Hebrews 2:10-18 – Jesus is a Perfect Priest

Session 5 – August 7, 2020 – Men’s Morning Hebrews Haverim

Our Men’s Haverim group is reading through and discussing the book of Hebrews during the months of August and September. For more information, see this blog post.

¹⁷ For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Hebrews 2:17-18 New International Version

Summary:

• God made Jesus perfect through what He suffered so that we could also be made perfect in salvation.
• The one who makes people holy, Jesus, and the ones being made holy, us, are from the same family, or source (ESV). Jesus shares in our humanity and is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters.
• He shares in our humanity, our flesh and blood, so that he can break the power of the devil, who holds death, and free us from the fear of death.
• He had to become fully human in every way so that he could make atonement for us as a merciful and faithful high priest.
• Because he was human in every way, he had to suffer temptation so that he can help us when we are tempted.

Other Thoughts:

• “Made perfect”, or teleo (Greek), means complete or reaching a goal. Jesus’ goal was not for his own glory and honor, but it was for us and our salvation.
• Jesus was fully human, flesh and blood. He shared in our humanity to be like us. Because we couldn’t be like God, God became like us.
• He had to be like us so that He could offer a sacrifice. Since he also suffered and conquered temptation, He was without sin and could offer himself as the sacrifice. The high priest could only offer a substitute sacrifice because he also needed atonement for sins, but Jesus could offer Himself as a perfect high priest.
• The passage talks about how perfect Christ was and in contract all humankind does is imperfect. Even God’s chosen people, the Hebrews, were separated from God by their sin because they could not obey God’s special rules. With the sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer have to follow those specific rules but instead can enter into a relationship with God directly.
• Do you have a close relationship with God in appreciation of Jesus’ sacrifice that enables it?