obey him, devoting themselves to him, denying themselves, and taking up their cross, and following him, he will be the author, aitios - the grand cause of their salvation, and they shall own him as such for ever.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
5:1-10 This section addresses the appointment of the Son of God as a superior High Priest. The focal text is Ps 110:4, which reveals God’s oath that the Son would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. 5:1 Every high priest: This phrase introduces requirements for high priests in general. • a man: The high priest was one of the people, so Jesus had to become human (see 2:17-18). • A second requirement for high priests was that they would represent other people by offering sacrifices on their behalf (7:25-28). Only the high priest could offer the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Exod 29; Lev 16:1-25).