1. Hebrews 4:14-16…………………We Have a Great High Priest 1
2. Hebrews 5:1-6…………………….Christ Did Not Exalt Himself 3
3. Hebrews 5:7-10…He Became the Source of Eternal Salvation 5
4. Hebrews 5:11-14…………….. You Need Milk, Not Solid Food 7
5. Hebrews 6:1-3……………………………………Go on to Maturity 9
6. Hebrews 6:4-8……………………It Is Impossible to Restore Them 11
7. Hebrews 6:9-12……………………………………….Be Imitators 13
8. Hebrews 6:13-20……………………Two Unchangeable Things 15
9. Hebrews 7:1-3…………………………………………Melchizedek 17
10. Hebrews 7:4-10…………………….Abraham and Melchizedek 19
11. Hebrews 7:11-14…………………..A Change in the Priesthood 20
12. Hebrews 7:15-22…………The Power of an Indestructible Life 22
13. Hebrews 7:23-25…….He Holds His Priesthood Permanently 24
14. Hebrews 7:26-28………………………….Made Perfect Forever 26
1. Hebrews 4:14-16…………………We Have a Great High Priest
Read: Hebrews 4:14-16.
Observe: 1. Identify the hortatory subjunctives in these verses1. ______
2. How is Jesus described in these verses? What roles, qualities, etc? ______
3. What has Jesus experienced that we also experience, according to v.15? ______
4. What has Jesus not experienced that we do experience, according to v.15? ______
5. What do we receive from the One who sits on the throne of grace? ______
Learn: • Notice how the word “therefore” is found at the beginning of Hebrews 4:14-16. These verses mark a transition from declaring Jesus as the exalted and eternal Son of God to declaring Him as the Great High Priest of God’s people.
• The word “confession” (v. 14) is also found in 2 Cor 9:13, 1 Tim 6:12-13, Heb 3:1, and Heb 10:23. The Greek word is “homologias,” which literally means “same message/word.” In Hebrews 4:14, the word does not use a possessive pronoun (“our”); it uses a definite article. In other words, we could read Hebrews 4:14 as “Let us hold fast the confession.” There is a determined and fixed set of beliefs that the audience of Hebrews were to hold to and to maintain, such as Jesus’s role as Apostle and High Priest (3:1).
Think: 1. Where in Hebrews have we already seen Christ referred to as our high priest? What is the connection between these verses and 4:14, specifically regarding “our confession?” ______
1 Remember, a hortatory subjunctive is the author’s encouragement of his audience to do something. He also includes himself as one who should do the action. Hortatory subjunctives often are translated as “Let us.”
1 2. Why should Jesus’s role as our great High Priest cause us to “hold fast our confession” and “draw near with confidence to the throe of grace” (4:14, 16)? ______
3. Where in the Gospels was Jesus tempted? Provide specific scripture references. ______
4. What is the significance that Jesus was tempted but without sin? What reason does this give us to draw near to God to seek mercy and grace in time of need? ______
5. Read Leviticus 16:11-19. Compare the Mercy Seat mentioned there with the Throne of Grace in Hebrews. ______
Apply:
1. In what ways does knowing that Jesus can sympathize with your weaknesses encourage you? ______
2. Do you confidently drawn near to the throne of grace in prayer to receive God’s help, mercy, and grace? Why or why not? ______
2 2. Hebrews 5:1-6…………………….Christ Did Not Exalt Himself
Read: Hebrews 5:1-6
Observe: 1. Who is the subject of Hebrews 5:1-4? ______
2. Who is the subject of Hebrews 5:5-6? ______
3. What did “every high priest chosen from among men” do? ______
4. What were the high priests of old beset by? ______
5. How did someone become a high priest? ______
Learn: • The writer of Hebrews says that the high priest would never take “this [priesthood] for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was” (5:4). When Hebrews was written, the high priesthood had been bought and sold many times to men who were not qualified nor called by God. The recipients of Hebrews, who may have been tempted to return to the sacrificial system, would have immediately thought about how the so called “high priests” of their day were actually illegitimate. This exalts Christ all the more as the only and true High Priest for God’s people.
• Read Numbers 16 to learn how God views those who would seek to appoint themselves to the priesthood.
