Notes on Hebrews: Chapter 5
Luke begins this chapter with a description of the purpose and commission of the High Priest. His purpose, to represent the people before God almighty and his commission is given to him by no man but God. Luke then makes allusion to the fact that there are 2 holy lines of priests, those that follow after Aaron (Moses’ brother) and those that are of the line of Melchizedek. God commissioned Jesus as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
When properly understood, there can be no mistaking how revolutionary Christianity was at the outset. In the first 4 chapters, Luke tipped the sacred cow of Jewish nationalism represented by Moses and the house of Israel. Now he assigns Jesus the role of High Priest, not in accordance to Aaron and the Levites (the Jews), but according to the ancient line of Melchizedek the priest of El Elyon (a Canaanite). El Elyon (God Most High) was the name for the Almighty before Moses introduced the unmentionable name that came to be Yahweh. Luke will go in to detail about what this means in chapter 7. For now it suffices to say that he was throwing haymakers at Jewish orthodoxy. Luke wishes he could explain more on this but he admits they wouldn’t understand! His messianic Jewish audience has failed to grow in the knowledge of Christ, through the exercise of their senses, preferring to mimic the faith of their Jewish fathers.
The revolution that Jesus began and that Luke exhorted his followers to complete has been made impotent in the 21st century. There can be no denying it. Please don’t assume that I am referring to the circus clowns and ringmasters of religious television. They are fools and they will receive a fool’s recompense. I am referring to our Christianity, yours and mine. The proof is on display every Sunday as entire congregations line up to suckle milk from their pastor’s tit. I do not blame those that are new in the Lord for they are babes, and infants cannot but feed on milk. I am not referring to those servants in the pulpit that model Christ by feeding the poor and caring for the widows. I am talking about those bullies in the pulpits and radio waves, and their adherents that form the phalanx of Orthodoxy. These are they that refuse to call other Son’s of God, “brother’s” for fear of losing their place in line. Fools! God does not honor your line. “He who wishes to be first let him be a servant to the least”. Is it not true that the pride of any religion is found in its Orthodoxy? Yet we know most certainly that, “Pride goes before the fall”.
And what of you dear reader? What if I dare say that Jesus is not on our side against the terrorists? (Joshua 5:13) What if I tell you that the Bible will not grant you eternal life? (John 5:39) What if I tell you that there will be some in the Kingdom of God who do not know Jesus personally? (Mathew 25:31)
What trouble will I cause for Aaron by pledging my allegiance to Melchizedek?
