“Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared;” (Hebrews 5:7)
This Scripture is talking about Jesus. There was apostasy arising concerning the deity of Jesus among the Hebrews. And the author who is disputed about whether it’s Paul, Peter or Luke, sternly chastised the Hebrews because of their immaturity in the things of God. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
The author lays down evidence that Jesus is a high priest of an order, not ordained by man, but appointed by God as was Aaron, the first high priest (Hebrews 5:1-4), but of a higher order, after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:6) Not too much is known of Melchizedek through the Bible except that he was king of Salem which is Jerusalem and a priest of God the Most High God, the God that Abraham worshipped. Abraham considered him to be spiritually superior to him and gave him a tithe. (Genesis 14:17-19) There is an argument that he may have been Jesus because he had no known mother or father which all humans must have and because he was known as “king of righteousness.” (Genesis 14:18-20) Also the fact that Jesus is a high priest after the order of Melchizedek meaning a continuation of that order. If he was Jesus, then the order is divine and in Jesus alone. Melchizedek remains a mystery, but a high priest of an order superior to the Levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron.
The author writes about Jesus, “who in the days of His flesh,” indicating that Jesus had a life before the days of His flesh, before His incarnation. “ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) It was after the resurrection that Jesus appeared in His glory at least ten times which are recorded in the Bible, by at least 513 people and 500 people at once, one time. (1Corinthians 15:6)
Although the Bible makes it known that Jesus many times went off alone to pray, we are not privy to those prayers as we are to the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, James and John were the only ones who had been close enough to Jesus in the Garden to have heard His cries and supplications. This must have been conveyed to the apostles who wrote about His prayers. None reveal the anguish with which Jesus prayed like Luke, who was a doctor and described the agony of those prayers. (Luke 22:42-44) Hebrews 5:7 gives some credence to the fact that it might have been Peter who wrote Hebrews because of his knowledge of the agony of the prayer in the garden. Matthew and Mark simply state that Jesus prayed and what He prayed.
Jesus Who had the fullness of the Holy Spirit knew He would be raised. The human part of Him didn’t doubt but confirmed the Father’s will and plan. It was a horrible thing He would have to go through. I don’t believe there was ever any doubt in Jesus, but it was not something He was looking forward to, but determined and obedient to do it. The Heavenly Father heard His prayer because He sent an angel to comfort Him. “And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” (Luke 22:43)
The author of Hebrews further on in his letter chides the Hebrews because they are growing weary. And he writes that they haven’t resisted their sin to the point of being put to death for righteousness. “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” (Hebrews 12:4) He reminds them of Jesus Who endured the disobedience of sinners. And he reminds us also.
James tells us that every temptation comes from our lust and desire of the flesh. It flares up and entices us. “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:14) When we give in to it, we sin and death comes with it. “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15) This sin is forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus. We are cleansed from it by the Blood of the Lamb. Every temptation is an indication of something of which we must repent. It’s in our flesh and unbeknown to us until it appears. We must resist as James tells us, even to the point of death. We don’t think that there is any temptation for which we may die physically if we don’t participate in it, but we think of those who are persecuted. The sin to give in and to deny Christ in order to live is a temptation that they surely have. And although to us who live in lawful places, do not have to resist any temptation to the point of being killed for resisting, we must resist because sin is death. The author of Hebrews tells us to think of Jesus Who didn’t get weary of our disobedience even to the point of death. (Hebrews 12:3)
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