Hebrews 5

Introduction

Last week, I focused on Jesus being “a great high priest” base on Hebrews 4:14: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” My second point from last week’s sermon dealt with how Jesus knows all about our troubles from Hebrews 4:15: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” The fact that Jesus experientially knows the feelings of our weaknesses is important.

I brought up last week, how that the high priests of Israel were selected by the Romans from the Sadducee religious party. Theologically, the Sadducees rejected most of the Old Testament. Politically, and economically, they were aristocrats. This means, socially, they had little in common with the average guy, the blue collar worker, or those in poverty. So, they were the high priests of Israel without being “touched with the feeling of our infirmities.” They stood above the people but not with the people.

One reason the Jews rejected Jesus was that He did not stand above the people, but with the people. John 7:38–42 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Beth-lehem, where David was?” While some thought that Jesus’ invitation spoke of Him being “the prophet,” which could reference the Messiah or the forerunner to the Messiah, others thought He was “Christ” or Messiah. However, notice “some said, ‘Shall Christ come out of Galilee?’” The scornfully asked “question expects a negative answer: the idea that the Messiah could come from the boondocks of Galilee seemed ludicrous to the sophisticated Judeans.” (Macarthur, John 1-11).pg.317 A few verses later, these same self-righteous leaders criticized Nicodemus’ open mind towards Jesus by rebuking him in John 7:52: “…Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

Even Nathanael, whom Jesus said was no guile (John 1:47), initially, rejected the idea that the Messiah could come from a place as bad as Nazareth in John 1:46: “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”

Yet, the triune God purposed this path for Jesus: Matthew 2:23, “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.” The prophets prophesied where Jesus would be raised. Some have argued the term “prophets” should be understood in the singular sense (Gill, “Matthew 1:23 - Bible Verse Meaning and Commentary”), while others argue from the perspective of Matthew’s gospel, the term “prophets” should be seen as plural (Barnes, “Matthew 2”).

There are various ideas regarding who the prophet is or prophets are: “Some have supposed that Matthew meant to refer to Judges 13:5, to Samson as a type of Christ; others that he refers to Isaiah 11:1, where the descendant of Jesse is called “a Branch;” in the Hebrew נצר Nêtzer. Some have supposed that he refers to some prophecy which was not recorded, but handed down by tradition. But these suppositions are not satisfactory. It is much more probable that Matthew refers not to any particular place, but to the leading characteristics of the prophecies respecting him. (Barnes, “Matthew 2”) Donald Hagner agrees with A. Barnes, as he wrote: “ It cannot be accidental that the introductory formula (There are ten quotations that include the verb “fulfill”) here is the most general of all the formulae used by Matthew…Only here among the formula quotations does he use the plural (prophets)…implying that he has in view a motif common the several prophets.” (Donald Alfred Hagner).pg.40 Unless there is other evidence to sway my mind, I believe the idea is that the prophets overall speak of Jesus first coming in terms of obscurity and average. Thus, in this way, Jesus being raised in Nazareth fulfills these prophecies.

The point I want us to see is the high priests of Israel were powerful and prosperous from birth. They new nothing of weakness and poverty. However, Jesus was infinitely more powerful and prosperous than all the high priests combined, but willingly left glory for poverty (Hebrews 12:2–3: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds”) so that He can experience poverty, rejection, and loss. His joy that was set before Him, which moved Him to leave glory was, the rescue of sinners; the road to the cross included Nazareth. He is “a great high priest.”

In the text before us, the writer of Hebrews examines the Aaronic priesthood and Jesus’ priesthood. The purpose is to validate Jesus’ priesthood that like Aaron’s house, Jesus has a divine call to the priesthood from the house of Melchizedek, showed compassion and offered sacrifice for sins. This morning, I want us to see to thoughts: first, the righteous priest from Aaron’s house; second, the righteous priest from Melchizedek’s house.

The righteous priests from Aaron’s house

Hebrews 5:1–4: “For 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: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.”

