Hebrews 5 - Introduction

The authority and honour of our Saviour's priesthood: negligence in the knowledge thereof is condemned.

Anno Domini 63.

THE priesthood and sacrifice of the Son of God, and the pardon procured for sinners thereby, together with the many happy effects of the pardon thus procured, being matters of the utmost consequence to mankind, the apostle in this chapter, and what follows to the 19th verse of the tenth chapter, has proposed at great length, the proofs by which they are established. And it was very proper that he should be copious, not only in his proofs of these important subjects, but also in his comparison of the priesthood of Christ with the Levitical priesthood, that while he established the merit of the sacrifice of Christ, he might shew the inefficacy of the Levitical atonements, and of all other sacrifices whatever. For as the unbelieving Jews did not acknowledge his apostleship, St. Paul knew that his affirmation of these matters, though made by infallible inspiration, would not be held as sufficient evidence

His proof of the priesthood of Christ, the apostle begins in this chapter with describing the office of a high-priest. He is one taken from among men, and is appointed to perform for men all the parts of the public worship of God; and in particular he is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifice for sin, Hebrews 5:1.—Next, he is a man clothed with infirmity, that from sympathy he may have a proper measure of compassion for the ignorant and erring, Hebrews 5:2.—And, because he is clothed with infirmity, he must offer propitiatory sacrifice for himself, as well as for the people, (but the difference here between Christ and every other priest is pointed out elsewhere,) Hebrews 5:3.—This account of the designation, character, and office of a high-priest, the apostle applies to Messiah, by observing, that as in the gospel church, no man can take the dignity of a high-priest to himself, but only the person who is called to the office by God, like Aaron in the Jewish church, Hebrews 5:4.—so the Christ did not, by his own authority, assume the office of high-priest in the house of God; but he (God the Father,) bestowed that dignity upon him, who declared him his Son by raising him from the dead, who in the Divinity was eternally such, Hebrews 5:5.—And who, by so doing, confirmed all the doctrines which he taught, and particularly the doctrine of his shedding his blood for the remission of sins.—Farther, that God the Father bestowed on Messiah the office of a high priest, is evident from his saying to him, after he invited him to sit at his right hand, Psalms 110:4. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec, Hebrews 5:6.—These clear testimonies from their own scriptures, left the unbelieving Hebrews noroom to doubt that Jesus of Nazareth, who by his resurrection from the dead was declared to be the Christ the Son of God, was by his Father's appointment a real Priest.

Having thus proved to the unbelieving Hebrews, that Jesus was made of God the Father a High-priest, the apostle shewed in the next place, that notwithstanding he was the Son of God, he possessed the other qualification necessary to a high-priest, mentioned Hebrews 5:2 namely, That he was able to have a right measure of compassion on the ignorant and erring, because he himself also, by living in the flesh subject to the temptations and afflictions incident to men, was surrounded with infirmity. In proof of this proposition, the apostle appealed to two facts well known; the first is, that while he lived on earth in the flesh, he prayed, with strong crying and tears, to him who was able to save him from death. The second is, that he was delivered, in that he feared. These facts the apostle mentioned, because the one was a proof that Jesus experienced the infirmityand temptations incident to men: the other, that he received help from God the Father, Hebrews 5:7.—Wherefore, although he was the Son of God, yet being also the Son of man, he learned how difficult obedience is to men, by the things which he himself suffered in the flesh while he obeyed his heavenly Father: consequently, he is well qualified, as a High-priest, to have a right measure of compassion on the ignorant and erring, Hebrews 5:8.—And being thus made a perfect High-priest, he became, by his dying as a sacrifice for sin, to all them who obey him, the author of eternal salvation, Hebrews 5:9.—as is plain from his being saluted by God the Father, an High-priest after the order of Melchizedec on his return from the earth to heaven, Hebrews 5:10.

By calling the speech of God the Father recorded Psalms 110:4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the order of Mechizedec, a salutation of Messiah as a High-priest, the apostle has discovered to us a variety of important matters implied in, or connected with that memorable speech: Such as, 1. That being directed to Messiah, it was a declaration on the part of God the Father, that he had made Jesus a High-priest, not simply like Aaron, but with an oath; that is, in the most solemn manner and irrevocably.—2. Inasmuch as Messiah was thus saluted on his sitting down at the right hand of God the Father, in consequence of his being invited to do so, Psalms 110:1 the salutation was given after he had offered the sacrifice of himself, by presenting his crucified body before the presence of his heavenly Father. See Hebrews 8:3.—3. This salutation, on such an occasion, being given to Messiah, in the hearing of the angelic hosts assembled around the throne, to do honour to him on his return from the earth after finishing his ministrations there as a Prophet, and to witness the offering of the sacrifice of himself as a High priest for the sins of the world, it was a declaration from God the Father, that he accepted that sacrifice as a sufficient atonement for all the sins of the faithful; that his intercession for such, founded on the merit of that atonement, would be completely heard; and that his heavenly Father fully approved all his ministrations on earth.—4. Seeing, in the salutation, the Father called Messiah, a Priest after the order of Melchizedec, who was a king as well as a priest, he, by that appellation and by placing him in the human nature at his right hand, declared him to be not only a High-priest, but the Governor and Judge of the world. So that there can be no doubt of his procuring salvation for his obedient subjects, through the merit of his death as an atonement. Wherefore, those passages of scripture in which his death is spoken of as a sacrifice for sin, being all literally meant, should by no means be considered, either as figures of speech, or as accommodations to the prejudices of mankind concerning the efficacy of propitiatory sacrifices. See ch. Hebrews 9:18.—Such are the important meanings comprehended in the expression, saluted of God an High-priest, after the order of Melchizedec; as we learn from the apostle's reasonings in the subsequent parts of this epistle.

Accordingly, that mankind may enjoy all the consolations which flow from the right apprehension and belief of the sacrifice and intercession of Christ, the apostle judged it necessary to search into the deep meaning of the oath by which God the Father constituted Messiah a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec. And to excite the Hebrews to attend to what he was to write in chap. Hebrews 7:11 concerning the import of the oath, he told them he had many things to say concerning Melchizedec, after whose order Messiah was made a Priest, by which Messiah's priesthood would be illustrated and confirmed. But he found it difficult to make them understand these things, because they were of slow apprehension in spiritual matters, Hebrews 5:11.—Wherefore, to make them more diligent than they had hitherto been in gaining religious knowledge, he told them plainly,their ignorance of their own scriptures was such, that notwithstanding they ought to have been teachers of others, they needed to be again taught some of the first principles of the oracles of God; consequently they required to be fed with milk, and not with strong meat, Hebrews 5:12.—This, he told them, was a very imperfect state, because every one who uses milk, that is, who knows nothing but the obvious sense of the ancient revelations, and does not enter into their deep meaning, must be very unskilful in the doctrines of the gospel, and is a mere babe in Christianity, Hebrews 5:13.—Whereas, the doctrines concealed under the types and figures of the ancient revelations, being difficult to be understood, may be likened to strong meat, the food of grown men, because, when rightly apprehended, they greatly strengthen men's faith, by the light which they throw on the doctrines of the gospel, Hebrews 5:14.