Hebrews 5

The Messiah, a High Priest

5For every high priest taken from men is appointed in service ^dto God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. ²He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he is also subject to weakness. ^e3Because of this, he must make a sin offering for himself as well as for the people. ^f4No one takes this honor on himself; instead, a person is called by God, just as Aaron was. ^g5In the same way, the Messiah did not exalt Himself to become a high priest, but the One who said to Him, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, ^hi6also said in another passage, You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. ^jk

⁷During His earthly life, ^lHe offered prayers and appeals ^mwith loud cries and tears ⁿto the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. ⁸Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. ^o9After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, ¹⁰and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The Problem of Immaturity

¹¹We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. ¹²Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. ^p13Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. ^q