Heb.5:1-5 – For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is clothed in weakness; and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins for himself, as well as for the people. And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was.
So too Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but it was He who said to Him,
“YOU ARE MY SON,
TODAY I HAVE FATHERED YOU”;
You could say the theme of the book of Hebrews is ‘consider Jesus’. The Jewish Church in the first century had begun to drift back to their former religion of symbols, types and shadows, and had begun to lose their clear vision of Christ and His heavenly ministry. In today’s passage Paul is pointing out the significance of this heavenly priest. He again points out the significance of Christ’s humanity. Here is how Brian Simmons ex[plains this.
“There is an alternate translation of the Aramaic which reads “He [Christ] humbled himself and took the sorrows of those who knew nothing and were lost, for he was also clothed in frailty [humanity].”
Christ’s humanity allowed Him to identify with the hurting and the down and out people of this world. He can comfort and minister to us because He is a man. Paul also points out the importance of the heavenly calling to be our priest. Just as Aaron was called to the Old Testament priesthood, Christ has a heavenly calling to be our eternal priest. Again, Brian Simmons describes this calling.
“Apparently, many Jewish believers were having difficulty with Jesus being our High Priest, since he was not of Aaron’s lineage from the tribe of Levi. The Holy Spirit is showing us that his priesthood is not on the basis of lineage, but the supernatural calling of God, much like Melchizedek. The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “king of righteousness.”
So in this passage we see the power and effectiveness of the heavenly ministry of Jesus. He relates to our struggles because He has actually been there Himself. Also, He is not limited in His humanity, He is the Son of God with a heavenly calling from the Father to be our priest forever. We have a priest, God and man, who ministers for us in heaven. This is the power of our Christian faith.
