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Hebrews Chapter Five

 

I. Content of the Chapter

 

Christ is the High Priest, Who is Better than Aaron (II)

A.  The honor of Aaron as a High Priest (v.1-4);

1. He is taken from among men and is appointed for men in things pertaining to God (v.1);

2. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray (v.2);

3. He offered sacrifices for sins for the people and for himself (v.3);

4. He does not take this honor himself, but is called by God (v.4);

B.  Christ is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (v.5-10);

1. He did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him (v.5);

2. He is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek (v.6, 10);

3. His complete godliness and obedience in the days of His suffering in the flesh make Him the perfect High Priest (v.7-9a).

4. He has become the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him (v.9b).

C.  We can only understand such a high priest when we are of full age (v.11-14).

1. Not all believers are able to understand the words concerning Melchizedek (v.11);

2. Though many have believed the Lord for many years, they can still partake only of milk instead of solid food (v.12);

3. Everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe (v.13);

4. Solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (v.14);

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Heb. 5:1 “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.”

YLT: “For every chief priest -- out of men taken -- in behalf of men is set in things to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,”

Meaning of Words: appointed”: constitute, place down, ordain;pertaining to God”: as to God, toward God; “sacrifices”: offering;

Literal Meaning:for every high priest taken from among men”, “for” shows that it continues the previous narration that why Christ is a perfect High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16). “From among men”, the High Priest should be a man with humanity so that he will be able to sympathize with man’s weakness. Therefore, God has not appointed any angel to be the High Priest. “Taken”, it indicates that

“Is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, things pertaining to God: things that are toward God; this verse suggests that the ministry of the High Priest in the Old Testament is to bring men to God and bring the grace of God to men. Therefore, the High Priest is the mediator between God and men.

“That he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins”, “gifts”: oblations; “sacrifices”: the offerings with blood; “gifts and sacrifices (the original)” represent all the High Priest’s works of sacrifices ---- the gifts are for the purpose of giving thanks for having been pleased by God, and the sacrifices are for our sins. 

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The High Priest is taken “among men” to deal with things “for men”. Therefore, “men” occupy an important position in things of service to God.

2)    No matter how spiritual a servant of God is, he is still a man subject to like passions as we are (see James 5:17). And he may also make the mistake that any man may make.

3)    The one who is taken shall work utterly according to the will of the one who takes him. Christians who are chosen by the Lord have to do what they are supposed to do completely according to the Lord’s commandment (John 15:16).

4)    The sins that separate man God has created from such a God who creates and loves him should be clearly dealt with so that he will be enabled to come back to God again (see 1John 1:7).

 

Heb. 5:2 “He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.”

YLT: “able to be gentle to those ignorant and going astray, since himself also is compassed with infirmity;”

Meaning of Words: “have compassion on”: sympathize, be moderate in passion, gentle;ignorant”: not know; “going astray”: deceive, wander, be out of the way; “subject to”: be enclosed, hang about;

Literal Meaning: he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, have compassion on”: sympathize with a moderate attitude; though he sympathizes man’s weakness (Heb. 4:15), he does not take sides; “ignorant”: make mistakes because of ignorance (Num. 15:28); “going astray”: sin against God because of one’s erring in heart (Heb. 3:10). The High Priest has to be able to properly sympathize with the mistakes man has made because of his ignorance or carelessness, except for the purposeful sins against God (Num. 15:30).

“Since he himself is also subject to weakness”, “he himself”: the High Priest among men; “is also subject to weakness”, it indicates that he has also the human defects.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Man’s sins are mostly caused by ignorance.

2)    Concerning the things of spiritual pursuit, our ignorance is often the major reason for our failure. We do not know a lot of truth in the scriptures, especially that we do not often realize that Christ live in us.

3)    Those who serve the Lord have to know themselves first of all and confess they also have shortages and need the mercy of God. Then, they will be enabled to serve others properly.

