The writer proceeded to take up the terms "merciful"and "faithful"from 2:17 and to expound them in reverse order. He spoke of the faithfulness of Jesus (3:1-6, exposition) and the need for his hearers to remain faithful as well (3:7-4:14, exhortation). He then encouraged his audience with a reminder of Jesus' compassion as a merciful high priest in the service of God (4:15-5:10, exposition).
"The author steadily develops his argument that Jesus is supremely great. He is greater than the angels, the author of a great salvation, and great enough to become man to accomplish it. Now the author turns his attention to Moses, regarded by the Jews as the greatest of men. . . . The writer does nothing to belittle Moses. Nor does he criticize him. He accepts Moses' greatness but shows that as great as he was, Jesus was greater by far."103
It was important to convince the Jewish readers that Jesus Christ is greater than Moses because the entire Jewish religion came through Moses. Christianity came through Christ.
"Observing the grammatical markers supplied by the writer, we submit that the development of the author's thought reflects the following scheme:
vv 1-2, introduction of the comparison between Jesus and Moses;
v 3, assertion of Jesus' superiority to Moses;
vv 4-6a, explanation for this assertion;
v 6b, relevance for the congregation."104
3:1 We should give careful attention to Jesus because of our unity as brothers and our holy calling as participants in His future reign and joy (2:10-12). Our calling as Christians is not just earthly but heavenly.
Jesus Christ is the "Apostle"(lit. delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders) in that He is the One God sent to reveal the Father to humankind (cf. 1:1-2; John 1:14; 3:17, 34; 5:36, 38; et al.). Furthermore He is the "High Priest"in that He is the One God anointed to represent human beings to Himself (2:17-18). Our confession is that for which we take a public stand in water baptism, namely, Christianity (cf. 4:14; 10:23).
3:2 We should probably translate this verse to tie it in directly to verse 1 rather than making it a separate statement. The idea is that Jesus Christ is now faithful, not that He was in the past. He is faithful now as Moses was in the past. We can see Moses' faithfulness in how he served regarding God's "house,"the tabernacle, and regarding God's "household,"Israel. He served exactly as God instructed him (cf. Num. 12:7; 1 Sam. 2:35; 1 Chron. 7:14).
3:3-4 We can see the difference between Jesus Christ's superiority and Moses' by comparing the builder of a building with the building itself. No matter how grand a building may be its creator always gets more glory than the building itself. Whereas Moses served faithfully in the system of worship the tabernacle represented, Jesus Christ designed that system of worship. These verses are a powerful testimony to the deity of Jesus Christ. If God built everything, and Jesus Christ built God's house, Jesus Christ is God.
3:5-6a Moses functioned as a servant preparing something that would serve as a model for a later time. The tabernacle was a model of the world over which Jesus Christ will reign eventually (cf. 1:8-13; 2:8), first in the Millennium and then in the new heavens and earth. Messiah's rule over the earth was a revelation about which the prophets who followed Moses spoke more fully. Jesus Christ will not serve. He will reign. He is not God's servant but God's Son. As such, He sits. He does not stand like a servant. He is the possessor of all things, not one who makes preparation for things as Moses did.
"By defining Moses' service in this way, the writer indicates that Moses' status as servant corresponds to that of the angels, who are servants to the heirs of salvation (see . . . 1:14)."105
The church is God's house over which Jesus Christ sits in authority (e.g., 1 Cor. 3:16). He sits in the heavens, the holy of holies of this house. The tabernacle illustrated this house of God. The tabernacle was a microcosm of God's greater house. Moses served in the model faithfully. Jesus rules over the larger house faithfully, not as a servant, but as God's Son with full authority.
"In some sections of Jewish Christianity Christ's role was envisaged as primarily that of a second Moses; here He is presented as being much more than that."106
3:6b God's big house consists of people, not boards, bars, and curtains. The writer was thinking of priestly functions, as is clear from the context. His concern was that his readers might not remain faithful to God (cf. Mark 4:5-6, 16-17). This would result in their losing their privilege as priests that included intimate fellowship with God and the opportunity to represent God before people and people before God. This is really what the Israelites as a whole lost when they turned away from the Lord and built the golden calf at Mt. Sinai (Exod. 32). Instead of all the Israelites being priests (Exod. 19:6) God limited this privilege to the Levites who remained faithful when the other Israelites apostatized (Exod. 32:26-29; cf. Num. 3:12-13). Just so today it is possible for us to forfeit the privilege of functioning as a priest in the future (cf. 1 Pet. 2:5). The writer shifted from using "house"to refer to the place where priestly functions take place, to using "house"to refer to the people engaged in those activities, namely, a household. We could translate the same Greek word (oikos) either "house"or "household."
