He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him

Hebrews 5 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of people in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins; ² he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is clothed in weakness; ³ and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins for himself, as well as for the people. ⁴ And no one takes the honor for himself, but receives it when he is called by God, just as Aaron also was.

⁵ So too Christ did not glorify Himself in becoming a high priest, but it was He who said to Him,

“You are My Son, Today I have fathered You”;

⁶ just as He also says in another passage,

“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷ In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior. ⁸ Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. ⁹ And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, ¹⁰ being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

¹¹ Concerning him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become poor listeners. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.

In today’s text it says:  “You are My Son, Today I have fathered You”; just as He also says in another passage,“You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.  That Jesus, our High Priest, was designated as a Priest according to the order of Melchizedek is significant. Unlike other priests, Melchizedek was both a priest and a king. He has authority in both spiritual things and natural things. In Matthew 28:18 Jesus says: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”  Jesus is the King of Kings. He is the Son of God. Yet He Himself was the sacrifice that was offered for our sins. Philippians 2:8 says: Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. He is the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  John 3:16 says:  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Obedience to Christ is vital to our salvation. If we believe in Christ, we will be obedient to His authority. 

The text says:  Concerning him we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become poor listeners. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unacquainted with the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.  We are not to remain as infants. We are to grow up in Christ eating solid food. In John 4:31-34 it says: The disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat something.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.”  We too are to grow up and eat solid food. We are to be teachers. In Matthew 28, when Jesus said that all authority was given to Him, He also said: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Jesus, through His obedience, changed the world. In John 14:12-15 Jesus says: “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  If we will be obedient to Him, doing the works that He did and is doing, He will continue to change the world for us and through us.

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.