There are four points to see within these three verses: their divine call, purpose, compassion, and the result. I will begin with their divine call. God called and ordained the Aaronic house from among the Israelites “in things pertaining to God.” The reason God chose Aaron over all the other families of Israel had nothing to do with his character or level of righteousness. Aaron’s narrative is not filled with positive moves. In Exodus 32, while Moses was on top of the mountain for several days communing with God, the Israelites wanted Aaron to make them a god they could worship (vs. 1). Instead of standing up for YWHY, Aaron caved before the people. He told them to bring their gold so that he can melt and form a new god (v.2-4). After Moses came down, he rebuked Aaron in Exodus 32:21: “…What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?” Even though Aaron blamed the whole escapade on the Israelites (vs.22), he participated in the sin. Later, in Numbers 12, Miriam (Moses’ sister) and Aaron rose up against Moses. They wanted to dethrone him as Israel’s leader. Following the Lord’s rebuke to Miriam and Aaron, Numbers 12:9 says that “…the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.”

The reason God selected Aaron was His divine purpose. “Aaron had not been given the priesthood because of his wealth, noble birth, or nepotism. Rather, God chose Aaron as priest…” (Koester).pg.297-98 In other words, Aaron or any of his descendants had no reason to glory in their position as if they had earned the title of high priest. William Lane wrote: “What is statement expresses directly is not the dignity associated with the office nor the grandeur of the divine call, but, on the contrary, the humility, required of the high priest who is dependent upon the divine appointment for his office.” (Lane).pg.117

God’s calling extends beyond the high priest. He has called us unto salvation through His grace (John 1:13 “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;” Romans 9:16: “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy”), and has presented us with spiritual gifts for the edifying of the Lord’s churches (1 Corinthians 12:7: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; 1 Corinthians 14:12: “Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church”).

The purpose of God’s work in our lives is to glorify Him and not to take a victory lap: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” We are to have humility for all the great things God has done for us. John piper gives 6 proofs of humility:

Humility is glad that God gets all the credit for choosing us so that we boast only in him and not man.

Humility happily admits that everything we have is a free gift from God, so that we can’t boast in it.

Humility is glad to affirm that God sovereignly governs our heartbeats and safe arrivals, or non-arrivals.

The root of Christian humility is the gospel that Christ died for our sins. That’s how sinful I was. That’s how dependent I am.

Humility gives itself away in serving everyone, rather than seeking to be served.

And humility is glad to affirm that this service is true greatness. (Piper, “Greatness, Humility, Servanthood”)

Second, let us consider the priestly purpose in Hebrews 5:1: “For 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.” They were to help men “in things pertaining to God.” Their responsibility was not help men continue in sin, but for them to confess sins and offer the appropriate sacrifice. People could not give whatever they wanted for their sins. God prescribed the suitable sacrifice for sin. The priest were not to affirm or dismiss sin, but to neutralize sin through the power of the sacrifice. This means that the priest had to have a good sense of what sin was and the dangers sin possessed.

The same is true today. Our focus as God’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God”), is to call sin out. We should never affirm, dismiss, or blur sinful activity. We are accountable to our King who has commissioned us as ambassadors. The weather can be very destructive. Parts of Indiana are under water through powerful storms that caused flooding that has destroyed property and lives. Likewise, sin mortally and eternally destroys lives through flood of God’s wrath.

This past Monday in Pilgrims Progress, we looked at Christian and Hopeful’s time on the Delectable Mountains. These mountains represent the Lord’s churches and the shepherds represent pastors. The four pastors took them to see three mountains and one valley. The first mountain is called Error. When “Christian and Hopeful looked down…they saw several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had had from the top.” (Bunyan).pg.207 The people they saw at the bottom fell because they were led astray. Priests of Israel from the Old Testament and New Testament saints who are part of the royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) have an important mission not to lead people astray.

Third, priests of Israel were to be compassionate: Hebrews 5:2: “Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.” The “ignorant” is the person who sins without knowing their activity is sin. If you ask the person off the street to list sins, they might not be able to list very many. This does not just apply to regular people, but many “Christians” may not know the parameters of sin. Old Testament priest and New Testament Christians must have compassion to help them recognize sin.

