OUR HIGH PRIEST’S QUALIFICATIONS – Hebrews 5:1-10

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 11, 2015 under PM Bible Study |

PM Home Bible Study Group; March 11, 2015

Hebrews 5:1-10

Theme: The writer of Hebrews assures his readers that Jesus is qualified—above any other—to be our all-sufficient High Priest before God.

(These notes are adapted from a message preached at Bethany Bible Church on May 23, 2010.  All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

The writer of Hebrews has been making the case to his Jewish Christian readers that they can safely give themselves over to faith in the Lord Jesus. They had been assured that their faith in Jesus is a faith in one who is superior to the angels (Chapters 1-2), and superior to Moses (Chapters 3-4). And now, he makes the case that Jesus is superior even to the priesthood that had been appointed over them in times past through Aaron.

In our last study, from Hebrews 4:14-16, the writer encouraged his readers to come to Jesus as their High Priest. He told them;

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

But was this true? Could they safely leave the Old Covenant system of priesthood of Aaron through the tribe of Levi—the priesthood that had been appointed over them through Moses—and now trust themselves to the High Priestly ministry of Jesus? They all knew, of course, that as sinners before a holy God, they truly needed a priesthood. But the writer was making the case that the Old Covenant system has now been put away and is surpassed by the New Covenant realities brought about by Christ. Was it true that a greater priesthood than that of Aaron was in place? Was Jesus truly qualified to fill the role of High Priest for Jewish believers?

This is a good question for you and me too. We may not have come from a heritage that emphasized that Old Covenant system as the only way to God. We may not have even come from a tradition that spoke of priests or of priestly duties. But we are all under the deed need of a priesthood from God—one that meets our needs as sinners before a holy God. That priesthood is now found in Jesus—just as much for as as for the Jewish people.

In this passage, the writer of Hebrews very logically shows us how Jesus is wonderfully qualified—above all others—to be our all-sufficient High Priest before God.

* * * * * * * * * *

Note how He presents to us . . .

I. THE NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS OF AN EARTHLY HIGH PRIEST (vv. 1-4).

There are certain essential qualifications that someone must have before they can be a sufficient mediator between God and man in the high priestly role.

A. He must be a man, taken from among men by God. It may seem obvious; but for someone to be a high priest, he must be a man—fully human, and born from within the human family. The writer says, “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” (v. 1). Note that such a high priest must be first “taken from among men”. An angel cannot serve in that role, nor can a lower creature from the animal world. For someone to be a high priest among human beings, he must be 100% human himself; because he serves as a mediator between God and men. Note also that he must be drawn from among men by God, and appointed by Him to the role. It is not men to make men mediators before God, but God Himself who appoints them to this. This is because the high priest offers gifts and sacrifices for sins—just as is outlined in the Book of Leviticus. No man can presume to make acceptable sacrifices before God. God Himself must ordain those gifts and sacrifices—and also the one who offers them for the people. So; just as the writer says, a high priest must be “taken from men” and “appointed for men” to “offer gifts and sacrifices for sins” on behalf of men.

B. He must be able to be sympathetic to our weaknesses. One of the reasons that a high priest must be a man is because he can thus relate to the failings and the needs of other people. As the writer says, “He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness” (v. 2). A high priest (as we will soon see), needed to make offerings for himself repeatedly; because he too is a sinner—taken by God from among fallen humanity. And for this reason, he can be sympathetic toward other sinners. The word that the writer uses for “sympathetic” means that he has feelings in the right measure—neither too insensitive to the failings of others, nor easily overwhelmed and caught up in them. We all know how that is. Sometimes someone that we turn to for help in our relationship with God goes to either one extreme or the other. They are either appalled at our sins and disgusted with our failings, or they are too broken-hearted an empathetic to do us any good. A priest must be able to have the right-headedness to guide us; so that he can feel the things we feel, and yet guide us in the way of righteousness. He needs to be able to have such compassion toward “those who are ignorant and going astray”—a pair of conditions that, because they are governed in the original language by one definite article, describe one type of person.

