Hebrews 5 - Christ's Priesthood and a Call to Grow Up
Hebrews 5 presents Christ as a high priest after the order of Melchisedec and urges spiritual growth.
Following the description of Christ's sympathy as high priest in Hebrews 4, this chapter explains what qualifies a high priest, chosen from among men and able to have compassion on the ignorant. It shows that even Christ did not glorify himself into this role but was called by God, made a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.
For, every high-priest who from among men is taken, on behalf of men, is appointed, as to the things pertaining unto God, that he may be offering [both] gifts and sacrifices for sins,—
Able, to have a measure of feeling, for the ignorant and erring,—since, he also, is compassed with weakness;
And, for this cause, is he obliged—as for the people, so also, for himself,—to be offering for sins;
And, not unto himself, doth one take the honour, but when called by God, just as, even Aaron:
Thus, also the Christ, glorified not himself to become a high-priest, but he that spake unto him—My Son, art, thou, I, this day, have begotten thee;
As also, in a different place, he saith—Thou, art a priest, age-abidingly, according to the rank of Melchizedek:
Who, in the days of his flesh, having offered up, both supplications and entreaties unto him that was able to save him out of death, with mighty outcries and tears, and been hearkened to by reason of his devoutness,
Even though he was a son, yet learned, from what things he suffered, obedience;
And, being made perfect, became, to all them that obey him, Author of salvation age-abiding;
Being addressed by God as high-priest—according to the rank of Melchizedek.
Concerning whom, great, is our discourse, and of difficult interpretation, to express, seeing that, slothful, have ye become in the hearing;
For, even when ye ought to be teachers, by reason of the time, again, have ye, need, that one be teaching, you, what are the first principles of the oracles of God, and have become such as have, need, of milk, not, of strong food;
For, every one partaking of milk, is unskilled in discourse of righteousness, for he is, a babe;
But, to such as are mature, pertaineth, the strong food, to them who, by reason of habit, have their organs of perception well trained for discriminating both good and evil.