Hebrews 5:6 Komentář

In this chapter the apostle continues his discourse upon the priesthood of Christ, a sweet subject, which he would not too soon dismiss. And here, I. He explains the nature of the priestly office in general (Heb 5:1-3). II. The proper and regular call there must be to this office (Heb 5:4-6). III. The requisite qualifications for the work (Heb 5:7-9). IV. The peculiar order of the priesthood of Christ; it was not after the order of Aaron, but of Melchisedec (Heb 5:6, Heb 5:7, Heb 5:10). V. He reproves the Hebrews, that they had not made those improvements in knowledge which might have made them capable of looking into the more abstruse and mysterious parts of scripture (Heb 5:11-14).

INTRODUCTION TO HEBREWS 5 The apostle having made mention of Christ as an high priest, in the preceding chapter, proceeds in this to give an account of an high priest, and applies the character of him to Christ; and shows that he is of another order of priesthood than that of Aaron, even of the order of Melchisedec; of whom he could say many things, but the Hebrews were dull of hearing them; which leads him to blame them for their rudeness, and non-proficience. The description of the high priest is taken from his relation to men, separation from them, and ordination for them; from his oblation of their gifts and sacrifices; from his sympathy with them, and from his call of God, Heb 5:1 all which are accommodated to Christ; as his vocation of God, Heb 5:5 confirmed by two testimonies out of Psa 2:7 his being a man, and having infirmities, though sinless ones, and his sympathy with men, and compassion on them, Heb 5:7 his obedience and sufferings, and the oblation of himself, whereby he became the author of salvation to his people, which is the main thing in his priesthood, Heb 5:8 and which was not of the order of Aaron, though in some things there was an agreement with it, but of the order of Melchizedek, Heb 5:10 of whom the apostle could say many surprising things; but these Hebrews were dull of apprehension, and incapable of receiving them, Heb 5:11. And then he proceeds to blame them for their dulness, which he aggravates by the time they had been in the school of Christ, when it might have been expected they would have been teachers of others; by their being yet scholars, and of the lowest class, who had need to be taught the first rudiments of the Christian religion; yea, by their being as babes that stood in need of milk, and could not bear meat, Heb 5:12. And then follows a description both of babes, and of adult persons; such as are unskilful in the word of righteousness are babes, and use milk; but those who exercise their spiritual senses, to discern between good and bad doctrine, are adult, and can digest strong meat, Heb 5:13.

As he saith also in another place,.... Or psalm; namely, in Psa 110:4 that is, the same person, even God the Father; who spake the words before cited, also expressed the following: thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec; that the psalm, from whence these words are taken, belongs to the Messiah; see Gill on Mat 22:44 and this very passage is applied unto him by the Jewish writers (c); and had not this been the general sense of the Jewish church at this time, the apostle writing to Hebrews would not have produced it; and it very clearly expresses the priesthood of Christ, the eternity of it, and the order according to which it was; and it being not according to the order of Aaron, but of another, shows the change of the priesthood, and so of the law; of Melchizedek; see Gill on Heb 7:1. (c) Moses Hadarsan apud Galatin. l. 10. c. 6. Abot R. Nathan, c. 34.

"As He saith also in another place, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedech." Unto whom now was this spoken? Who is "after the order of Melchisedech"? No other than He. For they all were under the Law, they all kept sabbaths, they all were circumcised; one could not point out any other than Him.

"As he says also in another place." The "And," as regards the sequence of the interpretation, is omitted. "according to the order of Melchizedek." This one first offered an unbloody sacrifice to God, bread and wine.

The reason is that Christ also offered an unbloody sacrifice, for first He offered this, and then later His own body. For this reason, it is accordingly said that Christ is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

That Melchizedek was not anointed into the priesthood by oil, as Aaron, and that he did not offer sacrifices by blood, and that he was a high priest of the nations, and that he blessed Abraham with bread and wine.

The meaning of the word is that if Christ himself did not offer an unbloody sacrifice (for he offered his own body), then those priests who are deemed worthy by God and the high priest will offer an unbloody sacrifice from him. For this indicates, "forever." For he would not have said "forever" regarding the one-time sacrifice and offering made by God, but he refers to the present priests through whom Christ ministers and is ministered to, having also given them in the mystical supper the manner of such ministry.

