Heb. 5: 1-10 Christ's Qualifications As High Priest

A recurring theme in this epistle is that of Jesus as our High Priest. He has been described as: a. A "merciful and faithful High Priest" - He 2:17 b. The "High Priest of our confession" - He 3:1 c. A "great High Priest who has passed through the heavens" - He 4:14 d. A High Priest who can "sympathize with our weaknesses" - He 4:15 This is in keeping with the overall purpose of the epistle which is to show the superiority of Jesus and His new covenant Thus far We have considered Jesus' superiority to... 1) The Prophets - He 1:1-3 2) Angels - He 1:4-2:18 3) And Moses - He 3:1-6 It is only natural that A COMPARISON to Aaron and his priesthood be made. The actual comparison with Aaron will follow later in chapter 7, but first, there is a need to... a. Review the qualities required in high priests b. Establish that Jesus does indeed qualify as a High Priest This is exactly what we find in the text for our study today in He 5:1-10 For us as NON-JEWISH readers who may be unfamiliar with the role of HIGH PRIESTS, this portion of Scripture can be ENLIGHTENING and increase our appreciation of Jesus as our High Priest.