C. He needs to have a standing of holiness before God. No human priest of the Old Covenant could ever be sinless, of course. But it should be obvious that a high priest cannot serve as an effective mediator before a holy God on behalf of men unless he himself is under a state of acceptance before God; and not under a state of condemnation before God for his own sins. The high priest himself was in need of the sacrifices that he offered before God; just as much as the people he represented. “Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins” (v. 3). This was particularly highlighted in the Old Testament by the Day of Atonement. “And Aaron shall bring the bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bull as the sin offering which is for himself” (Leviticus 16:11).

D. Finally, he needs to be called of God to the priestly role from among the sons of Aaron. As the writer says, “And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was” (v. 4). The priesthood was of the tribe of Levi. But not all who were of the tribe of Levi were priests. Only the sons of Aaron—the brother of Moses—had the right to the priesthood in the Old Covenant. There was a time when a king of Judah—King Uzziah, who as a very godly king in other respects—became prideful and sought to take the role of the priest to himself. His story is told to us in 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. It ended in great tragedy. He died a leper before God as a result of his arrogant violation of God’s strict call of the sons of Aaron. So then, not even a king could presume to take that role to himself. It is only for those to whom God gave it.

* * * * * * * * * *

These are standards that every Jewish person knew. And so, understandably, it would have been asked how these Jewish Christians could safely then embrace Jesus as their High Priest. The writer then goes on to demonstrate . . .

II. THE EVEN GREATER QUALIFICATIONS OF OUR HEAVENLY HIGH PRIEST (vv. 5-10).

A. Note first that Jesus was appointed to His High Priestly role by God. As was already pointed out, no one could take this role to themselves presumptuously. But as the writer says,

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” (v. 5).

The writer is here drawing from Psalm 2:7; and was not meaning to say that Jesus was ‘made’ (as all other creatures were; see Hebrews 1:1-2); but only that He had a unique relationship with the Father as His only begotten Son. He would not, then, be presumptuous if He were to take the high priestly role to Himself; but would be taking to Himself that which was His own. He was not, as Moses, the mere servant of the Old Covenant ‘house’; but was Himself worthy of greater honor as the divine Builder of that ‘house’ (see Hebrews 3:1-6). And though He was born of the tribe of Judah and not of Levi, He was nevertheless legitimate in His high priestly role; because he was of a different and superior priestly order than Levi. The writer quotes from Psalm 110:4;

As He also says in another place:

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek” . . . (v. 6).

Melchizedek is that remarkable king/priest who ministered to Abraham in the Old Testament. In a sense, Levi—who was still in Abraham at the time—was submitted to the ministry of this man Melchizedek (see Genesis 14:18-20). We will learn more about him in Hebrews 7. But for now, note that Jesus was of Melchizedek’s order of king/priest; and not of that of Levi.

B. He proved Himself to be a man accepted by God. The writer goes no to say this of Jesus; “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 . . .” (v. 7). The ‘days of His flesh’ speaks of His times of trial and agony while on this earth—times in which He suffered temptation in the garden to flee from the prospect of the cross; but who nevertheless prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:36). He even went to death; and yet—as is true of no other before Him—was raised from the dead as a testimony from God of His sinless sacrifice on our behalf. He was a High Priest who was 100% acceptable before God on our behalf.

C. He was perfected through obedience and suffering. Though He was the eternal Son of God in human flesh, He nevertheless knew what it was like to suffer as we do. The writer testifies that “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him . . .” (vv. 8-9). His “perfection” was that He retained His sinless integrity though He suffered temptation and trial. And because of His perfection through suffering, He was qualified to be the “Author” or “Cause” of our salvation. As the writer says elsewhere, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:17-18).

D. And finally, note that He was called by God to a higher order of priesthood than that of Aaron. He was a king of the tribe of Judah, not a priest of the tribe of Levi. Yet the writer speaks of Him as, “called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek . . .” (v. 10). Unlike Uzziah—who was a king and not a priest of the tribe of Levi—Jesus was legitimate in His service as King/Priest; because His priesthood was of a different order than that of Levi. His was of the truly Kingly/Priestly order of Melchizedek—a greater priesthood that even Levi submitted to. This makes Jesus’ calling to His priesthood even greater than the calling of Levi.

* * * * * * * * * *

All of this makes the case clear. We can trust our High Priest. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).