HEBREWS HEB5

Jesus greater than Aaron – high priest for ever Heb. 4:14-5:10

Introduction: Jesus the Son of God (note His title) is presented as `a great high priest’. It’s not the first reference (see 2:17; 3:1), and the usage extends on to the end of ch. 9.

This week’s passage contains three sections:

1. The Great High Priest is introduced (4:14-16)

Why should He as great high priest be referred to as `Jesus the Son of God’? (14)

What is significant about His having `gone through the heavens’? (1:3b; 2:9)

What incidents in Jesus’ life indicate His ability to sympathise with people in their weakness? Thin about the significance of John 8:1-11 and/or John 18:25-27; 21:15-19.

Why was it important that Jesus should be without sin?

Think of how His life stood up to scrutiny and attack (John 8:46; 14:30).

What benefit do we derive from the way He tackled temptation? (Matt. 4:1-11)

Why does having such a high priest encourage us to hold firmly the faith we profess (4:14)?

What encouragement do you find in vs. 16? What do you understand by `the throne of grace’?

How would you summarise from this section the value to us of Jesus being our great high priest?

2. The high priest’s role is described (5:1-4)

The author summarises the O.T. high priest’s calling and function before comparing it with Christ’s.

What was the basis of selection? (1,4)

What were the high priest’s two main functions? (1)

Why was he qualified to `deal gently’ with offenders? (2)

What did his own `weakness’ demand?

3. Jesus’ qualifications are examined (5:5-10).

In what way is Jesus like Aaron? (5a)

In what way is He different? (5b,6)

We’ll think in detail about the Melchizedek relationship when we study ch. 7. But it is Jesus’ humanity which is examined in vs. 7-9; a fact which is then tied into His Melchizedek role (10).

Jesus’ experiences as man in these verses relate back to the necessity of His being able to sympathise with us (4:15).

Think about the prayers He offered (7), and why He offered them (Matt. 26:36-46).

What do you learn from `He was heard because of His reverent submission’ (7) about the way God answered Jesus’ prayer?

What principle does it establish for our prayers?

How do you understand the need for Jesus to `learn obedience…’ (8), and to be `made perfect’? (9)

It’s clear that as eternal Son of God He was always obedient, but as incarnate – a perfect human son – He had to pass through suffering, all the way to the cross, and so learn in terms of human experience the cost of obedience, and its joy. As the perfect obedient human `son’ He stands in contrast to the first `son’ of Adam who failed the test (Gen 3). It was therefore a necessary step for Jesus in procuring our redemption (Rom 5:12-19, esp 18,19).

`Perfect’, (9) is to be understood in the sense of `complete’. Having endured suffering – supremely that of the cross – he was completely/perfectly equipped and qualified to act as our great high priest (9b).

Why was it essential for our Mediator to be perfectly human as well as perfectly divine?

In what ways then, do vs. 7-10 set out Jesus as unique and greater than Aaron in His role as high priest?

Postscript: Think about the significance of John 8:29 and Heb 10:7.