Hebrews 5:5-6 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”
The author now applies his previous ideas to Christ. Christ did not exalt himself but rather humbled himself, as Philippians 2:5-11 state. Some people seem to run for various offices, even in the church. I have known “self-promoting” pastors who seem to advertise themselves a lot or who look for larger churches. Christ did not run for the office of high priest. Although this was part of God’s divine plan, Christ was the only one qualified for this position because of the decisions he made. In his temptation, he did not turn his back in sin against the Father. Even though he was God’s Son and had the privilege of position, he did not grasp for this but made himself nothing, becoming human just like us. This made him, even as the Son, qualified as the mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5).
Another challenging idea in these verses is the quotation from Psalm 2:7: “today, I have begotten you.” The word “begotten” does not mean born in the sense of being non-existent and then being birthed and coming into the world. In the context of Jesus’ life and existence, it can refer to several things: 1) the first to be raised from the dead, 2) the highest of ranking as the King’s Son, 3) the origin of the earthly Christ was from the Triune God. The author seems to be emphasizing the sovereignty of Christ. Even though the Son is the sovereign King, he is also an eternal priest. The one who walked among us has been made a priest forever. The word “forever” stands out theologically and refers to how Jesus will always been the one who connects us to God. The Book of Revelation describes this idea further. These verses bring two ideas together: Jesus is both God’s Son and humanity’s priest.
For older posts, click here.