WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday October 16, 2016
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CHRIST IS OUR HIGH PRIEST
(JESUS identifies with us and intercedes for us)
(Hebrews 4:14 – 5:10)
In Hebrews chapters 4:14-5:10, the author of GOD seeks to show us
how JESUS easily qualifies to fulfill the essentials of the priesthood, as they
are defined by GOD. JESUS is our High Priest, WHO has gone to Heaven to
intercede for us, and is the SON of GOD.
Complying with all of
GOD’s wishes, HE accepted the charge to come to earth and be born of woman into
a 100% human being, so that HE could legitimately qualify to become a living
sacrifice for all mankind in general, and all Christians in particular. As a
human being, HE came to understand all of our weaknesses, and HE faced all of
the temptations from satan that human beings have to face. That’s why we can
now come boldly to the Throne of GOD, and there, we will find and receive HIS
mercy, and all the grace we need to help us to overcome this world, just as
JESUS did (4:14-16).
In chapter 5, verses 1-5, the writer of
Hebrews discloses to us, the three most essential qualifications that are
required for one to be a priest, who serves the GOD in Heaven. An earthly High
priest is a man chosen to represent other human beings in their dealings with
GOD. One of his key roles is to present their gifts and their sacrifices for
sin to GOD. However, because he is himself a sinful human being, he must first
offer up sacrifices to GOD for his own sins.
First of all, in this
passage the writer gives us the attribute of “compassion” as a key
qualification. The compassion of CHRIST is far richer than the gentleness that
is ascribed to the earthly high priests. The High priest must be able to deal
compassionately with people who are, for the most part, ignorant and wayward,
and he himself is also subject to those same weaknesses.
The Greek word used for “touched”
in verse 4, “sumpatheo” (soom-path-eh-o), means “to have compassion for”. “Compassion”,
in the Greek, “metriopatheo” (met-ree-op-eth-eh-o), is “a midpoint between two
extremes”. That tells us that a priest must operate with his “emotions under control”
at all times, and not be too light, nor too harsh, when dealing with the people
he is interceding for before GOD. He must keep his feelings neutral, in the
middle, where “virtue” can be found. That way he stays within the boundaries of
the compassion that CHRIST exhibited, and won’t subject himself to being
influenced by satan, through “out of control” emotions.
And so the second qualification of the priest
is that he must keep himself within the will of GOD by having “self control”
over his own body. He must continually be concerned about his own spiritual
life and personal relationship with GOD in Heaven, WHOM he labors for.
GOD “declared and called
CHRIST” to be a Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Earthly Priests
were from the Levite line of Aaron, the line that was “appointed by GOD” to
serve in the priesthood here on earth. Thus the third and most important
qualification is that the Priest must be, “called by GOD”, and not “just show
up, and appoint himself”. The priesthood is “a call to glory” by GOD HIMSELF,
and is not an office that is appointed by men. And so a priest of GOD must;
·
Have and show
compassion
·
Keep himself within the
Will of GOD, having self disciple
·
Most importantly, “be
called by GOD”
GOD speaks to us,
through our many experiences in life. These experiences always, in some way,
try our hearts and souls. We can only hear HIS voice when we tune our minds to
HIM, with complete “reverence”. If we rebel against GOD, through our
resentments, or “continuous sins”, our hearts will build up a resistance that
will make us deaf, or, unable to hear the voice of GOD.
JESUS, among HIS many
roles, also serves as our “Eternal High Priest”. HE has been exalted above the
Heavens, and has no need to make sacrifices for us from day to day, like the
old line of Levitical Priests had to do. Because of HIS one-time-only, vicarious
sacrifice for us on the cross, HE, through GOD’s grace, was able to cover all
the sins of every human being, past, present, and future, with HIS “Eternal
Life-giving Blood”. And HE now intercedes for us from a Heavenly vantage point,
pleading our case before GOD, whenever we choose to accept HIS sacrificial
rendering, giving HIM control over the throne of our lives.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
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