1 E very Jewish religious leader is chosen from among men. He is a helper standing between God and men. He gives gifts on the altar in worship to God from the people. He gives blood from animals for the sins of the people.

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

2 A Jewish religious leader is weak in many ways because he is just a man himself. He knows how to be gentle with those who know little. He knows how to help those who are doing wrong.

He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.

3 B ecause he is weak himself, he must give gifts to God for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people.

Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.

4 A Jewish religious leader does not choose this honor for himself. God chooses a man for this work. Aaron was chosen this way. Christ Is Our Religious Leader Who Has Made the Way for Man to Go to God

And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. A Priest Forever

5 I t is the same way with Christ. He did not choose the honor of being a Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. Instead, God said to Christ, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.”

So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”

6 G od says in another part of His Word, “You will be a Religious Leader forever. You will be like Melchizedek.”

As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;

7 D uring the time Jesus lived on earth, He prayed and asked God with loud cries and tears. Jesus’ prayer was to God Who was able to save Him from death. God heard Christ because Christ honored God.

who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,

8 E ven being God’s Son, He learned to obey by the things He suffered.

though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

9 A nd having been made perfect, He planned and made it possible for all those who obey Him to be saved from the punishment of sin.

And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

10 I n God’s plan He was to be a Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. He was like Melchizedek. Do Not Fall Back Into Sin

called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”

11 T here is much we could say about this, but it is hard to make you understand. It is because you do not want to hear well.

of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Spiritual Immaturity

12 B y now you should be teachers. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the first things you need to know from God’s Word. You still need milk instead of solid food.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

13 A nyone who lives on milk cannot understand the teaching about being right with God. He is a baby.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

14 S olid food is for full-grown men. They have learned to use their minds to tell the difference between good and bad.

But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.