The Source of Eternal Salvation

Hebrews 5:1-6

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” 6 And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

We are living in a civilization controlled by stress. Bad news and agitations are the daily routine, at the same time we all are taking care of our health, our families, trying to build a legacy and looking to provide the best testimony as we can as Christians and believers while we are also being beaten by sickness, high cost of living and complex issues coming from the new realities relates with technology as the artificial intelligence and the harder ethical discussion about new trends impacting human behavior and we ask to ourselves what kind of future can we expect for our children? What kind of Hope can we pass on to the new generations? What is the fountain of peace and calm that we can have nowadays?

Have you controlled the level of stress under you? When was the last time that your pression warner you to take care of your heart? Have you ever been under so much stress that it caused a mental breakdown? That's what happened to William Cowper while preparing for his bar exam. His breakdown was so complete that he was admitted to an insane asylum until he recovered. During his time in the asylum, his life was forever changed when he came to know Christ. In 1764, William was reading the Bible and stumbled upon Romans 3:25, which says, "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood, to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." After reading this passage, he gave his heart and life to Christ. Three years later, in 1767, William Cowper met the Rev. John Newton. Rev. Newton is best known for writing the hymn, Amazing Grace, although the men met before the popular hymn was written.

Together, Mr. Cowper and Rev. Newton produced the Olney Hymnal, which was published in 1779. These hymns were written for use in the rural parish where Rev. Newton was a minister. William Cowper wrote approximately sixty-seven of the 348 hymns, while John Newton wrote the remaining hymns. There is a fountain, one of the hymns William Cowper wrote for the Olney Hymnal. William had a difficult life. His mother died when he was six years old, and he was bullied at boarding school. He suffered from what we, today, call depression for much of his life. This popular hymn is based on the passage Zachariah 13:1, "On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity." The hymn was originally titled "Peace for the Fountain Opened."

Wesley said, it is the blood of Christ alone whereby any sinner can be reconciled to God; there being no other propitiation for our sins, no other fountain for sin and uncleanness. Every believer in Christ is deeply convinced that there is no merit but in him; that there is no merit in any of his own works.

Jr 31:31-34 Jeremiah to announce a "new alliance." ​31 "The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

In a critical situation and starting from his own experience with God (cf. 15, 16), Jeremiah opens himself to eschatological hope to announce a "new alliance." It is the first time that this concept appears, which would later pass to the NT (Lk 22, 20; Heb 8, 8, and 13) and to the Christian church. The parties to this alliance will be the same as those agreed upon at Sinai: Yahweh and his people. However, it will not be a repetition of the Sinai alliance, but something truly new. Jeremiah does not refer to a simple religious restoration, as was, for example, the reform of Josiah (2 Kings 23). The old alliance has been a failure, and now we are trying to achieve the same objective through another path: The Law will not be written on tablets of stone but on the heart (2 Cor 3: 3).

Each one, under the influence of God's grace, will correctly know the demands of his Law (cf. Is 54, 23; Jn 6, 45). Everyone, from the small to the great, will recognize the Lord as such and will fulfill what he commands (22.16; Hos 4, 1; 5, 4; 6, 6). This internalization of the alliance with the entire people places the individual in an immediate relationship with God and gives rise to a spiritual community that transcends blood ties and national borders. Then the intervention of those prophets who had so little success with their warnings will no longer be necessary (5, 4s). This new alliance, written on the heart, will only be possible if God himself first purifies the hearts and forgives the sin that is recorded in them (17,1). Jeremiah's prophecy acquires all its meaning in the critical situation in which it was pronounced. Let us remember that these were times of national ruin, in which the temple with all its symbols collapsed.

Hebrews 5:1-10. The priesthood of Christ. 5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3 This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father." 6, And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

The author wants to clarify to his readers what the priesthood of Christ consists of and what his dignity is. It establishes a parallel between the priesthood of Christ and that of the priests of the AT, without forgetting that the former is far above the latter. Expanding on ideas already expressed in the previous chapter (vv. 14-16), he highlights two fundamental features that characterized the AT service, and that also occur but with greater perfection in the priesthood of Christ. One is solidarity with the people from whom the priest has been taken and whom he must represent before God; another is the vocation with which he must be called by God.