The writer's point in this pericope was that his readers should follow the example of faithfulness to God that Moses and Jesus set or they could lose their privilege as priests. Essentially priests represent people to God. They exercise leadership of people Godward. The writer had previously warned his readers that unfaithfulness could result in their drifting away from God's truth (2:1-4). Moreover by contrasting Jesus and Moses he helped his Jewish readers appreciate the superiority of Jesus over Moses and so discouraged them from departing from Christianity and returning to Judaism.107
"When we withdraw from the exercise of our priestly New Testament worship, we are no longer fellowshipping with the other believers. But this does not mean we are not saved or that we had salvation and lost it."108
"The comparison between Christ and Moses leads to one between their followers. The writer uses the conduct of the Israelites as a means of challenging his readers to a closer walk with God."109
The writer next reminded his readers of the fate of the Israelites when they failed to go on believing God at Kadesh Barnea. His purpose was to help them realize the serious consequences of that behavior and to motivate them to persevere faithfully in the apostles' teaching. This exhortation is really a commentary on Psalm 95:7b-11 in which the writer assumed a correspondence between the successive generations of God's people and consistency in God's character.110In verse 6 the writer warned of losing our privilege of serving as priests in the present. Now he warned of losing some of our privileges as heirs in the future.
3:7-11 "Today"stresses the urgency of immediate action. This writer used it eight times. The context of the words quoted (Psalm 95:7b-11) is very significant. The verses immediately preceding those quoted (Ps. 95:6-7a) are a call to bow down and worship the Lord. That was the writer to the Hebrews' desire for his readers. The words he quoted urge avoidance of Israel's sin. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ initiated a new Exodus.
". . . the writer of Hebrews appeals to his recipients not to become discontented because of their suffering, and not to let discontentment give way to open rebellion--lest they, like their forefathers, lose the blessings of the privileges that now were available to them as believers."111
"The grand and terrible lesson of Israel's history is that it is possible to begin well and end poorly. In fact, this tragic human tendency dominates much human spiritual experience."112
"Rest' (katapausis), as used here, points to a place of blessing where there is no more striving but only relaxation in the presence of God and in the certainty that there is no cause for fear."113
For Israel, "rest"meant the enjoyment of all that God had promised the nation, not just entrance into the Promised Land. The next generation of Israelites did enter the Promised Land and experienced rest there because they chose to trust and obey God (cf. Josh. 1:13, 15; 21:44; 22:4; 23:1). For the Christian, "rest"is the enjoyment of all that God has promised us, not just going to heaven. This includes the fullness of rewards that can be ours if we follow the Lord faithfully.114Much confusion has resulted because Christians have interpreted "rest"as Canaan and heaven.115
3:12 Here is an exhortation to apply this lesson from the past. Note again that those to whom the writer addressed this epistle were believers. Their danger was apostasy, departure from God, not failure to come to God in saving faith.
