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Holy Week · Good Friday · Year C

Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Jesus the Great High Priest

April 14, 2028

The Olive Trees, Vincent van Gogh
The Olive Trees, Vincent van Gogh, 1889Museum of Modern Art, New York
Painted at Saint-Rémy in the same months as The Starry Night. The ground heaves as much as the sky and the trees are twisted into the same rhythm.Hebrews describes a high priest who was heard because of his reverent submission, and he was in an olive grove when that was decided.Vincent van GoghVan Gogh (1853-1890) trained first for the ministry and preached in a Belgian mining district before taking up painting, which he did seriously for only the last decade of his life.Museum of Modern Art, New YorkFounded in 1929, ten days after the Wall Street crash, to collect the art the established museums would not.Museum of Modern Art, New York
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelJohn 18:1-19:42Jn 18:1-19:42Alt. GospelJohn 19:17-30Jn 19:17-30
EpistleHeb. 4:14-16; 5:7-9Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Old TestamentIsa. 52:13-53:12Is 52:13-53:12
PsalterPs. 22Ps 22Alt. PsalmPs. 31Ps 31

Overview & Insights

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)

In the last verses of chapter 4 the author again exhorts his readers to faithfulness, but this time on the basis of his argument concerning the high priesthood of Jesus. The connection has already been made between Jesus’ high priesthood and his ability to help his people (see 2:17–18), but now it is elaborated and leads the author into the beginning of a discourse on why Jesus is qualified to be high priest. First the author reviews the role and calling of high priests (5:1–4), and then he turns to the qualifications of Jesus as high priest (5:5–10).

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Take it further: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

Commentary

Commentary on Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9Commentary on Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Working Preacher

Luther Seminary's exegesis of Jesus as the sympathetic great high priest.

Hebrews 4:12-16Heb 4:12-16 Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary on the great high priest who has passed through the heavens.

Hebrews 4 Commentary: Entering Into His Rest, Verse by VerseHeb 4 Commentary: Entering Into His Rest, Verse by Verse Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse by verse evangelical commentary on the priestly appeal to draw near.

Hebrews 4:14 CommentaryHeb 4:14 Commentary Precept Austin

Deep collation of expositors and word notes on holding fast our confession.

Hebrews 4:14 CommentariesHeb 4:14 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentators gathered verse by verse on the great high priest passage.

Background & Word Study

Hebrews 4:14 InterlinearHeb 4:14 Interlinear BibleHub

Greek interlinear with parsing and Strong's numbers for the high priest text.

Book of Hebrews Summary | Watch an Overview VideoBook of Heb Summary | Watch an Overview Video BibleProject

Animated overview of Hebrews and its argument that Jesus is the superior priest.

The Church Fathers

Hebrews 4 - Catena Bible & CommentariesHeb 4 - Catena Bible & Commentaries Catena

Patristic commentary compiled verse by verse on the great high priest.

Questions preachers ask

How is Christ the great high priest?

Appointed by God as a priest after the order of Melchizedek, Christ offered up loud cries and tears, and being made perfect became the source of eternal salvation.

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