• Read Genesis 14:17-24 to learn who Melchizedek is (referred to in Hebrews 5:6).
Think: 1. What is the relation of 5:1-6 to 4:14-16? ______
3 2. Why does the author of Hebrews discuss Old Covenant High Priests here? ______
3. What characteristics define a high priest according to these verses? ______
4. Does Christ have these characteristics? In what ways? Look through the Gospels and see if you can find specific instances. ______
5. Is the author of Hebrews suggesting that Christ had the same kind of weaknesses as the high priests of old? Did Christ have to offer a sacrifice for His own sins? What is the similarity and the difference between the old high priests and Jesus Christ? ______
Apply:
1. Consider the work of the old high priests on behalf of Israel and remember that those men had weaknesses and failed at times in their duties. In what ways does it comfort you to know that Jesus Christ, our new High Priest, has not only been appointed by God but is the perfect Son of God? ______
4 3. Hebrews 5:7-10…He Became the Source of Eternal Salvation
Read: Hebrews 5:7-10.
Observe: 1. What actions are attributed to Christ in these verses? ______
2. Why did God listen to Christ’s “prayers and supplications”? ______
3. Who designated Christ to be a high priest? ______
4. Who does Christ offer eternal salvation to? ______
5. According to v.9, what happened to Christ? ______
Learn: • The phrase “being made perfect” (v.9) comes from the Greek word teleioo. We encountered this word in Hebrews 2:10. In fact, almost 50% of the uses of this word occur in the book of Hebrews. “Its core meaning is “to complete,” and the word can also mean “to make perfect” when perfection is seen as completion.”2 The use of the word in Hebrews 5:9 has the same sense as Hebrews 2:10.
• The word used for “reverence” in v. 8 (eulabeia) has both the positive sense of a right relationship and knowledge of God as well as a careful fear of violating His Law.3 In the case of Christ, we can understand His reverence to mean that, as a man, He knew God perfectly, thought about God perfectly, obeyed God perfectly, and worshipped God perfectly
2 Adriani Milli Rodrigues, “Perfection,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
3 Rudolf Bultmann, “Εὐλαβής, Εὐλαβεῖσθαι, Εὐλάβεια,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 753.
5 • The word “learned” (emathen) in 5:8 means here “to come to understand (something) by experience.”4 This is not referring to Christ gaining more knowledge, but rather that Christ came to experience perfect obedience to God through His suffering. Here is an illustration. Look at the line below representing Christ’s time on earth. If Christ deviated from the Father’s will at any point during His life, would he have learned obedience? No, for that would be disobedience! Christ needed to finish His mission, the main work being His death, before it could be said that He truly and completely learned obedience and was made perfect in His role as the Messiah.
Christ’s Earthly Ministry and Mission as the Messiah Christ’s Birth Christ’s Crucifixion
Think: 1. How does Hebrews 5:7-10 connect to what the author of Hebrews has already said about Christ in Hebrews 4:14-5:6? ______
2. What are the two periods of time discussed in these verses? What event separates them? ______
3. Read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 and Paul’s sermon in Acts 13. In what way did God answer Christ’s prayer to be saved from death? Provide citations from Acts. ______
4. What is the connection between Christ being “the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” and His role as our High Priest? ______
Apply: 1. Read Romans 8:34. Take a minute to think about how Christ, who is heard completely and perfectly by the Father, intercedes for you. How does this affect your heart and mind? ______
4 Michael R. Jones, “Teaching,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
6 4. Hebrews 5:11-14…………….. You Need Milk, Not Solid Food
Read: Hebrews 5:11-14
Observe:
1. In 5:11, what is the “this”of which there is much to say? ______
2. How does the author of Hebrews describe the recipients of his letter? ______
3. According to these verses, what kind of Christian consumes “milk”? What kind of Christian consumes “solid food”? ______
4. According to verse 14, what is one factor of spiritual maturity? ______
Learn: • The author of Hebrews describes his audience as “dull of hearing;” in the Greek, dull (nothros) means ‘sluggish, lazy or negligence…” The sluggishness of the addressees is specified in dullness or even reluctance to listen.”5 In essence the Hebrews had become negligent in pursuing greater learning and maturity regarding God’s Word, and they had become comfortable in their spiritual immaturity.