"The rebellion he warns against consists of departing from a living, dynamic person, not from some dead doctrine. Jews might retort that they served the same God as the Christians so that they would not be departing from God if they went back to Judaism. But to reject God's highest revelation is to depart from God, no matter how many preliminary revelations are retained."116
The Greek words translated "to apostatize"(lit. to stand away, aphistemi) and "apostasy"(defection, apostasia) do not indicate in themselves whether believers or unbelievers are in view. The reader must determine this by the context. Here believers seem to be in view (as in Luke 8:13; Acts 15:38; 1 Tim. 4:1; cf. Luke 2:38; 2 Tim. 2:12b; 4:4) since the writer called them "brethren."117In other contexts, unsaved apostates are in view (e.g., Luke 13:27; cf. 2 Thess. 2:11). In still other passages there is not sufficient data to pass judgment on their salvation (e.g., 2 Thess. 2:3; cf. Titus 1:14). Other Scripture seems to reveal quite clearly that genuine Christians can renounce their faith (Matt. 10:33; Mark 8:32; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 3:8). However this does not mean they will lose their salvation (John 10:28; 2 Tim. 2:13).118
"No believer today, Jew or Gentile, could go back into the Mosaic legal system since the temple is gone and there is no priesthood. But every believer is tempted to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system's life of compromise and bondage."119
As often in Hebrews, references to God as "living"imply that He is the giver of life.120
3:13 If a sinner continues in his sin, he may conclude that sin does not matter, as the Israelites at Kadesh Barnea did. Their unbelief there was the tenth instance of unbelief since they left Egypt (cf. Num. 14:22). This is sin's deceitfulness. That is a lie. The writer counselled his readers to encourage each other to continue to walk with God. He did this to help us avoid the rationalizing that we can get into when we do not confess and forsake our sins. Meeting with other Christians for mutual encouragement regularly can be a great help to any Christian in remembering that failing to continue to trust God will bring bad consequences. Mutual encouragement in godliness is something we all need daily so we do not become hardened to sin. We need to get started "today,"while there is still opportunity.
"One of the best ways of keeping ourselves true is to help other people, and the duty is here set forth of exhorting one another. There is scarcely anything more striking in Christian experience than the fact that in helping others we often help ourselves."121
3:14 Even though we are already partakers of a heavenly calling (v. 1), we can only partake of all that God wants us to enjoy in the future with the Messiah by persevering. Conversely we can lose the privilege of partaking with Christ fully if we stop trusting and obeying God. Likewise we can lose the privilege of serving as priests to the extent that we could serve as priests by proving unfaithful (v. 6; cf. Luke 19:11-27; 2 Tim. 2:12). The condition the writer stated here is the same as in verse 6. We must continue to walk by faith just as we began the Christian life by faith.
". . . A son who leaves home ceases to be an active partner in the home, though he does not thereby cease to be a son!"122
"To begin well is good, but it is not enough, it is only those who stay the course and finish the race that have any hope of gaining the prize."123
3:15 We see the example of failure in Israel's unbelief at Kadesh, which the writer repeated for emphasis.
"The allusions to Num 14 are significant because they indicate that unbelief is not a lack of faith or trust. It is the refusal to believe God. It leads inevitably to a turning away from God in a deliberate act of rejection."124
3:16-19 These verses constitute an exposition of the passage quoted. The Israelites who died in the wilderness were mostly redeemed believers (cf. Exod. 14:31).125They died as believers; they did not lose their salvation. However they did fail to enter into the blessing that could have been theirs because they refused to believe that God would defeat their enemies and bring them into rest in the Promised Land. If we fail to believe that Jesus has defeated and will defeat our enemies (1:13-14), we too will fail to enter into the blessing that can be ours in heaven. We need to continue to trust and obey just like the Israelites should have done.
"The conclusion thus introduces the motif of the impossibility of a second repentance after apostasy, in anticipation of a fuller treatment later in the sermon (6:4-8; 10:26-31; 12:16-17 . . .). The hearers are left with the overwhelming impression that unbelief would expose them to the same precarious situation as Israel at Kadesh."126
The apostate generation of Israelites failed to enter the Promised Land when they hardened their hearts and provoked God by their disbelief. Is the implication that Christians who do the same will not enter heaven? Many interpreters have taken this view. However, the New Testament elsewhere teaches that all who believe in Jesus Christ will go to heaven because simple faith in Christ is what saves us (e.g., Eph. 2:8-9). God has promised to complete the work of salvation that He began in us (cf. John 10:27-28; Rom. 8:30; Phil. 1:6; et al.). He will glorify us just as he justified us and just as He is sanctifying us. He will do this despite our subsequent unbelief (cf. 2 Tim. 2:13). If our subsequent unbelief resulted in our loss of salvation, the condition for being saved would have to be faith plus faithfulness, which it is not. Remember, "rest"does not equal the Promised Land (or heaven) but obtaining all the inheritance that God wants to give believers in the Promised Land (or heaven).
The writer returned again from exhortation to exposition. He now posed the alternatives of rest and peril that confronted the new people of God, Christians.127The writer warned his readers so they would not fail to enter into their rest.