The phrase “out of the way” speaks of a person who has been deceived. The same word is translated as “deceive” in Matthew 24:11: “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” And translated as “seduce” in 1 John 2:26: “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” They are out of the way through the deception. Perhaps, their goal was not to rebel against God but the result was rebellion. “The wanderers are those who have strayed from God’s path, but want to get back.” (Guthrie).pg.129

Consider Elimelech, Naomi, and their two boys. They strayed from the path by leaving Bethlehem-Judah for Moab. There was a famine in Bethlehem-Judah, which signified God’s judgment for sin. Instead of repenting, Elimelech led his family to Moab where there was food (Ruth 1:1). The tragedy of this move led to 3 men dying: Elimelech and his two boys. By the time Naomi decided to return back to Bethlehem-Judah, she knew God had chastised their move (Ruth 1:13). However, the chastening hand of the Lord brought Naomi back home (Ruth 1:21). Her neighbors could have been judgmental or distanced themselves from her, but a godly priest would have welcomed her home just as the father to his prodigal son (Luke 15:20-24).

Fourth, the motivation to be compassionate is that the priest is not immune to the same weakness and sin: Hebrews 5:2–3: “Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.” He is capable of being of knowingly sin and through deception go out of the way. The priests were not perfect, but sinful people who needed to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could offer for others.

The New Testament connection is Galatians 6:1–4: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

The righteous priest from Melchisedec’s house

Hebrews 5:5–10: “So 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. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Who 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; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”

In verses 5-10, the writer shows us the relationship between the order of Aaron and Christ in their priesthood. He introduces a new order within the priesthood, the Melchisedcian order. After the third urgent warning, the writer will go into more detail showing the importance of this order. But in verses 5-10, he introduces this order, and is so doing, whets our appetite to discover more about this significance. This morning, my focus is on the three sides to Jesus priesthood: He had a divine call, he was a praying high priest, and He is the author of salvation.

First, He has a divine call. We see this in Hebrews 5:5–6, 10: “So 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. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec…Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”

Notice the contrast from Hebrews 4:14 (“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession”) and Hebrews 5:5 (“So 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”). In Hebrews 4:14, the writer calls Him Jesus our great high priest, but in Hebrews 5:5, He is called “Christ.” The “Christ” or “Messiah” did not glorify Himself through self-elevation to the high priestly office but as with Aaron’s house, He was called to the priesthood. “This suggests that the writer is deeply impressed by the thought that the anointed one, the Messiah, in his office did not exalt himself as he might well have done. The New Testament picture of the Messiah, however, is always of one whose mission is to serve, never of one who has snatched at positions of honor.” (Guthrie).pg.130-31

Right out of the gate, we notice that Jesus is a serving high priest. In John 13, as Jesus and His disciples entered into a house to observe the Passover meal and inaugurate the Lord’s Supper, Jesus washed His disciples feet. It was customary that when visitors entered a Jewish home for a slave to wash the guests feet. One of Jesus’ disciples should have lowered themselves to wash everyone’s feet; however, no one did but Jesus, the one they called Master (John 13:13: “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am”). This was so beneath the Master and the Christ that initially Peter refused to have Jesus wash his feet (John 13:8).

The idea of serving is performing actions for a greater good. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” The word “minister” means to serve. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. Why did Jesus come to serve or what was the greater good? “To give his life a ransom for many.” If you are a born again Christian, then you are a beneficiary of Jesus servanthood. If Jesus was this self-elevation person, who demanded to be served, commensurate to His title as the Christ, then no one would have hope!

Jesus was “called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.” This coincides with what Jesus said in John 8:54: “Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:” To confirm that God called Jesus to the high priestly office, the writer highlight two Old Testament texts:

Hebrews 5:5: “…but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.” This comes from Psalm 2: “Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, And cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, And I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, And ye perish from the way, When his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

Hebrews 5:6: “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” This comes from Psalm 110:4: “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.”

