Christ, a High Priest
1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also clothed with weakness. p 3 Because of this, he must make an offering for his own sins as well as for the people. q 4 No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was. r 5 In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him,
You are my Son;
today I have become your Father,,,s
6 also says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek. ,t
7 During his earthly life, he offered prayers and appeals u with loud cries and tears v to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered. w 9 After he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10 and he was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
The Problem of Immaturity
11 We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. x 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. y
5:1–4. The author now takes care to establish in the minds of the readers, steeped as they are in Levitical regulations, that Jesus is in every way qualified to be the believer’s great high priest (5:1–10). First, as a representative of humanity, a priest must be a man with fellow feeling for those he represents to God (5:1–3). As one who offers sacrifices for sin, he must know what it is to do battle with sin. In the Levitical ritual, this was emphatically expressed in the requirement that even the high priest must offer sacrifice for his own sins (Lv 16:6). Second, the high priest must be appointed to his office (5:4; cf. Nm 20:23–28).
5:5–10. Now the author demonstrates in reverse order that Jesus meets both requirements (5:5–6). The two citations from the Psalter, both in the form of an address by the Father to the Son, establish that Jesus has his priestly office by divine appointment. Psalm 110:4 introduces the theme of Melchizedek to which the author will return in 6:20–7:28. Jesus also meets the requirement of sympathy with those he represents (5:7–10). It is true that he did not sin and needed no sacrifice for his own sins (5:3), but he was tempted more severely than any other person, and only the one who has resisted to the end knows the full weight of any temptation.
5:11–14. The exposition of Christ’s high priesthood is interrupted in the interest of another exhortation to persevere in faith (5:11–6:8). This section begins with a rebuke and is more severe in tone. The author intends to say more of Christ’s priesthood but must first prepare the audience to listen. Their spiritual childishness shows itself in a disposition to content themselves with their theological and spiritual status quo (5:11–13), apparently since by further progress they would only put greater distance between themselves and their Jewish past and sharpen the opposition they were already suffering. But such spiritual stagnation is dangerous; spiritual life is sustained by the solid food of sound doctrine, and it is protected by that spiritual and ethical discernment that is the fruit of an ever-deepening knowledge and constant exercise of faith (5:14).