Articles and Notes
Hebrews 5
"THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS"
Chapter Five
How Jesus is superior to prophets, angels, and Moses has been discussed.
Now comes Jesus’ superiority to Aaron as High Priest. Qualities
necessary to be high priest are reviewed, ably met by Jesus (1-10).
Before proceeding further, the author finds it necessary to extend the
fourth warning, this one against dullness due to spiritual immaturity
(11-14).
POINTS TO PONDER
* How Jesus qualifies to be our High Priest
* Signs of being dull of hearing (spiritually)
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1) What are the main points of this chapter?
- Christ’s qualifications as High Priest - He 5:1-10
- A warning against dullness - He 5:11-14
2) What qualifications are necessary to serve as high priest? (1,4)
- Taken from among men, called by God
3) What duties are performed by the high priest? (1-3)
- To offer sacrifices for sin, to have compassion on the ignorant and
straying
4) Who chose Jesus Christ to become High Priest? (5-6,10)
- God, as was prophesied in Ps 2:7 and Ps 110:4
5) In the flesh, what did Jesus experience? What did He learn? (7-8)
- Vehement cries and tears, godly fear, things which He suffered;
obedience
6) What did Jesus become through such suffering? For whom? (9)
- The author of eternal salvation; to all who obey Him
7) What made the author’s subject difficult to continue and explain?
(11)
- His readers’ dullness of hearing
8) What should his readers been capable of at that time? (12)
- Able to teach others
9) What did they need instead? Why? (12-13)
- Milk and solid food; they were unskilled in the word of
righteousness
10) Who is capable of handling the "meat" of the Word? (14)
- Those of full age
- Who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil
Hebrews 5
Qualifications for High Priesthood
[Heb 5:1-14 NKJV] 1 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 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. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron [was].
A Priest forever
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"; 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," 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
Spiritual immaturity
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need [someone] to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes [only] of milk [is] unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, [that is], those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.