The lesson for us is to serve and wait for God to lift us up. James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Pride is a death-knell to serving and waiting. Paul Chappell wrote: “Pride is the number one reason that Christians quit serving the Lord, and it is the number one reason that spiritual leaders fall out of the ministry. Pride can produce an angry spirit, immorality, secret sin, marital strife, excessive debt, and a host of other ‘surface reasons’ that people stop serving the Lord.” He gives four reasons Paul did not destroy his ministry by being arrogant: “He did not overvalue himself…he relied on the Holy Spirit…He valued the ministry…He wanted to finish with joy.” (Chappell) We must strive (it is a daily battle) to be more like Paul and less like Demas.

Second, the Christ was a praying high priest: Hebrews 5:7: “Who 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.” The relationship this verse has with the Aaronic priesthood is as Israel’s priest “offered both gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Hebrews 5:1), Jesus the high pries after Melchisedec “offered up prayers and supplications” (Hebrews 5:7).

“The days of his flesh” “reinforces the reality of Jesus’ humanity (Hebrews 2:14).” (Koester).pg.288 His humanity sets the tone for how we should understand this verse. The scene before us is Jesus Christ praying in Gethsemane before His arrest and eventual crucifixion. This verse gives us raw insight into depths of how exceedingly sorrowful Jesus was (Matthew 26:38).

As we examine, the writer’s input on Jesus’ prayer, do overlook His passion. He prayed and supplicated “with strong crying and tears.” John Macarthur noted that the reason Jesus prayed with “strong crying and tears” was “because of the anguish He faced in becoming for those who believed in Him.” (Macarthur, Hebrews).pg.124 I mentioned last week that Jesus was touched with the feelings of our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). He was not simply moved by our weaknesses, but experienced the same weaknesses in His life. This week, I want to flip the order upside down. May we be touched with the feelings of His passionate praying. Let it be said of us, that we know by experience Jesus’ passion to pray to the Father in distress.

Notice another thought regarding Jesus’ praying in Gethsemane: He prayed to the Father, who had the power “to save Him from death.” We know in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus prayed “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36). Even though Jesus came for this purpose, with a weakened and mortal body, He prayed that God’s wrath would pass by Him. People mock God’s wrath; Jesus knew there was nothing funny about God’s wrath. Yet, Jesus wanted the Father’s will more than His weak fleshly desires.

B. H. Carroll wrote: “The next thought is – what caused that sorrow even unto death? A young preacher, and a very brilliant one, preached a sermon on this subject in which he took the position that the devil, as a person – a visible, tangible person – that night tried to kill Jesus, as he had first tried to have Jesus killed when he was a baby. So there was a wrestle between Christ and Satan, and that when Jesus prayed, ‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,’ he meant, ‘If it be possible, don’t let the devil kill me before I go to the cross and expiate human sin.’

“It was a very ingenious thing that young preacher preached, but it was very unscriptural. The sorrow that came over Jesus – the trouble of his soul, of his spirit, was that he was very near the time of dying on the cross, not as a martyr – for a martyr has no such sorrow as that; not as a guilty person in view of pending execution, for he was without sin; but it was a sorrow caused by the thought that in dying he was to die alienated in soul from God; to die as a sinner, though no sinner; to die the death of a felon, and, for the time being, pass under the power of Satan. He knew that when that sacrifice was made the Father would forsake him; that he would have to die the spiritual death, and the spiritual death is absence of the soul from God.” (B.H. Carroll)

In Hebrews 5:7, the writer presents another reason why Jesus prayed to the Father: “unto him that was able to save Him from death.” What is meant by this phrase? “‘From death’ does not necessarily mean being saved ‘from dying,’ since Jesus did die, but it can mean deliverance ‘from the power of death,’ since God saved him from death through resurrection and exaltation (cf. Hebrews 13:20).” (Koester).pg.280 John MacArthur wrote: “Jesus was not asking to be saved from dying but to be saved out of death-that is , to be saved from remaining in death. He was not asking to avoid the cross but to be assured of the resurrection.” (Macarthur, Hebrews).pg.124

A final thought concerning Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: God heard His prayer. First we should see this phrase in light of God accepting the priest gifts and sacrifices for sins (Lane).pg.119. God hearing Jesus’ prayer means His sacrifice on the cross was accepted. The confirmation of this is Jesus’ resurrection. Second, the writer gives us the reason the Father heard His prayers: “and was heard in that he feared.” The idea behind the word “fear” is not afraid. There is another Greek word that conveys the idea of being afraid. The concepts of this word are “awe,” and “submission.” In particular, how Jesus devoted Himself to the Father’s sovereign rule over His life. (Macarthur, Hebrews).pg.124

The last side to see regarding Jesus priestly office in Hebrews 5 is His obedience: Hebrews 5:8–10: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.”

