Since man is a sinner by nature, choice, and practice, he cannot approach the Holy God. He needs someone to represent him to God. In the Old Testament, God established the office of priest. He chose the tribe of Levi to be the priest for the nation of Israel. Aaron was selected by God to be the first high priest.
The writer sought to encourage the Hebrew believers to be steadfast in their faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He did so by showing the Jesus is greater than the angels, prophets, and Moses.
In this section, the writer set forth the fact that Jesus Christ is greater than Aaron the high priest.
We have already seen two reasons why the writer stated that Jesus is greater than Aaron.
1.
Jesus Christ has a superior title (Hebrews 4:14-16).
2.
Jesus Christ has a superior ordination (Hebrews 5:1, 4-6).
3.
In this chapter, we will look at two more reasons why Jesus Christ is greater than Aaron the high priest.
JESUS CHRIST REVEALS A SUPERIOR SYMPATHY
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Every Old Testament high priest had to offer sacrifices for and administer to people who were
"ignorant, and out of the way" (wayward or those being led astray) Hebrews 5:2). God made no provision but judgment for high-handed sins of rebellion (Exodus 21:12-14; Numbers 15:27-31).
But He did make provision for people who sinned through ignorance or weakness. An Old Testament priest could identify with the sinner since he himself was a sinner. In fact, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest had to offer a sacrifice for himself before he could offer one for the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:7).
Hebrews 5:2: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are
out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
Exodus 21:12-14: 12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to
death. 13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I
will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 14But if a man come
presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him
from mine altar, that he may die.
Numbers 15:27-31: 27And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring
a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28And the priest shall make an
atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance
before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
29Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him
that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth
among them. 30But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be
born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul
shall be cut off from among his people. 31Because he hath despised the word of
the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off;
his iniquity shall be upon him.
Leviticus 16: 1And the LORD spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons
of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died; 2And the LORD said
unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the
holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he
die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. 3Thus shall Aaron
come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for
a burnt offering. 4He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen
breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen
mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his
flesh in water, and so put them on. 5And he shall take of the congregation of the
children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt
offering. 6And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for
himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 7And he shall
take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. 8And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats;
one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9And Aaron shall bring
the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10But
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the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before
the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into
the wilderness. 11And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is
for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and
shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: 12And he shall take
a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his
hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: 13And he
shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense
may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: 14And he
shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the
mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with
his finger seven times. 15Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for
the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did
with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the
mercy seat: 16And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the
uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all
their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that
remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17And there shall be
no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an
atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for
himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. 18And he
shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for
it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put
it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19And he shall sprinkle of the blood
upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the
uncleanness of the children of Israel. 20And when he hath made an end of
reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar,
he shall bring the live goat: 21And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head
of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel,
and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the
goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22And
the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and
he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 23And Aaron shall come into the
tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he
put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: 24And he
shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and
come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people,
and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. 25And the fat of the sin
offering shall he burn upon the altar. 26And he that let go the goat for the
scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward
come into the camp. 27And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the
sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place,
shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins,
and their flesh, and their dung. 28And he that burneth them shall wash his
clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp.
29And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the
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tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether
it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 30For
on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye
may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31It shall be a sabbath of rest
unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 32And the priest,
whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's
office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen
clothes, even the holy garments: 33And he shall make an atonement for the holy
sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the
congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests,
and for all the people of the congregation. 34And this shall be an everlasting
statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins
once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
Hebrews 9:7: But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
The high priest after the order of Aaron did not always have sympathy for the people. Sin makes a person selfish. Sin can blind us to the hurts of others. Sin can harden our hearts and make us judgmental instead of sympathetic. Eli misjudged heartbroken Hannah and accused her of being drunk (1 Samuel 1:9-18). Eli's sons were guided by greed as they served as priest. Therefore, they were not very sympathetic to the people (1 Samuel 2:11-26).
1 Samuel 1:9-18: 9So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after
they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the
LORD. 10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and
wept sore. 11And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed
look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine
handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him
unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his
head. 12And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli
marked her mouth. 13Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved,
but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14And
Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
15And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful
spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul
before the LORD. 16Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out
of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17Then Eli
answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that
thou hast asked of him. 18And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy
sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more
sad.
1 Samuel 2:11-26: 11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did
minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest. 12Now the sons of Eli were sons of
Belial; they knew not the LORD. 13And the priests' custom with the people was,
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that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh
was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14And he struck it
into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the
priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came
thither. 15Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the
man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden
flesh of thee, but raw. 16And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn
the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would
answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men
abhorred the offering of the LORD. 18But Samuel ministered before the LORD,
being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19Moreover his mother made him a little
coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband
to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said,
The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD.
