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Hebrews 5:13-14

¹³And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right. ¹⁴Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.

Reflect

I remember when my kids graduated from milk to solid food. It was a special milestone for us. Our kids were growing up! As the years go by, we continue to see them mature into little ladies. The author of Hebrews uses milk and solid food to describe our Christian faith. The milestone, or maturity comes when you have trained yourself to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then choose to do right. The maturing process never stops. Just like my kids, we need to keep growing our Christian faith so that we to can become more mature. And, as we become mature, we can teach others.

Respond

Is your Christian life like drinking milk or eating solid food?

Why is it important to continue to grow toward the solid food of maturity?

Do you have any responsibility to help others mature in their faith?

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Hebrews 5:11-12

¹¹There is so much more we would like to say about this. But you don’t seem to listen, so it’s hard to make you understand. ¹²You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food.

Reflect

Have you ever tried to explain something that was complicated and you knew, half-way into the explanation that they just weren’t getting it? Sometimes it takes going back to the basics. That is what is happening in our reading today. The recipients of this letter had been believers for long enough that they should have been able to comprehend difficult subjects, but they weren’t. Essentially, our reading today is a scolding for being lazy!

Respond

Why is it important to continue to grow as Christians?

While not every believer has the gift of teaching, every believer should be able to teach one-on-one. Would you be able to teach someone one-on-one?

What are some things you can do to help you mature in your Christian faith?

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Hebrews 5:7-10

⁷While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. ⁸So even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. ⁹In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. ¹⁰And God designated him to be a High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.

Reflect

In order to represent man to God, a priest must be human. In fact, to be humane, he must be human. While Jesus was here on earth, he was all man. Through His suffering, he learned obedience to the Father. In that way, He was perfectly fit to become our High Priest.

Respond

Why is it important that Jesus was human?

Could an angel represent man to God? Why or why not?

If Jesus is God, how can He represent man to God?

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Hebrews 5:4-6

⁴And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He has to be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was.

⁵That is why Christ did not exalt himself to become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,

“You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

⁶And in another passage God said to him,

“You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.”

Reflect

A priest represents man to God. One of the prerequisites to be a priest is that a priest be appointed by God. Jesus was divinely appointed as man’s representative to God. Just like Aaron didn’t appoint himself to be priest, Jesus did not seek to glorify himself to that position.

Respond

Why was it necessary that Jesus be appointed High Priest?

Can anyone be man’s representative to God?

Why was Jesus the perfect choice to be our High Priest?

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Hebrews 5:1-3

¹ Now a high priest is a man chosen to represent other human beings in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers their sacrifices for sins. ²And because he is human, he is able to deal gently with the people, though they are ignorant and wayward. For he is subject to the same weaknesses they have. ³That is why he has to offer sacrifices, both for their sins and for his own sins.

Reflect

It has been said that one of the best ways to understand another person’s point of view is to walk a mile in his or her shoes. It is for this reason that Jesus had to come to us as a man. With the same physical temptations and limitations that we have. Yet, He did not sin. That is why He can be our perfect representative to God. He walked in our shoes.

Respond

Do you judge others without considering their point of view?

Is it easier to understand other people when you have had similar experiences?

Have you ever considered that Jesus faced the same temptations and weaknesses that you have?

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Hebrews 4:14-16

¹⁴That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. ¹⁵This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

Reflect

Ask any non-believer what they think of Jesus and you will get replies like:

He was a man who walked this earth a long time ago who did good things.

He was a prophet a long time ago.

Both of those responses are technically correct. Jesus came to this earth to be just like us. He faced the same temptations that we do, He experienced joy, pain, anger, happiness. Our verse says that He faced the challenges that we do everyday and yet, He did not sin. He had to become a man so that he could be our perfect representative to God. Our intercessor.

Respond

How do you describe Jesus?

Is it hard for you to imagine that Jesus was a human being just like us?

Take time right now and thank Jesus for coming to us and being a perfect sacrifice for our sin.

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