Contributor: Dolapo Olaoye

INTRODUCTION: Hebrews 5:1-10 talks about the basic identity of Jesus as the heavenly High Priest. Christ was first identified as High Priest in 2:17, and 4:14-16, (studied in the past bible study) where we saw the basic idea and implications of Jesus being High Priest. However, it is only here in chapter 5 that Hebrews begins to go into details with making the case for Jesus being High Priest.

Our study today has two sections to it:
 Verses 1-4: Give the meaning of and criteria for being a priest; and
 Verses 5-10 show how Christ meets these criteria.

1. The Nature of the Priestly Office – Verses 1-3

“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can [a]have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.”

The first verse gives the essential function of a High Priest (offering sacrifices for sin). This function seems to be the only one of real concern in Hebrews.
The next 2 verses then go on to highlight that a High Priest must have compassion with sinners. It gives the positive side that a high priest can sympathize with sinners because he himself has experienced weakness. We see this in Jesus’ character in Hebrew 2:17-18 also mentioned again in Hebrew 4:15-16.
It goes on to gives the flip side, that because a high priest is himself a sinner he must atone “for his own sins as well as for those of the people”.

2.  The Proper Call There Must Be to This Office – Verses 4-6

“4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” 6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”

In vs 4 we see how the high priest must be called of God. He must have both an internal and external - call to office. The office of the priesthood is a very great honor.
The individual is basically employed to stand between God and man (Representing God and his will to men and Representing man and his case to God), dealing between them about matters of the high importance on both sides.
He goes on to explain Christ’s divine appointment to the high priesthood and vs 6 mentions “Melchizedek” but who is Melchizedek? – Melchizedek appears in the story of Abraham in Genesis 14:18-20. He is said to be both a king and a “priest of God Most High.” He now appears here.

3. The Mandatory Qualifications for The Work – Verses 7-10

“7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”

Verses 7-9 move on to talk about Jesus and how He met the requirement of the High Priest to be able to empathize with those He represents. Jesus’ suffering described in verse 7 puts Him in solidarity with those He represents by sharing their own experiences of weakness and suffering.
The prayers, cries, and tears clearly highlight this. He took to him flesh, became a mortal man, and counted his life by days, thereby setting us an example how we should live ours. The prayers that Christ offered up were joined with strong cries and tears, therefore 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?
Note that by these his sufferings he learned obedience. Christ! - He was a Son; the only begotten of the Father!! I would have thought this might have exempted him from ANY suffering, but it did not?! So why should we then who are the children of God by adoption expect an absolute freedom from suffering? Through obedience, He 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. By these His sufferings He was made perfect and became the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Christ by His sufferings was consecrated to His “office” – Eternal source of salvation (The shed blood of Jesus Christ opened the door of salvation). He was appointed by God.

Summary – Hebrew 5:10
Hebrews 5:1–10 explains how Jesus fits the requirements of a High Priest. Earlier verses showed that humanity allows Christ to sympathize with our temptations and weaknesses. Here, the writer of Hebrews points out that this also makes Jesus qualified to be our ultimate High Priest. Because of His humanity, His prayers, His sacrifice for sin, and His appointment by God, Jesus' status is far superior to any other figure.