And they went unto their own home. 21And the LORD visited Hannah, so that
she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel
grew before the LORD. 22Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did
unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation. 23And he said unto them, Why do ye such
things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24Nay, my sons; for it
is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. 25If one
man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the
LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the
voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 26And the child Samuel
grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
It is the spiritually minded person with a clean heart who sympathizes with a sinner and seeks to help him. Galatians 6:1, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an on in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
Because we are so sinful, we have a hard time helping other sinners. But because Jesus Christ is perfect, He is able to meet our needs after we sin.
Our Lord was prepared for His High priestly ministry during His days of ministry on earth (Hebrews 5:7, 8). The phrase "in the day of his flesh" means in the days when He was on earth in a human body. From His birth to his death, our Lord experienced the sinless infirmities of human nature. He knew what it was to grow and mature (Luke 2:52). He experienced hunger and thirst, as well as weariness (John 4:6-8, 31). He also faced temptations to sin (Matthew 4:1-11) and persecutions from the hands of sinful men.
Hebrews 5:7, 8: 7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers
and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him
from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8Though he were a Son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Luke 2:52: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God
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and man.
John 4:6-8, 31 : 6Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with
his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7There cometh
a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8(For
his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) ….31In the mean while
his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
Matthew 4:1-11: 1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be
the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered
and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy
city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be
the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge
concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou
dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding
high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
How could the Son of God "learn obedience"?
Hebrews 5:8, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things
which He suffered."
He learned obedience in the same way any son must learn obedience, and that is by the experiences of life. We must remember that our Lord, in His earthly walk, lived by faith in His Father's will.
As God, He needed to learn nothing. But as the Son of man come in the flesh, He had to experience that which His people would experience, so that He might be able to minister as their High Priest.
He did not need to learn how to obey because it would be impossible for God to be disobedient.
Rather, as the God-man in human flesh, Jesus had to learn what was involved in obedience. In this way, He identified with us.
Philippians 2:5-8 , "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was
made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
This preparation involved the experience of death. In Hebrews 5:7, the writer focused on our Lord's experience in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46). As Jesus faced the cross, it was not 77
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the physical suffering that burdened him, but the fact that He would be made sin and would be separated from His Father. Other servants of God have faced death and did not express such great emotion; but no other servant ever bore on his body the sins of the whole world.
Matthew 26:36-46: 36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called
Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
sorrowful and very heavy. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a
little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto
Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye
enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42He
went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup
may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came
and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them, and
went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45Then
cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest:
behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of
sinners. 46Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
In His prayer in Gethsemane, our Lord did not oppose the Father because He prayed, "Not My
will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42). He was NOT praying to be spared from death but to be saved out of death. The Greek word translated "from" in Hebrews 5:7 is "ek" and means "out of or out from within". If the prayer of Jesus was that He might escape death, then His prayer was not answered because He died on the cross. Yet the writer declared that the prayer of Jesus was answered. Therefore, we know that at no time did He pray to escape death.
The cup for Him in Gethsemane included two things: That He was to be made sin for us, and That the fellowship between Father and the Son would be broken.
Matthew 26:39-42: 39And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed,
saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not
as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them
asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak. 42He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying,
O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be
done.
Matthew 27:46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Jesus was praying for the resurrection from the dead, to be save out of or out from within death.
God the Father answered that prayer. He had prophesied His own death and had made it clear that 78
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He was laying down His life of His own free will. He also promised that He would take it up again (John 10:17, 18).
John 10:17, 18: 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment
have I received of my Father.
Psalm 22 is called a Messianic Psalm and presents the Suffering Savior. Verses 1-6 speak of His heart sufferings because of His abandonment by God the Father. Verses 7-13 speak of His heart sufferings because of the fact that mankind rejected Him. Verses 14-18 describe His physical sufferings. Verses 19-21 record His prayer for resurrection. Verses 22-31 record His thanksgiving for answered prayer.
Psalm 22:1-31: 1(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of
my roaring? 2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and
am not silent. 3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4Our fathers
trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5They cried unto thee, and were
delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 6But I am a worm, and no man; a
reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot
out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let
him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 9But thou art he that took me out of the womb:
thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 10I was cast upon thee from
the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. 11Be not far from me; for trouble is near;
for there is none to help. 12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset
me round. 13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14I am
poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the
midst of my bowels. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16For dogs have compassed me: the
assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 17I may tell all
my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18They part my garments among them, and cast lots
upon my vesture. 19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help
me. 20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 21Save me from
the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22I will declare thy
name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23Ye that fear the
LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his
face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. 25My praise shall be of thee in the great
congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26The meek shall eat and be
satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 27All the ends
of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall
worship before thee. 28For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the
nations. 29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the
dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30A seed shall serve him; it
shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31They shall come, and shall declare his
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righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Hebrews 5:7 states that the prayer of Jesus "was heard", that is, answered by God the Father. Since Jesus did die on the cross, we know that His prayer was not to be spared from death. If He had prayed that prayer and the Father had answered it that way, then Jesus would not have been crucified. Jesus did not pray to be saved from death but out of death, and God the Father answered His prayer by raising Him from the dead.