• When the author of Hebrews states that “you ought to be teachers,” he is not stating that the Hebrews should all hold that church-office. Rather, he is simply stating that the Hebrews be mature enough and should know doctrine well enough to be able to explain and teach it to others. Unfortunately, the Hebrews themselves need a teacher! (v.12)
• The Hebrews are compared to babies; unable to consume anything more than the basic “milk” of Scripture and doctrine and unable to apply it to their lives. This is why the author of Hebrews needs to take time to admonish them to listen up and grow up. By contrast, the “solid food” of doctrine is
5 Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 205.
7 suitable for those who are mature and who know how to use the word of righteousness skillfully to distinguish good from evil. This category is who the Hebrews need to become in their lives.
Think:
1. According to v. 11, have the Hebrews always been negligent and dull in their hearing and applying of God’s Word? How do you know? ______
2. Why does the author of Hebrews use the analogy of milk and solid food? ______
3. Where else does this metaphor appear in the New Testament? Use your cross references. ______
4. Summarize in your own words what the author is saying in 5:11-14. Compare with your group. ______
Apply:
1. How is your “hearing” when it comes to Christian doctrine and the Scriptures? Are you actively pursuing maturity in these things, or are you content where you are at? ______
2. While Christian maturity does not only consist of knowledge and discernment, it will not exist without knowledge and discernment that comes from the Scriptures. Write down three ways you can grow in these areas. ______
8 5. Hebrews 6:1-3……………………………………Go on to Maturity
Read: Hebrews 5:11-6:1-3 and then Hebrews 6:1-3 again.
Observe:
1. What does the author of Hebrews exhort his readers to do? ______
2. What does he not want them to do? ______
3. What word connects 6:1-3 with 5:11-14? ______
Learn: • Consider the phrase “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ” (6:1). The author of Hebrews is not saying that the elementary doctrine consists of Christ, but that it belongs to Christ. In other words, He is not saying “Let us move beyond the elementary truths about Christ;” rather, he is saying “Let us leave move beyond the basic things that belong to Christ.”
• In the Greek, the structure of this section groups together “foundation of repentance from dead works and faith towards God” and “instructions about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection from the dead, and eternal judgement.” The author of Hebrews identifies the foundation of faith and repentance and the various doctrinal elements. These items are all found in the Old Testament, but take on a new and greater significance in the New Testament.
• “repentance from dead works:” See the cross reference with Hebrews 9:14. These works are sinful works that lead to death. When we become a Christian, we repent and turn towards Christ rather than sinful dead works. • “faith toward God:” This refers to the justifying faith that Christians are gifted with by God in conjunction with their regeneration. It is the opposite of the “unbelief” of Israel (Heb 3:19). Habakkuk mentions this faith as well (Hab 2:4) • “washings:” This probably does not refer to Christian baptism, but Jewish cleansing rituals. John MacArthur notes that “Every Jewish home had a basin by the entrance… for ceremonial cleansing, of which there were many. It is these washings that the readers are told to abandon and forget.”6 New Jewish believers would have been instructed in the difference between the Old Testament washing and the New Testament baptism.
6 John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Hebrews (Chicago: Moody, 1983), 139.
9 • “the laying on of hands:” This likely refers to the apostolic practice of laying on hands to impart the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 8:17, 9:17, 19:6 etc). However, as F.F. Bruce points out, even this has a connection to the Old Testament, “where it is used especially in commissioning someone for public office, or as part of the sacrificial ritual.”7 Thus, this would have likely included the instruction of new Jewish converts in the New Testament significance of laying on hands. • “the resurrection of the dead:” The resurrection of the dead would not have been a new doctrine for these Jewish believers, since Pharisaical Judaism taught a future resurrection of the dead (cf. Daniel 12:2-3). However, Christ’s resurrection brought a great and new significance to resurrection, and it seems that the Hebrews had not progressed to learn about these new realities (cf. 5:11). • “eternal judgement” This would not have been new for these Jewish believers either; however, consider how much more information the New Testament adds about eternal judgement, as well as how to escape it through Christ!