4)    The most important character of a preacher is the ability of having compassion on others. The preachers who stand high above others and claim to be spiritual and are unable to sympathize with the difficulties or troubles of others perhaps have little use in the Lord’s hands.

5)    Only those who have experienced the same weakness are enabled to understand the weakness of others.

 

Heb. 5:3 “Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.”

YLT: “and because of this infirmity he ought, as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins;”

Literal Meaning: the main responsibility of the High Priest is “offering the sacrifices to make atonement” (see Lev. 9:7; 16:6, 17). “For the people, so also for himself”, as a man, the High Priest may also commit sins, so he has to offer sacrifices for himself before offering sacrifices for the people.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Many believers see only the faults of others, but fail to see that they also make the same mistakes likewise. They see only the mote in the eyes of men, but do not observe the beam in their own eyes (Matt. 7:3).

2)    Each believer in the New Covenant is a priest (1Pet. 2:9). The works of the priest is to face the holy God. However, we and the man we represent are both filthy, so we have to appropriate the precious blood of the Lord to deal with our sins every time when we come to God.

 

Heb. 5:4 “And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.”

YLT: “and no one to himself doth take the honour, but he who is called by God, as also Aaron:”

Meaning of Words: honor”: value, preciousness; “take … to himself”: take by oneself;

Literal Meaning: no man takes this honor to himself”, God granted the ministry of the priest to the house of Aaron in the history of the Israelites (see Ex. 28:1; 1Chr. 23:13). No one outside of his house is permitted to fulfill such ministry (see Num. 18:7; 2Chr. 26:18).

  “But he who is called by God, just as Aaron was”, it indicates that God is the source of the ministry of the high priest. No one is able to fulfill the ministry of the high priest outside of the calling of God. Here, the name of Aaron is mentioned for he was the first high priest chosen and called by God. Therefore, he is set as a representation to have a contrast between his ministry and that of Christ.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Just as Aaron does not become the high priest because of his honor but obtains such honor after he has become the high priest, our value before God, honor or dishonor, depends on what kind of vessel we are and what function we perform in the hands of God (see 2Tim. 2:20-21).

2)    Though we are vessels to dishonor or to honor, it is not of our will or running, but of God’s mercy and election (see Rom. 9:15-22). However, a ready heart is always accepted (2Cor. 8:12), so we shall never give up.

3)    Apparently, those who are in the times of the New Testament serve God out of their own readiness. However, it is of God’s inspiration and calling.

 

Heb. 5:5 “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."”

YLT: “so also the Christ did not glorify himself to become chief priest, but He who spake unto him: `My Son thou art, I to-day have begotten thee;'”

Meaning of Words: glorify”: make glorious, full of glory;

Literal Meaning: “so also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest”, note that the writer of this epistle is very careful in wording. Here, he mentions “Christ” instead of “Jesus” (see Heb. 4:14), for Jesus was the name of the Lord when he was a man in the flesh, and Christ was the name when he was anointed and fulfilled his ministry. Meanwhile, he did not “glorify” Himself (see v.4). This is because the high priest taken from among men has only honor in the earth. However, Christ as the High Priest has both human honor as well as divine honor (see Heb. 1:3)

  “But it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You””, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”, it is quoted from the Book of Psalm (2:7) (see Heb. 1:5); “He” refers to God the Father;

“You are My Son”, it shows that God the Father declares and confesses Christ before all ---- He is not only the Son of God who has the life and disposition of God but also He is the heir who will inherit “all that God has” lawfully. “Today I have begotten You”, it mentions the risen Christ (Acts 13:33), who fulfill the ministry of the High Priest in resurrection (see Heb. 4:14; 7:24-25).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Christ is the Son of God, so He has the life of God. He that has the Son has life. He that has not the Son of God has not life (1John 5:12).

2)    Christ is the High Priest in resurrection, so death can not hinder Him. He often provides us with His risen power so that we are enabled to overcome the power of death and manifest the odour of the risen Christ (2Cor. 2:14).

