Jesus is not a high priest according to the Law (like Aaron), but He became a high priest through the Father’s decree. Moreover, He is a sinless high priest forever.
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Jesus is not a high priest according to the Law (like Aaron), but He became a high priest through the Father’s decree. Moreover, He is a sinless high priest forever.
Stay engaged with new and up-to-date content, including newsletters, articles, podcasts, etc. Download the Teach Me the Bible App from any app store or Apple TV/Roku device.
Speaker 1:
You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast, where we unpack the meaning of books, passages and themes from Scripture. Join us each week as Dr David Klingler walks us through God's Word and teaches the Bible. Each episode has a study guide available in the show notes. This is Teach Me the Bible podcast.
Speaker 2:
Hey everybody, welcome back to Teach Me the Bible podcast we are. If you're with us today, then you ought to be aware that we're in the book of Hebrews. Chances are you're not jumping into chapter five without having listened, and if you are, we'll have you go back to chapter one. And if that's the case if you're just jumping in we'll even send you all the way back. We have a whole story of the Bible in a year series. Go check that out, because there's a lot of information that's building into this letter that would be really helpful to have. But if you've been with us, then no need for an introduction. We're going to jump right on in to chapter five right now. So take us away, Good.
Speaker 3:
So chapter five there's just this myriad of therefore is for therefore, and so this is a really logical argument that the author is walking us down, and so we're chopping this up and we say this all the time. You can't do that, but this is a continuation. He introduces the writer of Hebrews, introduces this high priest idea concept back in chapter two, and in chapter eight he's going to say this the main point of what I've been saying is this right that we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the majesties, on high minister, in the sanctuary, in the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, not men. And so one through seven has to lead to this statement in eight, and so he's making the case in five that's going to lead to this high priest language and the Psalm 110 language in eight. So five. One, he says, for every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men and things pertaining to God in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sin. He can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sin, not only for the people, but also for himself, and no one takes the honor upon himself, but he receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was, and so you know.
Speaker 3:
The point here is that there's this priest, there's always been this priest and high priest for the people, but he was never a sinless one, and so he offered sacrifices for the people and also offered sacrifices for himself, and he had to be called. He was called by God, so also Christ did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest. As it is said, you are my son today. I've begotten you. So he was identified. He was called, just as Aaron was. Just as he says also in another place you are a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Again, he was called. He was appointed to the position. That's Psalm 110, verse four. In the days of his flesh, he offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying, with tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his piety. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from the things for which he suffered, and, having been made perfect, he became, to all those who obey him, a source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Speaker 3:
Now, concerning him, we have much to say, but it's hard to explain, since you become dull of hearing. You've become dull of hearing. Now what's he talking about here? Well, there's some illusion that's going to take place here, and even some reference to Isaiah.
Speaker 3:
In Isaiah, the people have become blind, deaf, lame, because they have strayed away from the word of the Lord. And so he's going to talk in Isaiah, chapter 26,. They ought to know these things, but the Lord's actually going to judge them. And then the question is well then, who will hear the revelation? To whom will the word be taught? And it's those just weaned from milk, from milk. It's actually the Gentiles that are going to be taught this word. This is back in Isaiah. We've got these passages in Isaiah, chapter 28. I say 26 is 28. To whom would he teach knowledge and to whom would it interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk, those just taken from the breast? He says, order upon order, line up online, a little here, a little there. Indeed, he, that is the Lord, will speak to this people, israel, through stammering lips and a foreign tongue.
Speaker 3:
Paul's actually going to quote that over in 1 Corinthians, chapter 14 as well, for he said to them here is rest, give rest to the weary, and here is repose, but they wouldn't listen, and so they've become hard of hearing. That's the problem. He's saying look, y'all have become hard of hearing, right? For though, by this, by this time, you ought to be teachers. You have again the need for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food, for everyone who takes of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is of aid, but solid food is for the mature who, because of practice, have their senses trained to discern good and evil. So you ought to be past this, and we ought to be able to explain this stuff to you. You shouldn't have any button. You didn't have anybody explain this to you, but you do.