4:1 The writer expressed concern in this verse that some of his readers might conclude that they had missed entering into their rest (i.e., their spiritual inheritance). Apparently some of the original readers had doubts because the Lord had not yet returned. They expected Him to return soon after He ascended into heaven (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:1-12). Later the writer urged his readers to wait patiently for the Lord to return (10: 36-37). None of the original readers had failed to enter their rest (inheritance) because they had missed the Lord's return.
Some people interpret this verse to mean that the readers should fear that they would not go to heaven if they proved unfaithful. This cannot be the meaning because God has promised heaven to every believer regardless of our faithfulness to Him (Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Tim. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:3-6; et al.).
"To equate the inheritance [only] with heaven [cf. Matt. 11:28] results in a glaring inconsistency. It would mean that believers, by entering the church, are already heirs of the kingdom. Why then are they uniformly exhorted to become heirs by faithful labor when they are already heirs?"128
Teaching that compares crossing the Jordan with the believer's death (e.g., the hymn, "I'm Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger") has clouded divine revelation concerning the Christian's future rest. Crossing the Jordan marked the beginning of God's testing of the new Israelite generation. He had previously tested the former generation during the wilderness wanderings. Each succeeding generation throughout the history of Israel faced its own tests. The people's responses to these tests determined the amount of rest they experienced. Likewise the Christian's response to his tests (whether he will trust and obey God faithfully or depart from God's will) determines how much rest he or she will enjoy.
Another view is that rest refers to the present life of the believer who rests in the Lord: the "faith rest"life.129Having been saved, we enter into our rest as believers by surrendering our lives to Him and enjoying peace with God. This view seems unlikely because of how the writer equated rest and inheritance after the pattern of Old Testament usage, namely, as a future possession. Furthermore, if rest equals enjoying our spiritual blessings now, the writer should have warned his readers about losingtheir rest if they departed from God (3:12). The writer himself could have done this. Instead he warned them about failing to enter intotheir rest.
The writer used the term "rest"as Moses did, as an equivalent to entering into all the inheritance that God promised His people (Deut. 3:18-20; 12:9-11; cf. Heb. 1:14; 3:11, 18; 4:3-5, 10-11; 6:12, 17). For the Christian this inheritance is everything that God desires to bestow on us when we see Him.130It is an eschatological rest, not a present rest. We enter into our rest after we cease from our labors in this life. We then enter into our "Sabbath rest,"the rest that follows a full period of work (i.e., a lifetime; cf. vv. 9-11).
"An eschatological understanding of my rest' in Ps 95:11 is presupposed in v 1 and is fundamental to the exhortation to diligence to enter God's rest in 4:1-11."131
The readers might fail to enter their rest, in the sense of losing part of their inheritance, if they apostatized. Losing part of one's inheritance probably involves losing the privilege of reigning with Christ in a position of significant responsibility in the future at least (cf. Matt. 25:14-30). As it is possible to receive a greater or a lesser inheritance, it is also possible to enter into more or less rest. The generation of Israelites that crossed the Jordan with Joshua only entered into partial rest in the land due to their failure to trust and obey God completely. Canaanite harassment mitigated their rest. Subsequent generations of Israelites experienced the same partial rest, as the Book of Judges reveals. They apostatized, God disciplined them, they repented, and then they experienced rest until they (usually the next generation) apostatized again.
It also seems better to identify rest with our full future inheritance rather than solely with participation in the Millennium132or with our "heavenly husband"133or with some other particular blessing in the future.134God has assured all Christians of enjoying the millennial kingdom and our "heavenly husband"(i.e., Jesus Christ). The New Testament links our receiving other particular blessings (crowns, rewards) with specified conditions (e.g., 1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:19; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 2:10; 3:11).
This passage is not talking about living a peaceful life here and now either. That is not the rest that is in view. This should be clear from the context. Throughout this epistle the writer used the terms "rest"and "inheritance"as the Old Testament used them when speaking of what the Israelites in the wilderness anticipated. These terms refer to blessings that God's people could anticipate in the next stage of their lives if they followed Him faithfully in the present stage of their lives.