 

Heb. 5:6 “As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek";”

YLT: “as also in another He saith, `Thou a priest -- to the age, according to the order of Melchisedek;'”

Meaning of Words: order”: fixed succession, regular arrangement;

Literal Meaning: “as He also says in another place”, the following words are quoted from the Book of Psalm (110:4), and the scriptures here typify Christ’s ascension and sitting on the throne.

  “You are a priest according to the order of Melchizedek”, “Melchizedek” is the priest of the Most High God. When Abraham defeated the five kings and returned, Melchizedek brought bread and wine to receive him and blessed him (Gen. 14:17-20). “According to the order of Melchizedek”, it means that it is different from the high priests taken from among men (see v.1), for Melchizedek is the king of Salem, who is without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, (see Heb. 7:2-3), so the order of Melchizedek refers to the order of the Son of God and king. “The high priest forever”, any high priest from among men will die one day and be succeeded by others. However, Christ, as the High Priest, has an unchangeable priesthood (see Heb. 7:23-24).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The priesthood of the Lord Jesus is built on the foundation that He is the Son of God and king (typified by Melchizedek). As the Son of God, He has the perfect divinity. As a king, He has noble position.

2)    Christ is the High Priest forever. He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25).

 

Heb. 5:7 “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,”

YLT: “who in the days of his flesh both prayers and supplications unto Him who was able to save him from death -- with strong crying and tears -- having offered up, and having been heard in respect to that which he feared,”

Meaning of Words: save…from”: save…out of;godly fear”: reverence, dread;

Literal Meaning: “who, in the days of His flesh”: in the days of His incarnation, namely, from Mary’s pregnancy by the Spirit to His being crucified on the cross. When He became flesh, he was limited and experienced many persecutions and tribulations and had the same feelings like the common people.

  “When He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears”, this verse relates the conditions of the Lord’s praying in the garden of Gethsemane. The gospel books only mentions His “sorrow and grief” there without His tears or cries (Matt. 26:36-46; Mark. 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). However, the different descriptions here are not contradictory. Sorrow and grief are His inner state, and cries and tears refer to His apparent condition.

  “Prayer” is expressing the true need before God; “supplication” is pouring out the urgent and critical need before God. The former emphasizes the words of the one who prays, and the latter focuses on the heart of the one who makes supplications.

  “To Him who was able to save Him from death”, the Lord Jesus is in no wise the one who is afraid of death, for He foretold His disciples that He would die in Jerusalem thrice (see Matt. 17:22-23; 20:28; Mark. 10:45) and he set His mind to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). And even when someone warned Him that Herod would kill Him (his palace was just in Jerusalem), He still went ahead (Luke 13:31-33). Therefore, He did not supplicate to be saved because of fear of death.

  Then, why did the Lord pray with tears and cries? The Bible exegetes have given the following explanations:

1.     He did not supplicate to be saved from the dying on the cross, but dying in the garden of Gethsemane. In fact, He did not call upon God the Father to furnish Him more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him (Matt. 26:53). Therefore, He did not pray to be saved from dying in the garden of Gethsemane

2.     He supplicated to be saved from the death that separates Him from God the Father (Matt. 27:46), not that death in the flesh. Actually, if he is not forsaken by God the Father because of bearing sins of the world, His death will be of no meaning (1Pet. 2:24).

3.     He does not pray not to die, but to be saved from or out of death, so He is raised up three days after His dying (Acts 3:15). It is explained according to the word of “being saved from…”. Actually, He had early known that He would rise up in the third day (Matt. 16:21), so such supplication was unnecessary.

4.     Satan attacked the Lord fiercely on that day, which made Jesus began to be amazed and oppressed in spirit (Mark. 14:33). Therefore, He prayed to God for strength so as to be delivered from the sorrow in spirit caused by the power of death. Therefore, an angel appeared to him from heaven strengthening him (Luke 22:43).