Speaker 3:
So here we go, right, so, therefore leaving the elementary principles, and so he's walking right into chapter six, and so it will be a little bit shorter today, but the point that the author is trying to build or establish here is that the Old Testament points to Christ. He is the ultimate revelation of God. The angels were speaking of him. Moses was looking towards him, everything was looking towards Christ.
Speaker 3:
And if you reject the partials and the shadows, the things that pointed to him, and you were judged for it, or they were judged for it, old Testament do you think it will go better for you if you go back on the one that is being pointed to, that is, christ? It won't go better for you, right? And moreover, this high priest, he's walked down the trail, he's lived the life and he knows what it means to endure and to walk faithfully, and he did, and so he can sympathize with you. So if you were a sinner, see the high priest of the Old Testament. He offered sacrifice for the sins of the people and also for himself. This one is the sacrifice for the people. He's the sinless one, but it's not like he can't relate, and so he offers he's still the source of the salvation for the people to take their sin to him. He makes propitiation for that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, what's interesting to me is that they've come to Christ, which he's made the point is the fulfillment of this law. The quote unquote elementary principles. But now, because of persecution, they wanna go back to the law, which means they have a misunderstanding of the law. Right, which is his point. Right Is that you should know these things, since you apparently know the law. But now we have to lay again a foundation of that. We gotta go back and start from the beginning and relay this thing until you understand that it's pointing to Christ, yes, and so I think it's just again really helpful to remember who it is he's talking to and what's going on.
Speaker 3:
There's no going back, right. And so, all the way in this story, israel comes out of Egypt. They had a little suffering and trials and they wanna go back, right. Well, there's no going back, there's only going forward. And so that's the point that we're heading towards in chapter 11. They all endured, all of the patriarchs, all of those believers, throughout the whole Old Testament. They all believed, they all endured, they all continued in their faith, they all had their faith refined, but none of them ever received what was promised. They never received the ultimate rest. And so here you are, undergoing persecution and suffering and you wanna do what they did go back. There's no going back, there's only going forward, right. And so acknowledge your sin, you've got a high priest and let's move forward accordingly, cause if you continue down this trail, if you reject the high priest, then who is there that you can turn to? There's nothing left here and you can expect to fall at that point, yeah, and I like what you said last week.
Speaker 2:
You know they're worried about falling quote unquote dying at the hands of the persecutor, but you'll surely fall if you fall into the hands of the discipline of the Lord and isn't it always the case, throughout the Old Testament and in our case, that we fear the wrong things?
Speaker 3:
They fear the Egyptians, they feared the giants, they feared the enemy, they feared the. They're always fearing. There's only one that you need to fear. Your problem is not over there in the enemy's camp. The problem is the Lord, and you better figure that out. Your enemy may kill you. The Lord will wipe you out. You will represent him or you're gonna come under judgment.
Speaker 3:
And it is for the reason why the Lord disciplines his sons is because he loves them, right? It is for discipline that you endure, right, you're in need of endurance, so endure. And so all of this ought to start to come together. We get into chapter six next time, and we're gonna return to Melchizedek in chapter seven and chapter eight, and he says not only is it Melchizedek, but then we get into nine and 10.
Speaker 3:
Not only do we have a greater high priest, we have a greater covenant, and so he's gonna talk about this greater covenant that's leading towards these people, examples, these cloud of witnesses that he's going to call them in chapter 12, that he enumerates, walks through, spells out in chapter 11. And so all this is building to the therefore endure. And then in chapter 13, it is what does it look like? Well, let me give you some real practical application for what this ought to look like, right? So what does it look like to flesh this out and live in the body of Christ? And so that's where we're headed, and so we're just plugging along in the book of Hebrews. Next week we'll come back to one of those tough warning passages that hopefully we've kind of diffused by the time we get to it, but we'll talk about that next week.
Speaker 2:
That's right. Chapter six be here next week.
Speaker 1:
We'll see you then. Thanks for listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our desire is to use the power of God's word to change lives. For more information, download our app. Join us next week for another episode of Teach Me the Bible.