4:2 What is the "good news"that both the Israelites and the original readers of this epistle had heard preached to them? It was probably the news about their inheritance and the possibility of entering into their rest. This seems clear from the context. This is not a reference to the gospel message. The good news the Israelites heard did not profit them because they refused to trust God but rebelled against Him. Likewise the good news of our inheritance and rest may not profit us if we fail to trust God but turn from Him in unbelief. Remember that by inheritance Moses and this writer meant all that God wanted and wants to give His people. We will all receive many blessings even if we apostatize because we are God's children whom He has saved by His grace (1 Pet. 1:3-9). Nevertheless we will not enter into full rest or experience all we could inherit if we depart from God.
4:3 A better translation of "we who have believed"would be "we who believe"(Gr. pisteusantes, aorist active participle). The writer was not looking back to initial faith that resulted in justification but to present faith that would result in entering into rest (inheritance). The quotation from Psalm 95:11 emphasizes the impossibility of entering without faith. The writer added that this was true even though God had planned rest for His people when He created the world. God's purpose and provision did not guarantee that His people would experience it. This depended also on their faith. Even Moses failed to enter rest in the Promised Land because he failed to trust God at Meribah (Num. 20:12).
4:4-5 The writer evidently introduced the idea of God's resting on the seventh day (cf. v. 3) because it illustrates the fact that rest follows work. The work God called the Israelites in the wilderness to do was trusting and obeying Him. This would have resulted in rest from wandering in the wilderness, rest in the land, if they had carried it out. The work He calls us to do is also continuing to trust and obey Him. If we do this we can look forward to receiving our full inheritance (rest), but if we turn from God we cannot. The writer stated the positive prospect in verse 4 and the negative possibility in verse 5.
4:6-7 All the descendants of Abraham did not lose their opportunity to receive God's inheritance because the generation of Israelites living during the wilderness wanderings failed God. In David's day God re-extended His offer of entering rest, and that generation had to respond. They had their "today"of opportunity also. Every generation of believers needs to continue to trust and obey to enter into our rest (inheritance).
"Tinas["Some"] is generally explained as implying a warning that not all the readers are certain to receive what God promises (cf. . . ., 3:12; also v. 13; 4:1, 11 . . .)."135
4:8 The prospect of rest for the Israelites, specifically the possession of the Promised Land and life in it, did not end when Joshua defeated the Canaanites. Each succeeding generation had to continue to trust and obey God to assure its own rest in the land.
4:9 The Sabbath rest in view is the rest (inheritance) that every generation of believers and every individual believer enters into when he or she, like God, faithfully finishes his or her work. That work involves continuing to trust and obey God (i.e., walking by faith daily as opposed to apostatizing). Christians will enter into our rest when we receive our inheritance from Jesus Christ at His judgment seat (2 Cor. 5:10).
Millennial rest in the Promised Land will be the portion of Israel in the future.136However this passage seems to be referring to eternal rest for all believers of which the Millennium is just the beginning. Israel will be the primary people God blesses and makes a blessing in the Millennium. Neither is this Sabbath rest the present rest that Christians enjoy because God has finished His work of providing salvation for us in Christ and we have entered into it by faith. That should be clear because the rest in view is still future for us (cf. vv. 1, 6, 9, 11).
4:10 When we enter that rest we can cease walking by faith because then we will see what we now only hope for (11:1; cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). We will cease from our work as God did from His. The word "rested"in Genesis 2:2 literally means "ceased."His work of creating did not exhaust God. He simply stopped creating on the seventh day.
4:11 In the meantime we need to follow Jesus and Moses' examples of faithfulness to God. We need to carry out the work He has given us to do (i.e., to continue to trust and obey rather than turning from Him; 3:2, 6, 14). Note again that the writer said he faced the same danger as his readers: "Let us"(cf. v. 16).
"We enter into rest only when we persevere in faith to the end of life. When we do this, we will obtain a share in the inheritance, the millennial land of Canaan, and will rule with Christ as one of His metochoi[partners] there. Rest is not just the land itself; it also includes the state or condition of finished work,' of final perseverance, into which the faithful Christian will enter. God has not set aside His promises to Israel. The promise of the inheritance, the land, is eternally valid, and those Christians who remain faithful to their Lord to the end of life will share in that inheritance along with the Old Testament saints."137
Notice that Christians need to be diligent to enter that rest. If the rest was just heaven, we would not have to exercise diligence because God has promised that all believers will go to heaven (John 10:27-28; Rom. 8:30; Phil. 1:6; et al.). It the rest was just the rest we presently enjoy because God has forgiven our sins, we would not have to be diligent to enter it either because we already have entered into that rest.
