Hebrews – So Also Christ

Jesus the High Priest

Hebrews 5:5-10 (WEB)
5 So also Christ didn’t glorify himself to be made a high priest, but it was he who said to him,
     "You are my Son. Today I have become your father."

First and foremost, our High Priest is the Son of God, which means He IS God.

6 As he says also in another place,
     "You are a priest forever,
After the order of Melchizedek."

God, the Father chose His Son to be our High Priest.

Why? Why was it necessary for Jesus to be a High Priest? He is already King from the line of King David. He is already the prophet/Apostle of God, proclaiming God’s gospel to man. Why must He be a priest also?

Perhaps because it is the duty of the High Priest to offer sacrifices of atonement to God.

7 He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,

Jesus prayed & petitioned God with strong cries & tears to save himself from death (on the cross), He was heard, but God’s answer was “no.”

8 though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.

Even being God, the Son, as a human he had to learn obedience which he learned thru his suffering.

9 Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation,

Jesus was perfected by obedience thru suffering.

10 named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.