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Read Hebrews Chapter 5

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1For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Hebrews 5

In short

The passage compares how a high priest works with how Christ works as a priest. It explains that Christ, like a high priest, was chosen by God to stand between people and God. But first Christ suffered and learned obedience, and now he brings eternal salvation to those who follow him. The author then criticizes readers for not being mature enough to understand these deeper truths.

What the text says

Verses 1-4 set out what a high priest does. A high priest is chosen from ordinary people to represent them before God, offering gifts and sacrifices for their sins. Because he is human and weak himself, he can understand people who are ignorant and lost. He must offer sacrifices for his own sins too. No one takes this job by themselves; God has to appoint them, as God did with Aaron.

Verses 5-6 say Christ did not make himself high priest either. God the Father appointed him, calling him "my Son" and "a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." The text does not explain what Melchizedek's order means here; that refers to something readers already knew.

Verses 7-10 describe Christ's priesthood differently from a human priest's. In his earthly life, Christ prayed intensely and cried out to God, who saved him from death. Though he was God's Son, he learned obedience through suffering. Having become perfect this way, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, and God made him a high priest forever.

Verses 11-14 shift to criticize the readers. The author has more to explain about this but says the readers are slow to listen. They ought to be teachers by now but still need someone to teach them the basic truths. They are like babies who need milk, not solid food. Only mature believers, who have practiced and exercised their ability to tell good from evil, can handle solid teaching.

Takeaways

  • Christ's priesthood required suffering and learning obedience, not just being appointed.
  • Readers' spiritual immaturity is preventing them from receiving deeper instruction about Christ.
  • Both human priests and Christ needed God's appointment, not self-promotion.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.