Think: 1. What does the “this” in v.3 refer to? How would you summarize v.3 in relation to 6:1-2? ______
2. Explain how the author of Hebrews uses “Therefore” to transition between 5:11-14 and 6:1. ______
3. What does the author of Hebrews mean when he says that his Jewish audience should not be “laying again a foundation of….”? Why should they not do this? ______
Apply: 1. The author of Hebrews reveals that Christian maturity is a process, but it is also one that is inextricable from growing in doctrinal and theological knowledge (6:1). Are you complacent with your knowledge of God in His Word? In what ways do you plan to actively and purposefully grow in your understanding of Christian doctrine and theology? ______
7 F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 117.
10 6. Hebrews 6:4-8……………………It Is Impossible to Restore Them
Read: Hebrews 6:1-8
Observe: 1. What word begins 6:4? Does that mean 6:4 connects to 6:1-3? ______
2. What actions did “those… who have fallen away” participate in, according to 6:4-6? ______
3. Is it possible to restore such a person to repentance? ______
4. After having fallen away, what do these people do according to v. 6? ______
5. What two “crops” are described in 6:7-8? ______
Learn: • The Letter to the Hebrews contains a number of warning passages to believers, such as Hebrews 2:1-4, 3:12-14, and 4:11-13. As we learned when we examined those passages, a true Christian cannot lose their salvation; however, these warnings serves as the means by which God preserves the elect (as they heed the warning) and the non-elect (as they disregard the warning and fall away). Hebrews 6:1-7 functions in the same way. • Let’s take a closer look at the activities that the apostate described here was involved with. • “been enlightened:” this refers to receiving an understanding about information. These people had come to learn and to know the truth about Jesus and the Gospel. • “tasted the heavenly gift:” this likely refers to the gift of salvation and its accompanying blessings. It is possible for an unregenerate person to experience some of the benefits of being among the covenant community without possessing them as their own. • “shared in the Holy Spirit:” As demonstrated by Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-24) to have some interaction with the Spirit without actually being indwells and regenerated by the Spirit. Apostates may be the recipients of the spiritual gifts of others, as well. • “tasted the goodness of the Word of God:” The apostate may sit under the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, being blessed by the common effects it may have even among unregenerate men (e.g. moral reformation or wisdom).
11 • “[tasted] the powers of the age to come:” This is “probably a reference to the miraculous events which marked the beginnings of the community to which Hebrews is addressed.”8 The apostate witnessed powerful signs and miracles that accompanied the preaching of the Gospel in those early apostolic days. • The nature of apostasy that the author of Hebrews refers to in this passage is very serious, as demonstrated by 6:6. Consider the two items listed in this verse: recrucifying Christ and holding Christ up to public disgrace. This does not refer to someone who may visit church with us and decide not to come back; rather it refers to someone who confessed the truth of the Gospel and their belief in Jesus, was involved in the life of the local church, and then repudiated all of it. • The author of Hebrews declares the crucified sacrifice of Jesus as once and for all finished, but to restore a Gospel-rejecting apostate to repentance would be like requiring Christ to be crucified again on their behalf. • The phrase “holding him up to contempt” refers to the practice of publicly shaming an individual and subjecting them to ridicule. By rejecting the Christ they once confessed, these apostates then effectively ridicule and mock Christ in the eyes of the public. • These two reasons explain why an apostate (in the true sense) cannot be restored again to repentance. Think: 1. Read Luke 8:4-15. Did the people that the various types of soil represent look the same at first? However, did the seed take true root in all of them? In the end, what was the proof of regeneration in the good soil? ______
2. Do the things listed in 6:4-5 sound like they describe a believer? Why do you think the author of Hebrews would use such terms to describe the experiences of someone who eventually fell away? ______
3. Based on 6:4-8, why is there no use in “laying again a foundation”? Can apostasy be remedied by a return to the foundation of “repentance and faith”? ______
8 Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1993), 321.
12 7. Hebrews 6:9-12……………………………………….Be Imitators
Read: Hebrews 6:1-12, then 6:9-12 again.