5.     The Lord Jesus had indeed supplicated to God: “if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me” (see Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:35-36; Luke 22:42). Therefore, what he asked for is to prove that the “cup” is out of the will of God. Once he had known that “cup” is of the only will of God, he had none other choice but said “the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). He became obedient even unto death, the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8). 

The next verse mentions that what he asked for was granted, and he had experienced the death in fact. Therefore, I, the author, prefer to the fourth and fifth explanations.

“Was head because of His godly fear”, “godly fear”, it means that he only seeks the will of God, not his own will in his flesh (see Matt. 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42); “was heard”, it is not being heard to be saved from death, but to let him know the death of the cross (this cup) is the only will of God the Father and strengthen him.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Even the Lord Jesus who is the Son of God needed prayers to God when he was on the earth, let alone we believers who have many troubles in life. How can we see lightly our privilege of prayer given by God?

2)    Just as the Lord Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane prayed “with vehement cries”, if the burden in us is too heavy, we may utter it out with a matching voice.

 

Heb. 5:8 “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

YLT: “through being a Son, did learn by the things which he suffered -- the obedience,”

Meaning of Words: learn”: understand, know; “obedience”: compliance, submission;

Literal Meaning: “though He was a Son”, “though”, it shows a concessive mood. Though Christ is the Son of God, He had to experience personally and be recognized in order to become the perfect and eternal High Priest.

  “Yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered”, “the things which He suffered” and “learned”, both of them in the original are active in meaning and beautiful in wording and respond to each other. The former refers to the perfection of the experience pertaining to sufferings, and the latter refers to the perfection of the experience of learning. “Obedience”, here it clearly relates that the obedience of Christ before God is obtained from the above two experiences.

  Here, it is an additional explanation that what He prayed for in verse seven is obedience of the will of God. And what God answers is the manifest to His Son that the death of the cross is the changeless will of God. Though Christ Jesus is the Son of God, He has to put His “all-knowing” divinity aside and experienced the suffering in the flesh. Finally, He passed the trial of “obedience”.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    It is the duty and blessing for a man to devote himself to God and obey to the end.

2)    If a man has not suffered loss or affliction on account of truth, he will not know what obedience is.

3)    The whole life of Christians is a process of learning. On one hand, we have to learn at the aspect of the objective truth. On the other hand, the knowledge that we have learned should be proved through subjective life experience.

 

Heb. 5:9 “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”

YLT: “and having been made perfect, he did become to all those obeying him a cause of salvation age-during,”

Meaning of Words: perfect”: fulfill, complete; “author”: source, origin;

Literal Meaning: “and having been perfected”, “perfect”, it does not mean His nature and character are not perfect and He will be perfect after the learning of obedience in suffering, but means that He is perfectly fit to be the High Priest for believers after the experience of the suffering in life (see Heb. 2:11, 18) so that He is able to sympathize with the weakness of men (see v.2, 4:15).

  “He became the another of eternal salvation to all who obey Him”, “all who obey Him” refer to Christians who have believed and obeyed Christ. “Eternal salvation”, it indicates that the salvation that God ordained to men is eternal, which means that once one has received the salvation, it is eternal. “Author”, it points that such eternal salvation is not according to man’s condition, but Christ Himself, who is the author of our eternal salvation.

Controversial Clarification: some Bible scholars conclude that the salvation that Christians have obtained is not eternal and has the possibility of change and missing according to verse four to eight of the Epistle to the Hebrews. It has become the topic for Bible exegetes of how to deal with the controversy concerning the two places of verses. Since the Bible mentions “the eternal salvation”, the salvation is absolutely eternal for the following reasons:

1)     Since God saves us according to His own will (2Tim. 1:9), and His will is changeless (Heb. 6:17), our salvation will never be lost (John 6:39).

2)     Concerning our salvation, it is not we have chosen God, but God has chosen us (John 15:16), and the calling of God is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29). Therefore, our salvation abides firm forever.

3)     Concerning our salvation, it is not we love God, but God love us (1John 4:10). And nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39). Therefore, He shall save us unto the end.