Jesus was never disobedient. His life focused on doing the Father’s will: John 6:38: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” He never once fell short of the Father’s will. Three times, the Father commended Jesus by saying: “I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 12:18, and Matthew 17:5). Yet, in spite of being sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21), Jesus learned obedience through suffering. “It was the Father whose law he honoured in the fulfilment of all its demands, and unto whom, he, ‘though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.’” (Boyce).pg.164 In His darkest hour, when his friends deserted Him and His Father turned His back on Him, He learned obedience. He could have called 12 legions of angels to rescue Him (Matthew 26:53: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”), but He endured the cross for my sins.

Obedience is often learned through suffering. I want to examine this statement forensically. Why was Jesus obedient to the Father during the cross? Yes, He loved us (John 11:5). His love for us is not the reason He was submissive to the Father’s plan. If it was, then His love for us is greater than His Father’s purposes. This means if the Father’s purpose was not attached to His love for us, then He may be disobedient. For example, before my parents went to work they told me that I could not go outside today until I clean my room. Yet, the reason reason I cleaned my room before going outside was a torrential downfall. This means if there was no rain, I would have disobeyed my parents by going outside to play before cleaning my room. So Jesus’ primary motive could not have been His love for us. Neither could His motive be Jesus’ fear of disappointing His Father. 1 John 4:18 says: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” The love between the Father and the Son is “perfect love;” therefore, no fear exists between them. Jesus gives us the answer in John 14:30–31: “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.” Jesus suffered so that the world will know that Jesus loves the Father. Love was the motive for His obedience through suffering.

Even though the participants have changed from the Father and Jesus, to Jesus and us, the principle remains. The primary reason we are obedient should not be fearful of chastisement but love for Jesus. He told His disciples in John 14:15: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Our mission is to have the world know that we love Jesus more than we love them. We have to do it in such a way that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind who we love more. This is the rub that world has against practicing Christians. They want Christians to love the world more than anyone else, including God. Jesus says in John 15:18–19: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” Why did the world hate Jesus and why does the world hate practicing Christians? We love a different world more than this world; we love the Father of that world more than we love anyone or anything in this world; we are living for the world to come, instead of this world.

Jesus’ obedience through suffering, perfected Him to become “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” “Author” means that Jesus is the cause of salvation. The word was a terminology of Greek philosophers. However, Hebrew’s writer employs the word differently than the philosophers. “The differences stem from the author’s dynamic understanding of perfection or completion. It is not a philosophical idea but represents the fulfillment of Christ work in redemptive history. It is not characteristic of a transcendent mind but accomplished through Christ ultimate identification with humanity, evident in His suffering. Whereas someone like Philo sees God as a cause that is separate from his creation, Christ in Hebrews becomes a cause through his incarnation and genuine experience of createdness.” (Sigurd Grindheim).pg.291-92 In other words, Jesus became this transcendent cause of salvation by identifying with creation and experiencing creation.

Conclusion

I want to conclude this sermon with the lyrics to: Hallelujah, What a Savior

Verse 1

“Man of Sorrows” what a name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim

CHORUS Hallelujah, what a Savior

Hallelujah, what a Savior

Verse 2

Bearing shame and scoffing rude

In my place condemned He stood

Sealed my pardon with His blood

Verse 3

Guilty vile and helpless we

Spotless Lamb of God was He

Full atonement can it be

Verse 4

Lifted up was He to die

“It is finished!” was His cry

Now in heaven exalted high

Verse 5

When He comes, our glorious King

All His ransomed home to bring

Then anew this song we’ll sing