4:12 After we die or experience the Rapture, God will do a spiritual postmortem on us at the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:10). He will examine our innermost attitudes and motives. The "scalpel"He will use is His Word. The Word of God is "living"because it is the word of the living God (3:12), and it is "active"(energetic, powerful). The sword in view (Gr. machairan) was a small one like a boning knife that cooks used to cut up meat. In its double edged form it was a symbol of judges and magistrates in the Roman world. It illustrated the power of those officials to turn both ways to get to the bottom of a case. The Word of God can express and distinguish what is "soulish"(natural) and what is spiritual in our motivation and actions. It can do so even when those elements are as close to each other as our joints and marrow. It is even able to expose our thoughts and attitudes (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5).
"What the author is saying is that God's Word can reach to the innermost recesses of our being. We must not think that we can bluff our way out of anything, for there are no secrets hidden from God. We cannot keep our thoughts to ourselves."138
Many Christians use this verse to show that God will judge unbelievers with His piercing Word, but in the context it refers to God judging believers to determine rewards (1 Cor. 3:11-15).
4:13 Our Lord will examine every Christian; not one will escape His judgment seat. This prospect should motivate every Christian to remain faithful to God until we see Him. We should "fear"(v. 1) as we anticipate it. Will God find us faithful when we see Him?
4:14 Our great High Priest (2:17) has already proved faithful through suffering and is now in God's presence where He intercedes for us (cf. Rom. 8:34).139He is not just a priest serving on earth, like Israel's high priests. He is our file leader (2:10), and we will follow Him through the heavens one day. This grate High Priest is none other than Jesus, not an angel (1:4-14) or Moses (3:2-6). He is the Son of God (1:2).
"The picture of Jesus Christ as High Priest is the most distinctive theme of Hebrews, and it is central to the theology of the book."140
Notice that this verse does not say that since we have such a High Priest we willhold fast our confession. Perseverance in faith and good works is not inevitable, though perseverance in salvation is (2 Tim. 2:12-13). Since we have such a High Priest we must be careful to hold fast our confession.
This verse concludes the exhortation to enter into our rest that began in 3:12.
"The warning in Hebrews 3:1-4:13 is inextricably related to the Exodus generation and the concept of rest. By referring to Moses' and Christ's faithfulness in the house of God, the writer exhorted his readers to remain faithful to their worship function in God's house as believer-priests (Heb. 3:1-6).
"The generation in the wilderness is an example of those who failed to be faithful and as a result experienced both temporal discipline and eschatological loss. A royal enthronement psalm (Ps. 95), with its past and present perspectives, was used as the basis for explaining Israel's failure.
"Hebrews 4 begins with an application to the present readers. Four times the text says that the promise of rest remains [i.e., is future] (4:1, 6, 9, 11).
"The concept of rest in Hebrews 3:1-4:13 includes (a) a historical sense related to the Exodus generation and Joshua (Ps. 95; Josh. 21:44); (b) an eschatological sense related to the Exodus (Ps. 95); and (c) the sabbath rest related to the readers with its eschatological perspective (Gen. 2:2-3; Heb. 4:9).
"The readers' entrance into this eschatological rest depends on their faithfulness in doing good works. As metochoi(companions') of Christ they must be diligent to receive eschatological reward (4:11-13) at the judgment seat of Christ. Failure to persevere may result in temporal discipline (12:4-11) along with the loss of future rewards and authority to rule with Jesus in the millennium."141
"The reference to Jesus in his office as high priest in v 14 is not an afterthought, but the intended conclusion of the entire argument. The crucial issue for the community is whether they will maintain their Christian stance. The issue was posed conditionally in 3:6b, and more pointedly in 3:14. It was raised again forcefully in v 14 in the exhortation to hold fast to the confession that identified Christians as those who had responded to the message they had heard with faith (cf. v 2). The ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary as a faithful high priest in the service of God gives certainty to the promise that God's people will celebrate the Sabbath in his presence if they hold fast their initial confidence."142
Having explored the concept of Jesus as a faithfulhigh priest (3:1-4:14), the writer proceeded next to develop the idea that Jesus is a mercifulhigh priest in the service of God (cf. 2:17). A high priest must be faithful to God and compassionate with people. This section is entirely exposition, except for 4:16, which is an exhortation to pray. Verses 15 and 16 of chapter 4 announce the perspectives that the writer developed in 5:1-10.