4)     Concerning our salvation, it is not according our deeds, but His grace (2Tim. 1:9). And the grace of God is too rich and abundant (Eph. 1:9) to deal with all of our conditions and need.

5)     Our salvation is for the purpose of manifesting the righteousness of God (Rom. 3:26). And righteousness is the foundation of the throne of God (Ps. 89:14). Therefore, He will not forsake us for the sake of His righteousness.

6)     Our salvation is the New Covenant that God has made with us (Heb 8:8-13). And the covenant of God cannot be changed (Ps. 89:34), neither can our salvation.

7)     We are saved by the power of God (Rom. 1:16). And the power of God is greatest, and no one can take us out of the hands of God (John 10:29).

8)     We are saved to obtain the eternal life of God, so we shall never perish (John 10:28).

9)     Our salvation is out of God, and He is changeless (James 1:17).

10)  The perfect Christ is the author of our eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9).

11)  No one can take us out of the hands of Christ (John 10:28).

12)  The Lord promises that he that comes to Him He will not at all cast out (John 6:37).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Christ is the perfect “God” by nature. However, in order to serve us, He has to undergo the incarnation, suffering and death so become perfect, let alone we who are not perfect by nature. We shall seek various spiritual experiences so as to become the useful vessels in the hands of God.

2)    Man’s perfection is the union with the will of God. Obedience is the only for man to become perfect and the only proof of the union of man and the will of God’s.

3)    If Christ has not obeyed, He cannot accomplish salvation. If we do not obey, we cannot enjoy the salvation. Therefore, the obedience of both ours and the Lord’s is the important element of salvation.

4)    If we desire to enjoy the fullness of Christ more and experienced the reality of the Spirit, we shall learn more lessons of obedience. Our degree of obedience to God decides the effect of our service among men.

5)    That salvation that we have obtained is the eternal salvation. The effect and result and profit have eternal nature, and never change because of the vicissitude of time.

 

Heb. 5:10 “called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,"”

YLT: “having been addressed by God a chief priest, according to the order of Melchisedek,”

Meaning of Words: order”: regular arrangement, fixed succession; “call”: address, declare, praise;

Literal Meaning: “by God “according to the order of Melchizedek””, “the order of Melchizedek” is the order of the Son of God and king (see the commentary of verse six), which is superior to the order of Aaron (see v.4).

  “Called as High Priest”, “call”: the declaration of recognition; “call as High Priest”, the declaration is given to the people of God throughout the generation through the psalm of David (see v.6; Ps. 110:4).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The High Priest according to the order of Aaron is to bring the need of man to God (see v.1, 3). And the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek is out of God and given to men in order to distribute all things of God to men.

2)    Christ Jesus is both God and man, who owns all things that are of God, and has experienced all things and troubles of man (see Heb. 4:15). Therefore, He is fit for the High Priest between God and men to deal with all the need of us.

 

Heb. 5:11 “of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.”

YLT: “concerning whom we have much discourse and of hard explanation to say, since ye have become dull of hearing,”

Meaning of Words: dull of hearing”: lazy, slothful, stupid;

Literal Meaning: “of whom”, if we desire to understand Christ as the High Priest

  “We have much to say and hard to explain”, “have much to say”, several words cannot mention it sufficiently (see Heb. 7:1-19); “hard to explain”, it is difficult to find the words that are proper to those who heard.

  “Since you have become dull of hearing”, “dull of hearing”, there are several meaning: 1) you are uninterested in it; 2) you have preconceived views and thoughts and so refuse to hear; 3) you are too young to understand the word.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    To those who are slothful in the learning of the truth and who do not desire to seek the truth in the Scriptures, they are dull of hearing the truth.

2)    Spiritual things are only discerned by those who are spiritual. Spiritual truth can only be understood by those who seek to know God and are even willing to sacrifice the apparent gain with a spiritual and yearning heart.

3)    Now, many believers in the church hear the word for the purpose of judgment instead of receiving. One who is filled with his own views can never accept the words of others.