What Christ everywhere said: "I am sent from God and have not come of Myself" (Jn. 8:42), the same thing Paul now points out, namely, that He was sent from God, and did not glorify Himself, but "He who said to Him," that is, He glorified Him. Accept this as a general observation. Therefore, since Aaron had many sensible signs that he was sent from God, as was said above, but Christ had nothing sensible — on the contrary, even more: His opponents and murderers at that time enjoyed great respect, they did everything and ruled over all — he demonstrates what is being proved on the basis of the prophecies, namely, that He was sent from God. It would seem that the prophecy from the second psalm does not agree with what is proposed. What is proposed is, undoubtedly, to show on the basis of some passage of Scripture that Christ is a High Priest sent from God; yet this testimony shows that He is born of the Father. And indeed, that He is born of God is a preparation for ordination from God. Then take into consideration also what was said afterward in the one hundred and ninth psalm: "from the womb before the morning star... is Your birth" (Ps. 109:3). Then a little later it added: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 109:4). Paul joined here what was said in both psalms about the birth, as if saying the following: lest you think that "You are a priest forever" is said about someone else, it is said precisely about the One born "before the morning star," and this is none other than He of whom it is said in the second psalm that He was born "today": the expression "before the morning star" signifies the eternal; and likewise "today" signifies "from the beginning," that is, from the Father. And the second psalm clearly applies everything to Christ. Therefore, "You are a priest forever" is also said about Christ. Let the Jews say: who else was a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, besides Christ? Were not all under the law? Did not all keep the sabbath and offer sacrifices? So it is perfectly clear that this is said about Christ, for He alone consecrated the sacrifice with bread and wine, just as Melchizedek did. In what sense, then, did he say "forever"? In the sense that even now, with the body which He offered for us before God and the Father, that is, He presents the very sufferings for us as a great plea, saying without words to the Father: Your Son underwent this for the sake of human nature; have mercy, then, on those for whom I condescended to suffer. Or: that the offering performed every day and to be performed through the ministers of God has as its High Priest and Priest and Sacrifice the Lord Himself, who consecrates, is slain, and is distributed for us. And every time this is performed, the death of the Lord is proclaimed.

As man He also receives the high priesthood from God: as he says also in another place: 'You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedech'. But the Apostle uses the authority of the Psalms as being more famous and more often consulted. He says, priest, because He offered Himself to God the Father: 'He loved us and gave himself for us an oblation and offering to God' (Eph. 5:2). But lest anyone suppose the priesthood of Christ is that of the Old Law, he distinguishes the former on two points: first, its authority, because it is for ever, whereas the other was temporary and passed away with the coming of the One prefigured. Likewise, its victim has the power to bring one to eternal life, and it lasts for ever. Secondly, its ritual, because animals were offered in the one, but bread and wine here; hence, he says, according to the order of Melchizedech.

The nature of the high priesthood of Christ; his pre-eminence, qualifications, and order, Heb 5:1-10. Imperfect state of the believing Hebrews, and the necessity of spiritual improvement, Heb 5:11-14.

He saith also in another place - That is, in Psa 110:4, a psalm of extraordinary importance, containing a very striking prediction of the birth, preaching, suffering, death, and conquests of the Messiah. See the notes on Psa 110:4. For the mode of quotation here, See the note on Heb 2:6. Thou art a priest for ever - As long as the sun and moon endure, Jesus will continue to be high priest to all the successive generations of men, as he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If he be a priest for ever, there can be no succession of priests; and if he have all power in heaven and in earth, and if he be present wherever two or three are gathered together in his name, he can have no vicars; nor can the Church need one to act in his place, when he, from the necessity of his nature, fills all places, and is everywhere present. This one consideration nullifies all the pretensions of the Romish pontiff, and proves the whole to be a tissue of imposture. After the order of Melchisedec - Who this person was must still remain a secret. We know nothing more of him than is written in Gen 14:18 (note), etc., where see the notes, and particularly the observations at the end of that chapter, in which this very mysterious person is represented as a type of Christ.

CHRIST'S HIGH PRIESTHOOD; NEEDED QUALIFICATIONS; MUST BE A MAN; MUST NOT HAVE ASSUMED THE DIGNITY HIMSELF, BUT HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY GOD; THEIR LOW SPIRITUAL PERCEPTIONS A BAR TO PAUL'S SAYING ALL HE MIGHT ON CHRIST'S MELCHISEDEC-LIKE PRIESTHOOD. (Heb 5:1-14) For--substantiating Heb 4:15. every--that is, every legitimate high priest; for instance, the Levitical, as he is addressing Hebrews, among whom the Levitical priesthood was established as the legitimate one. Whatever, reasons Paul, is excellent in the Levitical priests, is also in Christ, and besides excellencies which are not in the Levitical priests. taken from among men--not from among angels, who could not have a fellow feeling with us men. This qualification Christ has, as being, like the Levitical priest, a man (Heb 2:14, Heb 2:16). Being "from men," He can be "for (that is, in behalf of, for the good of) men." ordained--Greek, "constituted," "appointed." both gifts--to be joined with "for sins," as "sacrifices" is (the "both . . . and" requires this); therefore not the Hebrew, "mincha," "unbloody offerings," but animal whole burnt offerings, spontaneously given. "Sacrifices" are the animal sacrifices due according to the legal ordinance [ESTIUS].

He is here called simply "Priest"; in Heb 5:5, "High Priest." He is a Priest absolutely, because He stands alone in that character without an equal. He is "High Priest" in respect of the Aaronic type, and also in respect to us, whom He has made priests by throwing open to us access to God [BENGEL]. "The order of Melchisedec" is explained in Heb 7:15, "the similitude of Melchisedec." The priesthood is similarly combined with His kingly office in Zac 6:13. Melchisedec was at once man, priest, and king. Paul's selecting as the type of Christ one not of the stock of Abraham, on which the Jews prided themselves, is an intimation of Messianic universalism.