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. (2) He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. (3) Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. (4) And no man takes this honor to himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. (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.” (6) As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The author of Hebrews is unknown but his first audience was Jewish Christians who were contemplating reverting to Judaism to escape persecution from both Jews and Gentiles. The entire letter is Christological and in our verses today the author contrasts the qualities of the Jewish High Priest with the superiority of Jesus Christ as our once and for all High Priest – we need to understand and appreciate the importance of priests and their work.

The Old Testament provides us with the sense of the sovereignty of God and confronts us with the reality of human failure and does this by showing the need for Old Testament sacrifice. The High Priest offered gifts and sacrifices on behalf of men in things pertaining to God. He was called by God and the first High Priest, Aaron, the brother of Moses, is identified here by name; he was a fellow sinner and so therefore sympathetic. The fact that atonement was made once each year for sin points to the inadequacy of the Old Covenant and the need for a perfect High Priest – the point here is the Jewish priesthood is fulfilled in Christ Jesus who was called by the eternal purpose of God and offered Himself as the perfect once and for all sacrifice.

Jesus was appointed by God – not in the limited sense of Aaronic priests. In Him are the historical and united roles of king and priest. Because Jesus was true man who can sympathize with our weakness as He was tempted in all things but was without sin. The acceptable work of our perfect High Priest means He is the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him – eternal salvation in contrast to the temporary forgiveness of the Old Testament – salvation not by works but by faith. If the wrath of God against sin is so dreadful that He should demand such a sacrifice of His Son, we need need to race to embrace our Savior.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in a time of need.

In the history of the world, propitiatory sacrifices were made in the belief that they were the only way to pardon sin and gain the favor of the gods. The Jewish high priest, on behalf of the people, annually offered sacrifices for the atonement for sin but this role was meant to be earthly and temporal. The Jewish rites could not purify the heart of man; could not give peace but were intended to point to the future – to the Messiah. In our verses today the unknown author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus as the great High Priest of Christianity who makes intercession for His people. In Christ as our High Priest, who having offered one time for all the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for sin, no more propitiatory sacrifices are required and we are told, in faith, to come BOLDLY to the throne of grace.

The word confession in verse 14 implies our private belief in the essential doctrines of faith, including that of Jesus’ deity and humanity, but also implies public declaration of this truth in the face of persecution. The author warns of the impossibility to being renewed again if we should fall away from our High Priest; there is but one, Christ Jesus, and the completed sacrifice for sin can never be repeated. The first audience for Hebrews were tempted to abandon Christianity and revert to Judaism and the warning is clear: DON’T DO IT.

We are now welcome and encouraged to approach the throne of grace – we should come when in need – meaning always. We cannot come in our merit or righteousness but can approach in confidence in Jesus who is our High Priest who has gained for us access to God. In Christ we receive God’s boundless mercy and undeserved favor. C.s. Lewis in the Problem of Pain tells us “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edge sword, piercing even to the division of would and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

The author of Hebrews is unknown. He/she is writing to Jewish Christians, with extensive reference to the Old Testament, to warn them not to revert to the Jewish religion to escape persecution. In our verses today the author is using figurative language to show God’s word will penetrate deeply to the core of our being. God is the authoritative judge of our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts – because God can see and know all, we have no hiding place and our sins are exposed to us. One day we will all stand before God to give an account of deeds done in the body.

God’s word is a living word because He is our living God. The “word” in the context of Hebrews probably refers to the truth of God in any form, spoken or written: It is the word from God about God and accomplishes what God intends it to do. The word of God speaks to current needs and situations of believers but some have hardened their hearts; dulled their hearing and their eyes will not see. Hebrews warns believers NOT to disregard/disobey the word which works powerfully in our hearts and imparts new life in faith to those spiritually dead. The author of Hebrews is warning Jewish Christians tempted to renounce Jesus for worldly comfort – DON’T DO IT.

God’s word searches us out. It is dynamic/active and relevant and achieves God’s purpose. There is no group plan of salvation; we must enter God’s word personally through faith in Christ and be obedient. We are to treasure God’s word; to avoid the wisdom of this world; to allow the word of God to change our heart and our life. We are to behave as we believe.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. (10) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (11) For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren

The author of letter to the Hebrews is unknown. This epistle was intended as solace and encouragement to Hebrew Christians who were opposed and persecuted not only by Gentiles but especially from their fellow countrymen who thought them apostates. They had turned their back on the Jewish religion – which was legalized by Rome – and put their faith in the suffering and dying Messiah. The death of Jesus was fitting because of God’s perfect justice which demanded a penalty be paid for sin. God is righteous and holy and as such that sin must be judged. The author of Hebrews is showing why Jesus’s death – and the shameful death in a cross – was not by chance but God’s foreknowledge also meant that this was His eternal plan.

Humankind, since Adam, had been under the curse of sin and death, living as fallen creatures in a fractured world in rebellion against God Who created him. And the penalty for man’s sin is death – physical and spiritual death. Worse, human beings are incapable of doing anything for their own pardon. In God’s eternal plan, Christ, as true God, voluntarily became true man but without man’s sinful nature; He entered this chaotic and threatening world to deal with the penalty for sin as our substitute. In Jesus’s suffering and death as Messiah, confirming his perfect humanity, the faithful are made righteous because Jesus bore the wrath of god which we should have borne .

ALL things are by Him and for Him. Christ Jesus became man to accomplish the work which He alone could do. In 1 Corinthians 1: 23-25 the apostle Paul writes “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, (24) but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. (25) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”