 

Heb. 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

YLT: “for even owing to be teachers, because of the time, again ye have need that one teach you what the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God, and ye have become having need of milk, and not of strong food,”

Meaning of Words: oracles”: word; “principle”: element, rudiment; “first”: preliminary, first;

Literal Meaning:for though by this time you ought to be teachers, “this time”, it means that you have believed the Lord for a long time. “Ought to be teachers”, it indicates that they ought to know a lot of truth in the Scriptures and be able to teach others.

“You need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God”, at that time, the Greeks regarded the sun and the moon and water and fire and wind as the origin of all things, and called them “first principles”. “The first principles of the oracles of God”, it refers to the fundamentals of God’s word. 

“And you have come to need milk and not solid food”, “milk” is the nutritious food for a baby, so drinking mink represents the immature spiritual life (1Cor. 3:1-2). “Solid food” is the daily food for those who have grown up, so eating solid food stands for the mature spiritual life.

According to the context, “solid food” is to know the truth that Christ is the High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (see v.10-11), namely, the truth of righteousness (see v.13).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The condition of one’s spiritual life can not be measured by the length of one’s believing the Lord, but by one’s judgment power upon the biblical knowledge.

2)    If a Christian does not know how to value the time and is unwilling to the catch the opportunity to study and seek to be grown up, he must be foolish (Eph. 5:16-17) and let the precious days slip away.

 

Heb. 5:13 “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”

YLT: “for every one who is partaking of milk unskilled in the word of righteousness -- for he is an infant,”

Meaning of Words: unskilled”: have not experienced, have not tried; “righteousness”: justice;

Literal Meaning: “for everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness”, “everyone who partakes only of milk” refers to the believer who is young in spiritual life (see v.12); “the word of righteousness”, it relates the word that manifests the righteousness of God, which is opposite to the word of comfort and nourishment.

  “For he is a babe”, “babe”, it means that one has not grown up in spiritual life and still remains in the carnal stage (see 1Cor. 3:1-2), who is only able to enjoy the word of grace and loving-kindness and comfort but unable to discern both good and evil (see v.14; 1Thess. 5:21-22).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The righteous truth concerning God’s way in the Scriptures is deeper than that the truth pertaining to God’s grace, and thus requires a more mature life to understand it.

2)    Some Christian is always a baby all his life, for he is unwilling to pay the cost to pursue progress and is indisposed to leave all things to follow Jesus. Therefore, he always needs the help of others, but is unable to help others.

 

Heb. 5:14 “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

YLT: “and of perfect men is the strong food, who because of the use are having the senses exercised, unto the discernment both of good and of evil.”

Meaning of Words: full age”: growth, perfect, completeness, reach the goal; “sense”: an organ of perception, judgment; “use”: habit, practice; “exercised”: trained, practiced, experienced; “discern”: distinguish the difference;

Literal Meaning: “but solid food belongs to those who are of full age”, “those who are of full age”: those who have grown up and mature in spiritual life ---- opposite to babes (v.13)

  “Those who by reason of use have their senses exercised”, the organ that discerns the spiritual things becomes gradually experienced through constant use and practice (see 1Cor. 2:15-16).

  “To discern both good and evil”: to distinguish what is good and what is evil (1Thess. 5:21-22).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    “Who are of full age”, it carries the meaning of “destination” or “goal” in the original. All those who are dedicated to seek to reach the goal will be no longer babes. All those who have reached the goal have been of full age.

2)    The spiritual life will not become naturally mature as the physical life grows up. Instead, we have to pursue the growth in spiritual life by complete obedience to the will of God and utter devotion of our all to God and paying the price with a willing heart.

3)    If we desire to know Christ completely and thoroughly, we have to be grown up in life. The mystery of God cannot be hidden to those who have grown up.

4)    One shall not hear the interpretations of others on the Scriptures only, but also search the scriptures by himself and become familiar with the biblical truth and learn to practice them so that he will be enabled to teach others.