"AThe old office of high priest (5:1)
BThe solidarity of the high priest with the people (5:2-3)
CThe humility of the high priest (5:4)
C'The humility of Christ (5:5-6)
B'The solidarity of Christ with the people (5:7-8)
A'The new office of high priest (5:9-10) . . .
"As a unit 4:15-5:10 lays the foundation for the great central exposition of Jesus' priesthood in 7:1-10:18, where the emphasis will be placed on his dissimilarity to the Levitical priesthood."143
4:15 Jesus experienced temptation in every area of His life, as we do. Obviously He did not experience temptation to waste His time by watching too much television, for example. However, He experienced temptation to waste His time and to do or not do things contrary to God's will. His temptations did not come froma sinful nature as some of ours do since He had no sinful nature, but He suffered temptation as we do. Since He endured every temptation successfully He experienced temptations more thoroughly than we do when we yield to them before they pass. Consequently He can sympathize (feel and suffer) with us when we experience temptation. The writer's point was that Jesus understands us, He sympathizes with us, and He overcame temptation Himself.
As an illustration of the thoroughness of Jesus' temptations, imagine a large bolder on the sea coast. Since it does not move, it experiences the full force of every wave that beats against it. Smaller pebbles that the waves move around do not because they yield to the force of the waves. Similarly Jesus' temptations were greater than ours because He never yielded to them. Likewise a prizefighter (Jesus) who defeats the champion (Satan) endures more punishment than other contenders who throw in the towel or are knocked out before the end of the fight.
". . . in this epistle as high a Christology as is conceivable is combined with an emphasis on the real humanity of Jesus. Nobody insists on the limitations of Jesus' human frame as does the writer of Hebrews."144
4:16 Since we have such a High Priest to intercede for us with God, we can approach God confidently in prayer (cf. 3:6; 10:19, 35). Every Christian can come to God's heavenly throne, not just the high priests of Judaism. The high priests of Judaism could only approach God at His earthly throne, in the holy of holies in the tabernacle or temple, once a year. God's throne of judgment has become a throne of grace (undeserved help) for us now. Our Sovereign will be merciful (not giving us what we deserve) and gracious (giving us what we do not deserve). This verse again contrasts the superiority of Christianity over Judaism.
5:1 To qualify for the high priesthood in Israel one had to be a man. He also had to stand between God and people as their representative before Him. His services included presenting gifts (offerings) of worship and sacrifices for sin.
"Although it would be natural to distinguish between dora, gifts' (i.e., peace and cereal offerings), and thysiai, sacrifices' (i.e., the sin and trespass offerings), in later statements in the OT all sacrifices pertain to the procuring of atonement and the removal of sin (cf. Ezek 45:15-17). The bloody offerings for the Day of Atonement are in the foreground of the discussion of the sacrificial ministry of the Levitical high priest here and elsewhere in Hebrews (cf. 7:27; 10:4, 12, 26)."145
5:2-3 He also had to be a compassionate person. This grew out of his own consciousness of being a sinner himself. In other words, he needed not only to carry out his duties acceptably, but he also needed to do so with the proper attitudes and feelings. "Deal gently with"(Gr. metriopathein) means neither indifferent to moral lapses nor harsh. The evidence of his sinfulness was the fact that he had to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for those of the people. Since Jesus Christ was sinless he did not need to do this (4:15; 7:27). However, Jesus Christ's compassion exceeded that of other high priests.
5:4 Finally a man could attain the high priesthood only by divine appointment.
