Hebrews 5

Hebrews 5:1

The Jewish reader would have been very familiar with the concept, if not the Person, of the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, believing as he did, that one could relate to God only through a priest.

Hebrews 5:2

The high priest had compassion on people because he himself knew his own failings and shortcomings. He was aware of his own struggles. If you’ve had struggles and setbacks, failures and hurts, pains and problems, know this: Once you turn those things over to the Lord, you will have compassion on people you wouldn’t have had otherwise. In the service of the Lordbe it as a Bible study teacher, deacon, children’s worker, pastor, or missionarywe’re not the doctors. There’s only one great Physician, only one HealerJesus Christ. As a pastor, then, who am I? I’m just a guy who has been in the hospital for a lot of years. And because I know where the bathroom is, where the cafeteria is, where the gift shop is, who the orderlies are, I can help others find their way around the hospital. People get mixed up about this when they begin to think, That missionary, singer, Bible teacher, or pastor is the answer. No. They’re walking around in the same blue gowns that tie in the back that you are. I’m still getting patched up myself. I’m still getting operated on regularly. I’m still terminalbut I’ve found a great Doctor. Such is the essence of true ministry.

Hebrews 5:5

When Jesus was about to be taken away in order to be tried before Pontius Pilate and ultimately crucified on Golgotha, He cried strong tears and sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this, I find two points of which we are to be very cognizant… First, in His most intensive moment of prayer, Jesus shows us the purpose of prayer is not to get God to do what we want. It’s to get us in harmony with what He wants. Not our will, but His be done. Now, here’s the amazing thing. When I get in harmony with what God wants, guess what I find. I find ultimately it’s what I truly wanted all along. Oh, there might be a Cross to endure. There might be blood and pain and suffering for a season. But on the other side of the Cross, there is joy (Heb_12:2). Prayer is to get me in harmony with the Father. If you don’t get this lesson down, prayer will always be a mystery to you and a problem for you. And you will ultimately stop praying as a result. “I prayed for that and nothing happened.” “I prayed for the other, but it didn’t work out.” Wait a minute. If you gave the matter to God, God will do what’s best. Prayer is not to get God to do my bidding. Prayer is for me to get in line with Him. Although it’s a struggle, it’s in prayer when I finally find myself getting to the place where I say, “Okay, Father, Your will be done.” Second, it was God who sent Jesus to die for us. Most people have the view that God the Father is angry with man. That’s not it. God so loved the worldloved youthat He sent His Son (Joh_3:16). “The Father sent His Son to pay the price?” you say. “I’m not sure it’s really loving for the Father to send someone else to accomplish His purpose of redemption.” Wait a minute. “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (see Isa_9:6). To whom does this refer? To Jesus. Great is the mystery, declared Paul, that God Himself became a Man (1Ti_3:16).

Hebrews 5:9

Always perfect in Person, Jesus became perfectly suited and prepared through the things He suffered to be called our Friend and our faithful High Priest.

Hebrews 5:10

“There are so many things I would like to teach you,” the writer laments, “but you don’t hear as you once did because you’re back into swishing robes, blaring trumpets, and religion once again. I want to dive into the fantastic implications of the Melchizedekian ministry, but I can’t because you’re not ready.” The term translated “dull of hearing” is the word for “ignorant” in Greek. But the ignorance spoken of is not due to never hearing. Rather, the ignorance spoken of is the result of ignoring. In other words, when truth was shared, the response was, “Big deal. I don’t care what you say. I have my own perspective.” There are those who say, “I’m just not getting anything out of Bible study. I go to church, but nothing registers with me. I read the Bible, but it just seems like ink on paper.” Why? It could very well be because they are those who are dull of hearing. That is, God spoke to them a week, a month, or a year ago concerning something they were to do. But they ignored it. Why, then, would God keep speaking to them if they refused to do those things He already made clear to them? It is a loving Father who says, “Jon, I’m going to make it real simple. When you do step one, I’ll take you to step two. When you do what I ask, when you incorporate what I show youthen I’ll take you farther down the road. But I’m not going to keep on heaping instruction and insight upon you if you’re only going to ignore what I’ve already told you.” Dear saint, what is the last thing God told you to do? Have you done it?

Hebrews 5:12

I’m sorry to say that in many churches, sermons cannot be longer than twenty-five minutes. And during those twenty-five minutes, the preacher better have lots of stories and jokes because people choke on meat. But once you start studying Scripture seriously, you start gaining strength, your spiritual muscles start bulging, and you hunger for more than pabulum week after week.

Hebrews 5:14

I had a big chunk of prime rib one night on the Rogue River in Oregon. When I finished it, I thought I would never have prime rib again. But you know, a day later I was ready for another piece! So, too, you might leave a Bible study, saying, “That was sure a long study,“but if you’re walking, exercising, growing in the Lord, you’ll be back for more on Sunday, saying, “Serve it up again. I’m hungry!”