
Christ Appointed As A Priest
Christ Appointed As A Priest
Pastor Michael Woody | Hebrews 5:1–6
If you only understand who Christ is and all that He has done for you it will cause you to persevere until the end.
Why This Text?
- Verse 5 is a quote from Psalm 2:7
- Verse 6 is a quote from Psalm 110:4
- Psalm 110 has several areas of great value in understanding the Godhead :
- That psalm expresses an oath , made by the Father, is vital for our author.
What does this Text Teach?
- The humanity of Christ
- The messianic nature of Christ
- The work of Christ
- The superiority of Christ
The Humanity of Christ
The Source of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1a)
- The high priest is taken from among men.
- This speaks to one of the necessities of the Incarnation of Christ
The Messianic Nature of Christ
The Messianic Nature of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1b)
- The high priest is appointed in behalf of men.
- The word “appointed” is to be or become assigned a duty, responsibility, or obligation.
The Work of Christ
The Purpose of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:1c)
- The duties of the high priest are God-ward in order that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins
- The high priest’s duties are the presenting of his people’s gifts and sin offerings to God.
The Compassion of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:2)
- In order to fulfil these duties worthily, a high priest needs not only to pay attention to the precise execution of the liturgy, but also to have inward feelings which are in keeping with his sacred work.
- I believe two particular sins are in focus here; some commentators make these to be clarifying one another – limiting the compassion of Christ to the sins of ignorance.
The Inability of the Aaronic Priesthood (Hebrews 5:3)
It was obvious that the Aaronic priesthood wasn’t the answer.
The Calling of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:4)
- The priest was chosen by God, they were chosen (a passive verb) versus actively taking the role.
- The author of Hebrews is not disparaging Aaron , he confesses to his calling by God and Aaron, though sinful, was faithful in his duties.
The Fulfillment of the High Priest (Hebrews 5:5-6)
- These two quotes link something together that we might not typically link: the Sonship of Christ and His being our High Priest are linked together. In what way?
- These verses link together His humanity and His deity . Psalm 110 links together the elements of kingship as well as His High Priestly ministry:
- There is but one Messiah – one anointed as King, only one anointed as Priest.
- These verses show us that the Aaronic priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of Melchisedek .
What Does This Mean To Me?
- This kingly ruler does not rule in harshness looking to crash down upon His subjects: instead, He is a compassionate High Priest who overcame sin and rose victorious in victory.
- The following are things you should walk away with today
- Jesus, the second Person of the Godhead, was ordained and called to be your High Priest.
- He is a compassionate High Priest, he doesn’t struggle to forgive you, He died to take away your sins by His atoning work and He has imputed to you His righteousness.
- He is a better priest than the Aaronic priesthood for He needs not make sacrifice for Himself before making sacrifice for you.
- He is a better priest than the Aaronic priesthood because He is an eternal priest.