The priest will be more suitable to carry out his mission the more understanding he is of the miseries of others. The experience of his own weaknesses that surround him like a dress will help him keep alive the memory of his own origin and not distance himself from the people. This will make you understand. However, its understanding should not go further than the ignorance and weakness of men; For God, who always forgives the weak and straying (Lev 4,2.13.22.27; 5,24), resists the proud and does not forgive those who sin "with a raised hand" (Num 1,30f). These must be excluded from the community. The priest of the OT, who was a sinner like all men, offered sacrifices for the sins of the people and his own sins. Solidarity with the people was, in a certain sense, a consequence of complicity. On the other hand, Jesus became united with all men out of love, since he did not commit sin and offered himself for the sins of others. Also, the last root of his understanding is in that love for men that led him to become a man like us, equal in everything, except sin.

The other trait that the author is interested in highlighting in the priesthood of the OT is the vocation, for no one can claim the honor of being a priest if he has not been called by God. To exercise the priesthood, God called Aaron and his descendants (Ex 28:1; Lev 8:2, etc.). Jesus was also called by God, but not like Aaron, nor by Aaron's calling, since he was not his descendant nor of the tribe of Levi. When the fullness of time arrived, God once and for all called his own Son, born of the virgin Mary. The author proves both extremes with different biblical texts. the first, that is, that Jesus is the Son of God, with Ps 2 (cf. Hebr 1,5). And the second, that is his vocation, with Ps 110:4.

​The allusion to the priesthood of Melchizedek illustrates, on the one hand, that the priesthood of Christ is not in the line of the priesthood of Aaron and, on the other, that Christ is also king like Melchizedek. In any case, the priesthood of Christ appears as something unique and incomparable. Compared to the priesthood of the. T. is analogical and, in a certain sense, by contrast. No one can be a priest like Christ, who is the irreplaceable mediator. However, those who are priests in the church must imitate the priesthood of Christ, especially when it comes to solidarity with men.

Hebrews 5:1-6 All expectations (demands) that can be placed on the high priest are found in Christ. He has been called by God, as indicated by reference to two different texts. The first is taken from Ps 2:7, already cited previously in 1:5. The supreme priesthood is based on the metaphysical filiation of Christ. The second text, which is cited several times: Ps 110, explains how Christ possesses the dignity of high priest, even though he is not descended from the lineage of Aaron. But he has been instituted "priest forever according to the rite of Melchizedek", in whom he receives, along with the priestly dignity, also that of a king, since both are united. Nothing is said about the time (moment) of this institution. The only thing that is highlighted is the fact that it is the Father who has established the Son as a high priest. 

Heb 5, 7-9 The author describes the prayer and anguish of Jesus with moving and realistic words. It refers to the trance of Gethsemane when Jesus had to experience in his own flesh the natural disgust at an approaching death. The one who was going to be constituted mediator and priest of the new alliance approached men and went down to the depths of our pain. Although the Synoptics seem to assume that Jesus prayed in Gethsemane "with cries and tears" (Mk 14, 32-42; Mt 26, 36-46; Lk 22, 40-46), it is possible that the author was also inspired by other biblical texts, especially in the psalms. Jesus suffered and died on the cross after his prayer in Gethsemane.

However, it is said here that he was heard, this can have two equally valid meanings: that Jesus overcame his natural repugnance to death and accepted the will of the Father, or/and that the Father saved him from death by resurrecting him on the third day. Jesus is frequently spoken of in the NT, but this is the obedience of the Father, which is often shown as disobedience to men and human laws. But his obedience to the Father until death, and death on a cross. Jesus achieved a perfect, glorious, fulfilled life and was established as Lord who now gives life to all who obey him.

