I. Introduction
A. Best Representation
1. High-profile law cases attract high-profile lawyers.
2. There are times when the person the defendant hires to represent them in court becomes part of the news story.
3. These people hire these lawyers because they are considered the best representatives.
B. Review of Series—Better
1. This is written to a group of Christians who are experiencing some type of persecution.
2. They are weary and in danger of giving in to false teaching.
3. They are reminded that Jesus offers a better hope for this life and the next.
C. Background on Passage
1. Chapter 4 ends by returning to the thought introduced in Hebrews 2:17-18: Jesus as High Priest.
2. The Hebrew author will now expand on that idea, after reminding them that the only way to obtain eternal rest is through Christ.
3. The author begins by sharing that Jesus is the only way to the Father. He uses imagery that they would be familiar with: the high priesthood.
4. What do we need to understand about Jesus being our great high priest?
II. The Great High Priest
A. (4:14-16)
1. The author begins with a personal appeal to Jesus.
2. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, He is not far removed from .
a. In a return to the argument that Jesus’ humanity is an advantage for us, the author reminds us that Jesus understands what it is like to be us, even to the point of experiencing life’s woes as we do.
b. Jesus has even experienced temptation (Matthew 4), although He has not Himself sinned.
c. Illustration: Objects in the mirror: We often feel very alone in our struggles. The devil likes for us to feel isolated and far from God. He wants us to mistake reverence for feeling rejected by God. While it is true that we cannot stand before God holy on our own, we can stand before God as holy because of Christ.
3. The fact that Jesus experienced what we experience helps us to understand that we can withstand .
4. Jesus’ awareness of the human condition encourages us to draw close to God rather than run from Him.
B. (5:1-5)
1. The author also reminds the reader that high priests were chosen from among the people to act on behalf of men before God.
a. The priesthood was responsible for the offering of gifts and sacrifices before God on of the people of God.
b. Perhaps what is in focus is what will be elaborated on more fully later in the letter: the Day of Atonement.
c. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest had to first offer a sacrifice for himself before he could approach the Most Holy Place. The reason for this was that the high priest needed to offer a sacrifice for his own sins. (Leviticus 16:6, 11-14)
2. In the time of Moses, the high priest was appointed, not voted into the position, which is what had become the norm in the times of Christ.
a. There were past examples of people who were not qualified seeking to appoint themselves as priests and being punished (Numbers 16:1-35).
b. The author makes the connection that Jesus is a high priest by appointment, not by vote.
c. This idea will be explored more fully in chapter seven, when we learn that Jesus is a priest like Melchizedek.
3. Just as God set aside Aaron as the family from which the high priest would be chosen, Jesus is appointed high priest by God, not man, which means His appointment is truly for our .
C. Appeal for (5:7-10)
1. Jesus demonstrated, to the fullest extent, what truly looks like.
a. The author now appeals to Jesus’ obedience to the Father as an example for Christians, citing evidence from both His deity and His humanity.
b. Even though Jesus is the source of eternal salvation, His humanity presented a unique opportunity for Him to demonstrate what obedience to God looks like in the most challenging of situations.
2. Our salvation is secured by Christ, but God also demands .
a. In his commentary, Pace observes, “Christ always had the disposition to obey, but to have the virtue of obedience, testing was necessary.” [sic]
b. 2 Peter 2:20-22
c. Illustration: Because I am American, I have certain rights secured through my citizenship (voting, protection from foreign enemies, etc.). This does not mean that I have no obligations to follow the rules of the country I live in, though. I must still exercise obedience even though I also have rights.
d. Wearing the name of Christ comes with rights but also .
e. Romans 6:11-14
3. If we are going to wear the name of Christ, we must be ready to answer for how we represent it.
III. Conclusion
A. Best Defense
1. At the beginning of the lesson, I mentioned that high-profile court cases often have famous lawyers attached; that’s because the situation demands the best lawyer the defendant can hire.
2. We also sometimes pre-judge the defendant as guilty because of who they hire to defend them.
3. We are guilty of sin, and we need the best representation possible; Jesus is that representation.
B. Invitation