Observe: 1. How does the author of Hebrews change the “point of view” (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person)9 of who he addresses in 6:9-12 compared to from 6:4-8? ______
2. What things is the author of Hebrews sure of regarding the Hebrews? ______
3. How is the character and work of the Hebrews described in 6:10? ______
4. What does the author of Hebrews desire for his audience? Why? ______
Learn: • The author of Hebrews calls his audience “beloved” in 6:9. This is the only time this word is used in Hebrews, and indicates that after giving them such a severe warning, the author of Hebrews desired to comfort and reassure his audience. • The word used for “sluggish” (nothroi) in Hebrews 6:12 is the same word used for “dull” in 5:11. When used in 5:11, the word is referring to hearing and applying the deeper truths of the Gospel; when used in Hebrews 6:12, the word is referring to sluggishness and laziness in Christian service and endurance.
Think: 1. Explain how 6:9-12 connects to 6:1-8. ______
2. 6:9-12 concludes a particular appeal for action that author of Hebrews was making. What is this appeal? Where did this appeal begin?
9 1st person= “I,” 2nd person= “You,” 3rd person= “They”
13 ______
3. What reasons does the author of Hebrews give for being “sure of better things” for his audience? ______
4. By serving the saints, what were the Hebrews doing? ______
5. What four things in 6:10 describe Christian service? ______
6. In one sentence, how would you summarize the point of 6:9-12? ______
Apply:
1. Do you serve the saints? ______
2. If so, do you do it as a demonstration of your love for God? ______
3. Are there ways in your life that you are spiritually sluggish and not imitating those who obtained God’s promises by faith? ______
14 8. Hebrews 6:13-20……………………Two Unchangeable Things
Read: Hebrews 6:9-20.
Observe: 1. What did God do when He made a promise to Abraham? Why? ______
2. What is the result of God’s promise and His oath to Abraham according to 6:18? ______
3. What is the “sure and steadfast anchor”? ______
4. Where has Jesus gone, and for whom? ______
Learn: • Read Genesis 22 to understand what event the author of Hebrews is referencing here. • Peter T. O Brien says this: “To show clearly his unchanging purpose, God confirmed it with an oath. The verb ‘guaranteed’ (mesiteuō), which appears only here in Scripture, can be used for a person who mediates a dispute or a witness and a guarantor of a legal matter. It is the latter use that is in view here, and underscores the validity of God’s promises. He guarantees his own commitments. At the same time, this verb, which points to an intermediary who guarantees something, anticipates the later argument of Hebrews where Christ is presented as the ‘mediator’ (mesitēs) of the new covenant (8:6; 9:15; 12:24).”10 • Read Leviticus 16, and pay special attention to where the High Priest went during the Day of Atonement ceremony.
10 Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 239.
15 Think: 1. Explain how 6:13-20 connects to the argument being Hebrews 6:12 and the purpose that 6:13-20. ______
2. According to Hebrews 11:39, Abraham didn’t receive what was promised, yet Hebrews 6:15 says that he did. Based on Genesis 17, what promise did Abraham receive? Did Abraham receive in his lifetime all that God promised to him? ______
3. Who are the “heirs of the promise”? ______
4. What are the “two unchangeable things?” ______
5. What is the message communicated to Abraham and us by God sealing an already unbreakable promise with an oath? ______
6. Look carefully at v. 18-19. Explain the “hope” we have and explain how and why we can have that hope. ______
7. What work did Jesus accomplish by entering behind the curtain? ______
8. What are the implications for us that Jesus has gone behind the curtain on our behalf? ______
16 9. Hebrews 7:1-3…………………………………………Melchizedek
Read: Hebrews 6:19-7:3, then read 7:1-3 again.
Observe:
1. How is Melchizedek described? ______
2. What two “offices” does he hold? ______
3. According to the wording of 7:3, does the Son of God resemble Melchizedek, or does Melchizedek resemble the Son of God? ______
Learn: • Read Genesis 14 to learn about what the author of Hebrews is referencing here. • Melchizedek’s name is a combination of two Hebrews words: Melech, meaning “king” and tzedeq, meaning righteousness. That’s why the author of Hebrews writes what he does in 7:2. Additionally, Melchizedek was the King of Salem; Salem comes from the Hebrew word shalom, meaning “peace.” Hence, Melchizedek is the king of peace. • Read Psalm 110, which is subtly referenced in this passage (and 6:20), and pay special attention to 110:4. Consider what two offices are described here: Priest and King. • 7:3 uses what is called the “divine passive.” The ESV uses the phrase “resembling,” but a more expressive translation is “having been made to resemble.” By using the passive here, the author of Hebrews implies that it was God who made Melchizedek to resemble “the Son of God.”