Jn 12: 20-33. The effectiveness of the death. 20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip, in turn, told Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me. 27 "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. 30 Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. The Gentiles who accepted the faith of Israel, but had not been circumcised, were called "proselytes of the door" or "Godfearers" (cf. Acts 10, 2; 13, 16; 16, 14, etc.). It can be assumed that many of these proselytes were in Jerusalem during the Passover and that some, impressed by what they had seen and heard about Jesus, wanted to get to know him more closely. These Gentiles think that the best way get what they want is to go first. to the disciples of Jesus, specifically those who were familiar with his language or Hellenic customs. Philip and Andrew (both have Greek names and the first is from Bethsaida, in the Decapolis, which was a Hellenized region) seem to be the most suitable.

This episode, which has no connection with what follows in the story, serves as an explanation for the anger of the Pharisees, who, full of envy, whisper among themselves about Jesus' success: "Everyone is following him" (v 19). On the other hand, it is like a preview of the spread that the gospel would have among the Gentiles, thanks to the mission of the Apostles. All the clamor of the crowd and the triumph that accompanies it cannot prevent Jesus from going deep inside, for the "hour" of his "exaltation" of his death and of his true glorification on the cross has arrived. It is the hour appointed by the Father to carry out the necessary sowing, without which the harvest is not possible. And Jesus is the grain. He must die so that his work of salvation can spread throughout the world. The harvest that Jesus expects is none other than the salvation of the world through faith in his gospel. John always uses the expression "bear fruit" in this missionary sense.

The effectiveness of the death of Jesus for the extension of the kingdom of God among men and peoples is not automatic; it does not spare anyone the free option for the gospel. That is why Jesus, who has fulfilled in his life and his death the law of sowing, generosity, and giving, warns us that we must all do the same as him if we want to enter eternal life with him. For he who only takes care of himself and has no other concerns than saving his life, loses it, but he who lives and dies for others gains eternal life. Jesus obeyed the Father when his "hour" came. Jesus reminds his disciples that they must serve him and the gospel by following his path to the end. Then they too will come to the Father, like Jesus, and the Father will reward them with eternal life.

Jesus is frightened and afraid of death: what can he do? Does he perhaps ask the Father to free him from that "hour" and to remove the bitter chalice that he gives him to drink? He only asks that his will be fulfilled since that is why he has come into the world. He asks that the name of God be glorified, that is, that what God is and wants to be for all be manifested to men: Love. But this is not possible without the last proof: "In this was manifested the love that God has us: in that, God gave his only Son to the world so that we might live through him" (1 Jn 4, 9), "for God loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten to death" (Jn 3, 16) It is God's will to give us the final proof so that we believe that it is Love so that we glorify his name and achieve life through Jesus Christ, the Lord.

Jesus knows that the Father always listens to him, but men must know that the Father is always with him. That's why the voice came from heaven. This entire passage recalls Jesus' agony in Gethsemane and his transfiguration on Tabor. Juan, one of the three witnesses in both cases, does not expressly say anything about it, but here he vaguely captures the same experience. The "hour of Jesus is also the hour of the world. In it, it is manifested that God is Love, but the sin of the world is also revealed. It is the hour of Jesus' exaltation of his death and his glory. It is the hour of judgment against Satan and his ilk, but also the hour of forgiveness for all who believe in him. It is the hour in which God summons all the elect around him who is "exalted." For all we can hope for, and fear is the fruit and consequence of the victory and judgment that occurs on the cross of Christ.

The reality is our daily cross, I mean, during our life we carry on hard days and good days, we have no choice, we must do it. Days when we feel happy and full of energy, days when we are almost dying, suffering a lot of pain and sorrow. God is always with us every day of our lives, carrying on our problems and our tragedies. When we feel like we cannot continue, God renews our strength as the eagles. When we feel like all is lost and we have no choice, we find in prayer reason to be raised in God's promises. This is the miracle of faith; we can believe in the salvation and the restoration of everything around us, it doesn't matter the darkness of reality. When we see God's hands carry on the misery of humanity around the world, we can confirm