5)    To understand the deep truth, it is not of talent, or knowledge or intellect or wittiness, but utterly of a heart ready to be taught and of daily practice of discernment of good and evil.

6)    If we practice faithfully according to the light given by God, our spiritual sense will become acute to realize the smallest sin. Such spiritual faculty is a sign of growth in spiritual life.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

The Indispensable Requirements for the High Priest

A.   He must be a man (v.1a).

B.   He has to fulfill the ministry of the high priest (v.1b).

C.   He has to be able to have compassion on man’s infirmity (v.2).

D.   He has to offer sacrifices for sins (v.3).

E.   He has to be appointed by God (v.4).

 

The Similarities and Differences between Christ and Aaron as the High Priest

A.  Similarities:

1. He does not take this honor to himself, but is called by God (v.4-5a).

2. He is appointed for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer sacrifices for sins (v.1; Heb. 2:17).

3. He himself is subject to weakness, so he can have compassion on man’s weakness (v.2; Heb. 4:15).

B.  Differences:

1. Aaron is taken from among men, but Christ is begotten by God (v.1, 5);

2. Aaron is always subject to weakness, but Christ is perfect (v.2, 9);

3. Aaron has to offer sacrifices for sins, but Christ is totally innocent (v.3, Heb. 4:15);

4. Aaron is the high priest in the flesh, but Christ is the High Priest forever (v.6);

5. Aaron offers the sacrifices for a temporary effect, but Christ has become the author of our eternal salvation (v.9);

 

Christ is a High Priest Who is Superior and Satisfies Our Need

A.  Christ is the High Priest in His humanity to meet men’s need in the flesh:

1. He is able to deal with the things pertaining to God on behalf of men (v.1).

2. He is able to have compassion on men’s weakness (v.2).

3. He offered the sacrifice to deal with the problems of men’s sins (v.3).

4. He is called to be the High Priest, which proves that God does not give men up at all (v.4-5a).

B.  Christ is the High Priest in His resurrection to meet men’s eternal need:

1. He manifests that the Son of God gives the life of God to us (v.5b).

2. His resurrection makes us overcome the power of death (v.5b).

3. He is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek so that he can serve us forever (v.6).

C.  The experience of Christ who becomes the High Priest because of obedience meets the need of all those who obey Him:

1. His learning of obedience in affliction meets for the need of all those who are in affliction (v.7-8).

2. He is perfected because of obedience and has become the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (v.9).

3. He is called as High Priest by God because of His obedience, which shows that obedience is the only way for us to be accepted by God and be perfected (v.10).

 

Christ as the High Priest is More Excellent than Aaron

A.  Christ is set according to another order (v.5-6).

B.  Christ is the High Priest who is utterly obedient (v.7-8).

C.  Christ is the High Priest who brings eternal salvation to men (v.9).

D.  Christ is called as the eternal High Priest (v.10).

 

The Conditions of Christians Who Are Not of Full Age

A.  Who lack of discernment:

1. Who have become dull of hearing (v.11);

2. Who are unskilled in the word of righteousness (v.13);

B.  Who waste the time of learning:

1. Who ought to be teachers, and still need someone to teach them again (v.12);

2. Who by reason of use have not their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (v.14);

C.  Who can partake only of preliminary spiritual food:

1. Who partake only of milk (v.13) ---- who are able to eat only the food digested by others;

2. Who cannot eat solid food (v.12) ---- who are unable to digest by themselves;

D.  Who are slow and even stagnant in spiritual growth:

1. They are babies (v.13) ---- who need the attendance of others;

2. They have not grown up (v.14) ---- who are unable to help others;

 

The Comparison between Two Kinds of Christians; v.12-14

A.  Who can only partake of milk ---- who can eat solid food;

B.  Who are babes ---- who are of full age;

C.  Who are unskilled ---- who by reason of use have their senses exercised;

D.  Who are unskilled in the word of righteousness ---- who can discern both good and evil;

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Mary Zhou