Hebrews 5:1-6

Hebrews 5:1-6 Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

The book of Hebrews establishes Christ as the only way to God, and one of the proofs offered of his sufficiency is that He is our high priest. The author of Hebrews first talks about high priests in general, saying they are selected from among other men and then appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. God is the one who calls these priests, and no one can decide for himself to become a high priest. Since as humans the priests themselves are but weak individuals, they offer sacrifices for their own sins as well as the sins of those they represent. As with other high priests, Christ did not appoint himself, but He was chosen by God and acknowledged as his Son on various occasions such as on the Mt. of Transfiguration where a cloud envelopes them and they hear a voice saying, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (Matthew 17:5). Christ differs greatly from previous high priests because of his divine authority and because even though He faced the temptations known to man, He lived a sinless life, making him worthy of paying the price for our sins as the perfect Lamb of God.

The author of Hebrews goes on to establish that Christ is a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. As students of the Old Testament, Christ's followers would recognize this reference to Abraham paying homage to Melchizedek and that the Bible alluded to his right to be a priest and that his priesthood was eternal. If Christ followed his line, then He was to receive honor forever, for his kingdom of grace and love would never end. This was important because some believers were going back to old ways of worship and forsaking their worship of Christ as Lord of all. Some were even worshipping angels, created beings, rather than the creator of all things, Christ Jesus, who was from the beginning and would ever be seated with the Father in heavenly places making intercession for our sins as the one true High Priest. Throughout Hebrews, we read numerous references to the Old Testament because the author knew that this letter to wayward believers would be more convincing and authoritative to Jews with these passages included.

Today, it is just as important that we Christians recognize Christ as the only way to the Father, the only pure sacrifice for our sins, and the High Priest chosen by God to meet our needs and to hear our confessions of sin and unrighteousness. We may not worship angels, although we do see some of this in new age philosophies, but we turn to other things that take a prominent place in our lives. Some Christians seek worldly possessions and corrupt behaviors to bring us peace, but these are futile activities, for we become more in bondage to the world and the flesh and even less free. Others may forsake the world, but rather than turning directly to God through Christ, they elevate mere men or woman to high places and follow after them. I once heard a well-know charismatic preacher say that because people lift up men rather than God, He allows them to have feet of clay or an Achilles Heel, some weakness that will eventually mar their work and point to their humanness. Ironically this pastor later fell into deception, showing the prophetic aspect of his words. God has made it clear in numerous places that Christ is the way, the truth, the light, and the life. He alone frees us from the pit of sin and sets our feet on the right path. He pleads our case before the Father and presents us holy and righteous before the throne. Therefore, as we have already read, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16).

As with the Hebrew believers, we all must see the truth and turn from our wayward ways, accepting Christ as Lord and Savior and our true High Priest, the one who makes us holy and pure, free from sin, and bound for our eternal home in heaven. When we lift up Jesus in our lives and honor him with our words and deeds, we find that which we seek: rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross and victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Christ is the one who promised never to leave us or to forsake us, and He keeps his promises. He does not reject us when we fail but offers redemption and forgiveness through his shed blood. Today, hearken to the voice of the Lord as He warns you not to look for your peace in things that do not satisfy and not to try to find hope in the foolishness of earthly ways of thinking. Look to Jesus, little children, look to the One who loves you with an everlasting love. You will find rest, peace, and deliverance in him and He will use you to bring the "good news" of Christ to those in need.