Think: 1. After reading and learning about Melchizedek, why do you think that the author of Hebrews begins to talk about him in these verses? ______
17 2. What connections does the author of Hebrews draw between Melchizedek and Jesus? In other words, what do these verses tell us implicitly about Jesus? ______
3. What kind of information does a genealogy communicate about a person? ______
4. What do you think the author of Hebrews means when he writes that Melchizedek has no father, mother, or genealogy but “continues a priest forever”? Is he saying that Melchizedek never died? ______
5. Do you think that Melchizedek is a type of Christ? Why or why not? ______
6. What Old Testament figures has the author of Hebrews compared Jesus to so far? ______
Apply:
1. Melchizedek prefigures Christ, who is the ultimate King of Peace and King of Righteousness. How can that truth about Jesus bring you encouragement? ______
18 10. Hebrews 7:4-10…………………….Abraham and Melchizedek Read: Hebrews 7:4-10 and Genesis 14.
Observe:
1. Whose greatness is emphasized in these verses? ______
2. Who is Melchizedek compared to in these verses? ______
3. Who paid tithes, and to whom were they paid? ______
4. Did the Levites need a legal command to authorize their collection of tithes? Did Melchizedek? ______
Think: 1. According to 7:4, who was greater: Abraham or Melchizedek? Who is the “superior” and who is the “inferior” (7:7)? Why? ______
2. What is Melchizedek’s familial relation to Levi? Why do think this is this significant? ______
3. If Levi and Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, what does that say about Melchizedek? ______
4. If Abraham had the promises, but Melchizedek was able to bless Abraham, what does that say about Melchizedek? ______
19 5. Hebrews 7:11-14…………………..A Change in the Priesthood
Read: Hebrews 7:1-14
Observe: 1. What accompanies a change in the priesthood? ______
2. Has there been a change in the priesthood? ______
3. Who is the “other priest after the order of Melchizedek”? ______
4. What tribe did Jesus come from? Had any high priest come from that tribe before? ______
Learn: • The author of Hebrews uses a particular Greek word for “another” in v. 11. Instead of conveying the idea that this new high priest is alongside or concurrent with the Levitical priesthood, the author of Hebrews uses a word that makes clear that this new priest is completely different and set apart from the Levitical priesthood. In other words, this priest is a whole new kind of priest!
Think: 1. Does the writer of the Hebrews communicate that the Levitical Priesthood was supposed to be the end goal? Why or why not? ______
20 2. What “Law” is in view here? ______
3. Why might these words be shocking to 1st century Jews? ______
4. Why would a change in the priesthood require a change in the Law? ______
5. If there has been a change in the priesthood and the Law, should we expect the Levitical priesthood to return in the future? ______
21 6. Hebrews 7:15-22…………The Power of an Indestructible Life
Read: Hebrews 7:11-22
Observe:
1. What similarity does the author of Hebrews identify between Jesus and Melchizedek? ______
2. What Psalm is referenced here? ______
3. According to v. 16, on what basis did Jesus become a high priest? ______
4. Why was the “former commandment” set aside? ______
5. What took the place of the “former commandment”? ______
Learn:
• When the author of Hebrews says that “the law made nothing perfect,” he is not saying that the Law didn’t do what God ultimately intended for it to do.What he is saying is that the Law could never bring people to meet God’s righteous standard by itself. The Law shows us how far we fall from God’s standard, but in itself cannot transform us; instead, it condemns us apart from Christ.
