Day 30, Thu., 15th March: Hebrews 5.5-10

I think the Letter to the Hebrews is the most Jewish of all the New Testament writings, with the possible exception of Matthew's Gospel. It reads as though the author is trying to persuade their readership of the Jewishness of Jesus. John Miller's excellent commentary in With Love to the World points this out very well. Even the fact that because Jesus was not a Levite He was not qualified to perform the priestly role on earth works in favour of this. The Writer quotes Psalm 110.4 as a prophecy pointing to God's appointment of Jesus as a priest in a priestly order older than that of the Levites: the order of Melchizedek.

Having established that Jesus was a high priest the author is able to say other things about Him. He stresses Jesus' humanity, having been chosen from among the mortals (5.1) for the high priestly role. One of us, He too has agonised in prayer, suffered, been tested, and so sympathises with us. (vv. 7-8)

We don't do "high priests", or even "priests" in my Uniting Church tradition, at least not explicitly. John Miller points out that the role of the priest differs from that of a teacher or preacher; they quite literally face in different directions. Many years ago I attended a worship service conducted in the Mar Thoma tradition of south India. The priest wore ornate, highly colourful robes. As he turned, repeatedly, between facing the altar and facing the congregation his robes swung out, revealing a spectacular purple inner side with gold trim. It was as though he was enacting the role of an intermediary between God and his people. Miller says in his commentary that the preacher faces the people and speaks on behalf of God, whereas the priest faces in the same direction as the people, speaking and performing actions on their behalf. Jesus performed both roles. According to one formula He fulfilled the classic threefold office of prophet, priest and king. In any case, Christ learned obedience, and was made perfect, through suffering, and having been made perfect He became the source of salvation for all who obey him. (vv.9-10)

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