No one else ever died the kind of death that Jesus died. He was made sin for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For he hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." See 1 Peter 2:21-24. Men have died because of their own sins, but only Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. He experienced the ultimate suffering. Therefore, He is able to sympathize with His people when they are suffering.
1 Peter 2:21-24: 21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin,
neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not
again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that
judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes
ye were healed.
The readers of this letter were going through difficult times, but they "had not yet resisted unto
blood" (Hebrews 12:4). Their goods had been seized, and they had been ridiculed (Hebrews 10:32-34), but they had not been crucified and forsaken by the Father.
Hebrews 10:32-34: 32But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after
ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; 33Partly, whilst ye
were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst
ye became companions of them that were so used. 34For ye had compassion of
me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in
yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
No matter what trials we meet, Jesus Christ is able to understand our need and to help us. We need never to doubt His ability to sympathize and to strengthen. It is also worth noting that sometimes God puts us through difficulties that we might better understand the needs of others and become able to encourage them (2 Corinthians 1:3-11).
2 Corinthians 1:3-11: 3But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made
of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats
should take away sins. 5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith,
Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6In
burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7Then said I,
Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for
sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the
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law; 9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first,
that he may establish the second. 10By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11And every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins:
JESUS CHRIST OFFERED A SUPERIOR SACRIFICE
Hebrews 5:3, 9, 10 : 3And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also
for himself, to offer for sins….9And being made perfect, he became the author
of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10Called of God an high priest
after the order of Melchisedec.
This topic has already been touched upon, and it will be discussed in detail in chapters 9 and 10.
Let us note, however, the following things:
➢ Jesus Christ did not need to offer any sacrifice for Himself. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest after the order of Aaron first had to offer a sacrifice for himself. Then he could offer the sacrifices for the people (Leviticus 16). Since Jesus is the sinless Son of God, there was no need for Him to sacrifice for Himself. He was in perfect fellowship with the Father and needed no cleansing.
➢ Our Lord's sacrifice was once and for all, whereas the Old Testament sacrifices had to be repeated. The sacrifices of the Old Testament could only cover sins, but they could never cleanse sins. It required the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God for sin to be cleansed and removed.
The word “perfect” in Hebrews 5:9 comes from the Greek word "teleios". The fundamental idea of this word is the bringing a person or thing to a goal fixed by God; completion, maturity. This verse speaks of Jesus Christ having reached the: end which was contemplated in his divinely appointed discipline for the priesthood. This consummation was reached in His substitutionary death on the cross.
Because He is the sinless, eternal Son of God, and because He offered the perfect sacrifice Jesus is the "Author of eternal salvation." The word author is the translation of the Greek "aitios" which means "that in which is the cause of our salvation." In His death on the cross, Jesus Christ is the cause of our salvation. His death is that from which our salvation proceeds. No Old Testament priest could offer eternal salvation to anyone, but that is exactly what we have in Jesus Christ.
Does the phrase "them that obey Him" of verse 9 suggest that if we do not obey Him, we may lose that eternal life or eternal salvation? The words "them that obey Him" are descriptive of those who are saved. They do not present the grounds of their salvation. "To obey' is the same as "to trust God.
"Them that obey Him" is descriptive of those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ. Acts 6:7,
"And a great company of the priest were obedient to the faith."
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Romans 10:16, "But they have not all obeyed the Gospel."
1 Peter 1:22, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love...."
Once we have put our faith in Jesus Christ and thus obeyed His call, we experience eternal salvation.
Conclusion
We must conclude with the writer of this book that Jesus Christ the Great High Priest is superior to Aaron the high priest.
Jesus Christ has a superior title.
Jesus Christ has a superior ordination.
Jesus Christ reveals a superior sympathy.
Jesus Christ offered a superior sacrifice.
It would be foolish to return to the things which are inferior when they could have that which is superior. The Hebrew believers were tempted to go back to legalism because they were not going on to maturity.
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?
Are you growing spiritually or are you still a babe in Christ?
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HEBREWS GOD’S PLAN FOR SPIRITUAL MATURITY