Think:
1. What does the author mean when he refers to “requirement concerning bodily descent?” ______
22 2. Exodus 40:15 and Jeremiah 33:18 seem to suggest that the Levitical Priesthood would last forever. How should we understand these verses in light of what the author of Hebrews is saying about Jesus? ______
3. Why couldn’t the sacrificial system make anything perfect? Was the sacrificial system ever supposed to make man right with God by itself? If you can, use OT scriptures to support your answer. (Hint: read Psalm 51). ______
4. Why does Jesus’s “power of an indestructible” life set Him apart from the Levitical Priesthood? ______
5. Why is the priesthood of Jesus a “better hope?” ______
6. Read Exodus 28:1. Did God establish the Levitical priesthood with an oath? Why is Jesus’s oathbound priesthood so significant? ______
Apply:
• Even though we may not think about priests very often in the 21st century, the reality is that Christians are actively connected to Jesus and His new priesthood. Spend time thinking about the better hope we have in Jesus and His priesthood compared to the Levitical priesthood.
23 7. Hebrews 7:23-25…….He Holds His Priesthood Permanently
Read: Hebrews 7:23-25
Observe:
1. Why were there many “former priests”? ______
2. Why is Jesus’s priesthood permanent? ______
3. According to v. 25, what are the results of Jesus’s permanent priesthood? ______
Learn:
• Even though the ESV and some other English translations convey v. 23 as being in the past tense, the Greek is mainly in the present tense. We could understand the verse to read “The many who had become priests are prevented by death from continuing in office.” This would indicate that the priesthood and the Temple were still existent when the epistle to the Hebrews was written.
• Read Leviticus 16 and Exodus 28:9-10. One of the main jobs of the High Priest was to intercede on behalf of God’s people, and his priestly garments reflected this function (such as the stones inscribed with the names of the tribes of Israel).11
11 David L. Allen, Hebrews, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2010), 429.
24 Think:
1. What are the major differences between the Levitical High Priests and Jesus, the Melchizedekian High Priest, according to these verses? ______
2. Read Romans 6:5-11. What has Jesus done that allows Him to remain forever as our High Priest? ______
3. As High Priest, who does Jesus mediate between? ______
4. According to v. 25, how do we draw near in worship to God? ______
Apply:
• Read John 17. This passage gives us window into what Jesus’s intercession on behalf of His people looks like. Do you ever feel alone or that nobody knows or cares about your difficulties and struggles? How does Jesus’s intercession for you encourage you? ______
• How does Jesus’s permanent priesthood and ability to save to the uttermost provide a strong foundation amidst the changing circumstances of life? ______
25 5. Hebrews 7:26-28………………………….Made Perfect Forever
Read: Hebrews 7:1-28
Observe:
1. List all the adjectives (descriptions) of Christ in His High Priestly role found in these verses. ______
2. List the differences between Christ and the Levitical Priests. ______
3. How many sacrifices did Jesus need to make? ______
4. What does “the law” appoint? What does “the word of the oath” appoint? ______
Learn: • Notice how v. 28 ties many of the threads of Hebrews together. For example, the Sonship of Christ was a major theme in the first four chapters, and it reoccurs here again. However, it occurs together with Christ’s Priesthood, giving us a High Priest who is a Son.
• Read Leviticus 16:1-7. Even though the high priest was supposed to be the holiest person in Israel, even he needed a sacrifice to atone for his own sin. Jesus, on the other hand, has no such need, since He is without sin!
Think:
1. Does the author of Hebrews suggest that the Levitical Priests were able to truly meet the needs of God’s people? Based on what you’ve learned so far, why or why not? ______
26 2. Has God provided a fitting High Priest for His people? How so? ______
3. What do you think the author of Hebrews means when he writes that Jesus is “separated from sinners”? ______
4. What does the “word of the oath” refer to? ______
5. Do God’s oath and God’s law conflict with each other in regards to the priesthood? Does the oath bring about a change in the Law? Use other verses from Hebrews 7 to support your answer. ______
Consider these words from F.F. Bruce on Jesus as our High Priest:
“Fully equipped to discharge an intercessory ministry at the right hand of God, this is no high priest subject to all the conditions of earthly frailty; this is the one whom God addresses as Son, whose high priesthood is absolutely efficacious and eternally suited to meet His people’s need.”12
What a wonderful and all sufficient High Priest we have in Jesus, and what a full and complete salvation He provides for us!
12 F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1964), 160.
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