Hebrews 5:8-10

‘Although being Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and having been made perfect, he became to all those who obey him the author of eternal salvation, named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’

The writer now sums up what He achieved at the cross. Though He was of the nature of ‘Son’ (see Hebrews 1:1-14), yet He learned obedience by the things that He suffered (Hebrews 2:9), and having thus been made perfect (Hebrews 2:10), He became to all those who similarly obeyed Him (Hebrews 4:1-11), the author of eternal salvation, in His appointment by God as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. As King-Priest He too was High Priest.

‘Though he was of the nature of God’s Son.’ Incomprehensible the thought that the One Who was the outshining of the glory of God and the exact representation of what He essentially was, the Creator and Sustainer of all creation, should learn obedience by suffering, and especially the suffering of death. ‘Tis mystery all, the immortal dies’, who can begin to understand it?

‘Yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.’ For Him this was a new learning curve. He had always been ‘He Who must be obeyed’. But He emptied and humbled Himself. He became the servant Who humbly obeyed like the Servant in Isaiah 53:0, even to the level of his extensive suffering. And in living out a humble life He learned what it meant to obey. And He was totally successful, for He obeyed fully (Romans 5:19; Philippians 2:5-8). Thus did He reveal Himself as truly the perfect man, fully obedient man, obedient to the will of God, and nowhere more so than in the Garden of Gethsemane where He revealed His absolute obedience to the will of God in the face of the utterly unbearable, which He expressed Himself as yet willing to bear, and went forward triumphantly to do so.

‘Learned (emathen) -- by what He suffered (epathen).’ Note the play on words.

‘And having been made perfect.’ His obedience and His suffering, which He chose, made Him perfect, prepared in every way, for the task that lay before Him, to bring eternal salvation to man. It made Him the perfect Sanctifier (Hebrews 2:11), the perfect Trek Leader (Hebrews 2:10), the perfect Sacrifice (Hebrews 2:14), the perfect Deliverer from the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). His exaltation to God’s right hand completed His perfect preparation.

‘He became to all those who obey Him the author of eternal salvation.’ Note that the eternal salvation is only for those who obey Him (compare John 3:36). He became the source of and the One responsible for bringing about the future salvation promised in the Old Testament to those who responded in obedience.

‘The author’ (aitios), the One who is finally responsible for bringing about, the One who causes, the One Who is the root cause. Compare its use in 1 Samuel 22:22 LXX ‘I am the cause of/the one responsible for bringing about, the death of the house your father’. It is often found in Greek with soterias (in Aeschines, Philo, Demosthenes) with the idea of the one responsible for bringing about salvation in one way or another (Philo uses it of the brazen serpent). It is not quite the same idea as Author/Trek Leader (archegos - Hebrews 2:10) where the thought is more on the activity involved. Here the thought was of total responsibility for bringing it about.

‘Of eternal salvation.’ The salvation of the coming age (as with ‘eternal’ life, the life ‘of the coming age’), the future everlasting salvation promised by God in the Old Testament (compare Isaiah 45:17 LXX).

‘Named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.’ This reference here, following Hebrews 5:6, demonstrates that all that has gone between in Hebrews 5:7-9 lay behind His unique High Priesthood. This High Priesthood was revealed in His powerful prayers and supplications which achieved victory over death, it was prepared for by His being made perfect through suffering. Compare Hebrews 2:10-11 where the Author/Trek Leader of their salvation, Who also ‘sanctifies’ them, a priestly activity, is made perfect through suffering. And it ended up with Him seated at the right hand of God, the bringer about of eternal salvation for His own.

Note that when quoting the Psalm directly the writer retains ‘priest’ but when referring to it speaks of ‘High Priest’, because He was the royal supreme priest.

The Writer Rebukes His Readers For Not Being In A State To Understand His Message And Warns Of The Danger Of Falling Away From The One Whom He Is Describing (Hebrews 5:11 to Hebrews 6:12).

The introduction of Christ’s High Priestly work constantly results in admonition. Hebrews 2:17 to Hebrews 3:1 resulted in the long warning passage from Hebrews 3:7 to Hebrews 4:13. Its mention here now results in Hebrews 5:11 to Hebrews 6:12. Mention of it will also result in Hebrews 10:26-31. His readers must choose between the old, now superseded, priesthood, or the new Priesthood of Christ. Christ’s exaltation as High Priest faces all men with a choice, either positive and glad response to Him in faith, or judgment.

He commences here with regret that his readers are in no state to hear what he would say to them because of their lukewarm state, having allowed their senses to atrophy. He then declares his intention to advance to this higher teaching, but warns that those who have turned away from Christ will be in no state to respond, although he then expresses his confidence that his readers are mainly not of this number.