"The essential nature of a high priest is that he should be chosen by God to act for his fellows in offering sacrifices related to the removal of sin."146
Only those whom God chose served in this office. These people were primarily Aaron and his successors. This ceased to be true after Israel lost her sovereignty as a nation beginning with the Babylonian captivity. Then the high priesthood became a political appointment. However the writer was speaking of Israel as a sovereign nation. Disaster befell those individuals who took it upon themselves to perform high priestly duties without divine authorization (Korah, Num. 16; Saul, 1 Sam. 13:8-14; Uzziah, 2 Chron. 26:16-21). The writer stressed the essential humility of the high priest who stood in his privileged position only by divine appointment. He was not stressing the dignity of his office or the grandeur of his call to his office.147
5:5-6 God appointed Jesus as king when He sat down at the right hand of God following His ascension (1:5). He presumably appointed Him priest at the same time. These two offices and functions were primary in the writer's argument in this epistle. Psalm 2:7-9 and Psalm 110:1 (cf. 1:13) predicted Messiah's reign. Psalm 110:4 also predicted His priesthood.148The same God who appointed Jesus as His Son also appointed Him high priest forever(cf. 6:20; 7:17, 21, 24, 28)..
"The appeal to Melchizedek, who as the first priest mentioned in Scripture is the archetype of all priesthood, validates Jesus' priesthood as different from and superior to the Levitical priesthood."149
"When . . . Jerusalem fell into David's hands and became his capital city (II Sam. 5:6ff.), he and his heirs became successors to Melchizedek's kingship, and probably also (in a titular capacity at least) to the priesthood of God Most High."150
"All that a priest does in offering sacrifice for men Christ does. But whereas they do it only symbolically, he really effects atonement.
"There was no succession of priests from Melchizedek and thus no order.' Jesus, however, was a priest of this kind--not like Aaron and his successors."151
5:7 The phrase "days of his flesh [Gr. sarx]"draws attention to the weakness that characterized Jesus' life during His earthly sojourn. Jesus' offerings to God (cf. v. 1) included His prayers and petitions. Specifically Jesus' prayers from Gethsemane and the cross that were part of His offering of worship and expiation to God illustrate this (cf. Ps. 22:22-24; Heb. 2:12). However, Jesus' entire passion ministry is probably in view here.152God heard and granted Jesus' prayers the evidence of which is Jesus' resurrection (cf. Ps. 22:22-31). "Piety"means reverent submission, godly fear, and trust. Jesus' prayers show His ability to sympathize with those He represents (vv. 2-3; cf. John 17).153
5:8 Even though Jesus was the Son of God (Son though He was), and as such perfect in one sense, He gained something through His sufferings. He gained experiential knowledge of what being a human involves. Similarly Jesus grew in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). He learned obedience in the sense that He learned to obey His father's will as a human. For Jesus, God's will involved suffering (cf. Phil. 2:6-8).
"Innocence is life untested, but virtue is innocence tested and triumphant."154
5:9 This experience perfected Jesus Christ in the sense that it completed Him by giving Him experiential knowledge of what human beings must endure. Obeying God means trusting Him (cf. John 6:29; Acts 6:7; Rom. 10:16; 1 Pet. 1:22). Jesus is, of course, the source of eternal, not just temporal, salvation to all who initially believe on Him. However in view of the writer's emphasis it may be that he was also referring here to the ultimate aspect of our salvation, our eternal inheritance (1:14; 9:15). We obtain this to the extent that we "obey"God, and obey Him through suffering as Jesus did (cf. Mark 8:34-35).155Jesus Christ is the source (cause) of our inheritance not only because it comes from Him, but also because as our file leader He has blazed a trail through suffering for us (2:10). He is also the source of our inheritance because as our High Priest He provides what we need to live obediently to God.
"It is a nice touch that he who learned to obey brought salvation to those who obey."156
5:10 It was for this purpose that God appointed Jesus as our High Priest. The writer developed the subject of the order of Melchizedek later (ch. 7).
Jesus Christ is not only superior to angels (1:5-14) and Moses (3:1-6) but also Aaron (5:1-10).
"The orientation given to the exposition is intensely practical. The solidarity of the heavenly high priest with the community in its weakness provides a strong motivation for earnest prayer. The demand to draw near to the one who is thoroughly familiar with the human condition, who suffers with their suffering, and who is therefore qualified to mediate renewed strength (4:15-16) is an appeal to recognize the importance of prayer in the rhythm of Christian life."157
