Hebrews 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; Though He WAS (a positive fact: not a supposition, as were would imply) God's Divine Son (whence, in His agony, He so lovingly and often cried, Father, ), yet He learned His obedience, not from His Sonship, but from His sufferings. As the Son, He always obeyed the Father's will; but the special obedience needed to qualify Him as our High Priest, He learned experimentally. Compare Philippians 2:6, "equal with God, but ... took upon Him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death," etc. He was obedient before His passion; but He stooped to a more humiliating and trying form of obedience then [The Greek adage is, Patheemata, matheemata, 'sufferings, disciplinings.'] Praying and obeying, as in C...

8._Yet learned he obedience, etc. _The proximate end of Christ’s sufferings was thus to habituate himself to obedience; not that he was driven to this by force, or that he had need of being thus exercised, as the case is with oxen or horses when their ferocity is to be tamed, for he was abundantly willing to render to his Father the obedience which he owed. But this was done from a regard to our benefit, that he might exhibit to us an instance and an example of subjection even to death itself. It may at the same time be truly said that Christ by his death learned fully what it was to obey God, since he was then led in a special manner to deny himself; for renouncing his own will, he so far gave himself up to his Father that of his own accord and willingly he underwent that death which he greatly dreaded. The meaning then is that Christ was by his sufferings taught how far God ought to be...

1-10 The High Priest must be a man, a partaker of our nature. This shows that man had sinned. For God would not suffer sinful man to come to him alone. But every one is welcome to God, that comes to him by this High Priest; and as we value acceptance with God, and pardon, we must apply by faith to this our great High Priest Christ Jesus, who can intercede for those that are out of the way of truth, duty, and happiness; one who has tenderness to lead them back from the by-paths of error, sin, and misery. Those only can expect assistance from God, and acceptance with him, and his presence and blessing on them and their services, that are called of God. This is applied to Christ. In the days of his flesh, Christ made himself subject to death: he hungered: he was a tempted, suffering, dying Jesus. Christ set an example, not only to pray, but to be fervent in prayer. How many dry prayers, ho...

Verse Hebrews 5:8. _THOUGH HE WERE A SON_] See the whole of the preceding note....

THOUGH HE WERE A SON - Though the Son of God. Though he sustained this exalted rank, and was conscious of it, yet he was willing to learn experimentally what is meant by obedience in the midst of sufferings. YET LEARNED HE OBEDIENCE - That is, he learned experimentally and practically. It cannot be supposed that he did not “know” what obedience was; or that he was “indisposed” to obey God before he suffered; or that he had, as we have, perversities of nature leading to rebellion which required to be subdued by suffering, but that he was willing to “test” the power of obedience in sufferings; to become personally and practically acquainted with the nature of such obedience in the midst of protracted woes; compare note on Philippians 2:8. The “object” here is, to show how well suited the Lord Jesus was to be a Saviou

EXPOSITION THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST. The purpose of the first part of this chapter (Hebrews 5:1) is to corroborate the position arrived at in the conclusion of Hebrews 4:1., viz. that we _have _in Christ a true High Priest sufficient for all our needs. This is done by analyzing the conception of a high priest, and observing that Christ in all respects fulfils it. And thus the full exposition of Christ's heavenly priesthood above that of Aaron is prepared for. But this full exposition is still not entered on till after an exhortation (beginning at Hebrews 5:11), longer and more earnest than any former one, called for by the slownes

THOUGH HE WERE A SON,.... The Son of God, as the Vulgate Latin version reads; not by creation, nor by adoption, nor by office, but by nature, being the only begotten of the Father, having the same nature and perfections with him: YET LEARNED HE OBEDIENCE; not to his parents, or civil magistrates, though that is true; nor merely to the precepts of the law, which he did; but unto death: through sufferings he became obedient to death, even the death of the cross: and this he learnt; not that he was ignorant of the nature of it; nor was he destitute of an obedient disposition to it; but the meaning is, he had an experience of it, and effected it; and which was voluntary, and done in our room and stead; and is the rule and the measure of our righteousness before God: and this he learned, BY THE THINGS WHICH HE SUFFERED; from men, from devils, and from the justice of God. Christ's sonship di...

Hebrews 5:1. _For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:_ The high priest of old was «taken from among men.» Aaron was chosen, and then his son; an angel might have been sent to perform Aaron's duty, but it was not so. And, glory be to our blessed Lord and Master, he is «One chosen out of the people,» «taken from among men.» Hebrews 5:2. _Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity._ Christ was not compassed with sinful infirmity, but he was compassed with sorrowful infirmity. His were true infirmities or weaknesses; there was no evil about him, but still he had the infirmity of misery,

CHAPTER 5 _ 1. What the High Priest is and represents (Hebrews 5:1)_ 2. The fulfillment in Christ made High Priest (Hebrews 5:5) 3. The spiritual condition of the Hebrew-Christians (Hebrews 5:11) Hebrews 5:1 In developing the priesthood of Christ and showing how it excels the earthly priesthood and is more glorious than the priesthood of Judaism, the principles of priesthood of the levitical system are first stated. Upon this follows the comparison of the priesthood of Christ with that of Aaron. The transcendent priesthood of Christ is thus established by this contrast. These opening verses have nothing to

The writer now approaches his main argument, that Christ is our all-sufficient High Priest. But before considering in detail the nature of Christ's priestly ministry, he shows that He possesses in a supreme degree the two fundamental attributes of a High Priest. Since the duty of a High Priest is to act as mediator between God and man, he must, in the first place, be _Divinely appointed_ (Hebrews 5:1), not arrogating the office to himself, but selected by God as His representative. In the second place, he must be _taken from among men,_ and so be capable of a fellow-feeling with erring human nature (Hebrews 5:2). This second qualification is recognised in the Levitical law which requires him to offer sacrifice for himself as well as for the people ...