NOTES for Heb 5:10

¹⁰Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

In calling Christ "a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," the author of the letter turns to one of the most mysterious biblical figures. Melchizedek is indeed called in Genesis by a word traditionally translated as "priest," although in his time there could, of course, be no question yet of the Levitical priesthood.

The God whom Melchizedek serves is called by the name El Elyon, which appears nowhere else except in the story of Melchizedek's blessing of Abraham; Abraham's God was never called by this name. And this mysterious servant of an unknown god blesses Abraham, whom his God is leading. He blesses by revelation, by inspiration, not belonging to the people of God, appearing as if outside the history of Revelation and at the same time entering it in a completely unexpected way, beyond all frameworks and human ideas of salvation.

In the same way Christ Himself enters the world and the history of salvation: beyond every human framework, unexpectedly, unpredictably, violating and destroying all the messianic ideas and concepts of His era. But there is something else shared by Him and Melchizedek. As in every case when we are speaking of a phenomenon we today usually call charismatic, in the case of Melchizedek's blessing human nature played no very large role in this act.

Such spontaneous actions of a prophetic character are often performed, so to speak, "over" human nature. Of course, this is not what we see in Christ, in whom nature was fully and completely involved in each of His actions. But for fallen man, a charismatic act often turns out to be the only way to minimize the distortions that human sinfulness introduces into spiritual life. Every priest, for example, as one who presides, had first of all to resist his own sinfulness; otherwise, as a presider he could do nothing.

Jesus is simply free from sin; He does not need to struggle with Himself in order to carry out the ministry entrusted to Him by the Father. In this respect the charismatic Melchizedek is closer to Christ than an ordinary priest: he is, of course, not sinless, but in blessing Abraham he in a sense steps over his sinfulness with God's help. Of course, for Melchizedek this is only a brief state, while for Jesus it is normal; He was born this way and lives this way. But at the moment when Melchizedek understands that he must bless Abraham, he is closer to Christ than any priest overcoming his sinfulness in daily service. The sinless High Priest, who for the sake of people shared with them the lot of sinful man - this is how the Savior appears in the letter.

Other notes

For Heb 5:1-10

¹For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

²Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

³And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

⁴And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

⁵So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

⁶As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

⁷Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

⁸Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

⁹And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

¹⁰Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

In today's reading the apostle Paul says that Christ offered prayers and supplications to the Father, who was able to save Him from death... Read more

In today's reading the apostle Paul says that Christ offered prayers and supplications to the Father, who was able to save Him from death, and that He was heard. This does not fit very well with our customary ideas about what an answered prayer is. It would seem that if the Father heard Him, the very miracle demanded by the Jews should have taken place: Jesus should have come down from the cross and appeared in glory. But Paul sees the situation through entirely different eyes. Jesus, true God, became true man—and therefore mortal. He followed to its end the path taken by each of us. And the Father heard the Son: death itself was destroyed by His death, the gates of hell collapsed, and the very moment that seemed to be defeat proved to be His victory.