Hebrews 5
1 – 3
Every high priest is chosen from among men. He is given the work of going before God for them. He must offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He himself is weak.
So he is able to be gentle with those who do not understand and who are doing wrong things. Because he is weak the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins. And then he offers sacrifices for the sins of the people.
The Old Testament priests were from the tribe of Levi, so the Jews would be asking how can Jesus be a priest when he is from the tribe of Judah? We will see that God has another type of priest who was not of Levi. The Jewish priests had to take care of their own sin before they could offer sacrifices for the people. Jesus is a priest who has no sin.
4 – 5
To be a high priest is an honor. But no one chooses himself for this work. He must be called by God as Aaron was. So also Christ did not choose Himself to have the honor of being a high priest. But God chose Him. God said to Him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” Psalm 2:7
The ministry is not like a job where you decide you would like to be a pastor. You do not choose yourself but God calls you into the ministry.
6. And in the Psalms God says, “You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.”
See Genesis 14:18 to learn more about this priest. Psalm 110:4
7. While Jesus lived on earth, He prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death. And His prayer was heard because He left it all up to God.
This reminds us of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:39
8. Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He learned to obey by what He suffered.
We do not like to hear it but suffering is part of the Christian life. If we are angry every time that we suffer for Christ we will not enjoy the Christian life. Sometimes we are suffering because we bring it on ourselves. Cry out to God for mercy.
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Luke 9:23
He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. 1 Peter 4:1
9 – 12
And he became our perfect high priest. He gives eternal salvation to all who obey him. And God made Jesus high priest, a priest like Melchizedek.
We have much to say about this. But it is hard to explain because you are so slow to understand. You have had enough time so that by now you should be teachers. But you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God’s message. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food.
Some Christians only want to see something exciting happen, like a baby. They are not interested in hearing teaching from the Bible.
Like newborn babies, you must cry for pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this food. 1 Peter 2:2
I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you were not ready for anything stronger. And you still are not ready. 1 Corinthians 3:2
13 – 14
Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby. He knows nothing about right teaching. But solid food is for those who are grown up. They have exercised their faith enough to know the difference between good and evil.
Faith that is not used very much may not be strong enough when it is needed later. People say, “God helps those who help themselves.”
This is not a Bible verse. They will also say that if you are only trusting god then you are not doing some things you should be doing and expecting God to do it all. We do our part carefully so that we do not control the situation and we get out of God’s way.
We refuse to allow demonic things to show themselves in our lives because we know the difference between God’s Spirit and the evil spirits. Both of these cannot stay in the same place.
Whatever is not of faith is sin. Romans 14:23