In the fifth chapter of Hebrews, the author moves from speaking about Jesus as God and and Messiah to Jesus Christ as high priest. It’s important to the author that Jesus did not choose this office for himself. Like the first priest, Aaron, God called him to this office.

Jesus cried out to the God the Father out love for us.

He knows us intimately in our weakness, because he made himself weak like us. He came to the Father in humility, with tears, abandoning himself, and God heard him.

His reverence and respect for God the Father made this possible.

He suffered, learning obedience.

The pattern is striking, isn’t it? Because of Jesus' call, his response to God, and his suffering, you are called, you are enabled to respond, and you too learn obedience through suffering.

Like Jesus, we also look forward to a resurrection.

The end of the chapter hints at great depths of meaning in the idea of God-in-the-flesh as our High Priest. Yet before we can go on to plumb them, we must get the basics right.

You have to know the story-arc, the characters, the purpose of the Scriptures. Lay a solid foundation so you can practice discernment (distinguishing between right and wrong). Thus grounded, you can venture out to explore and expand your understanding.

Do you know what it means for Jesus to be your High Priest?

Does this move you to awe and thankfulness and worship, or is it confusing?

If it is confusing, have you laid a solid foundation on the Gospel message contained in the whole of Scripture? Have you forgotten “the basic principles of the oracles of God?”