Letter to the Hebrews 5:7-10.docx

Introduction The author, in Heb 4:7-10 seems to concentrate herein on the divine sonship he introduced in chapter 1 and on the humanity of Jesus in chapter 2. In it we find that as a historical human, Jesus powerfully prayed to the Father. He prayed to show how completely he is identified with his people. Furthermore, Jesus prays to express fear. Hence, the path leading to the priesthood, for Christ was the path of humility and suffering (Heb 5:7-8), a path of effective solidarity with human weakness in 5:7-10. With this in mind, the text will endeavour to reflect on the intention of Jesus’ supplication, how he learned obedience through suffering and if he was heard by the Father. 1. Intention of Jesus’ Supplication As a historical human, Jesus powerfully prayed to the Father. He prayed to show how completely he is identified with his people. Here he prays to express fear. And the word supplication expresses reverent and thoughtful shrinking from over-boldness, which is compatible with true courage. Prayers and supplications are expressive of the frailty of human nature. Prayers can either be petitions for that which is good or requests for deliverance from that which is evil. Therefore, supplication herein is viewed as Christ’s offering himself as it were unto God (Heb 9:14) accompanied with priestly prayers and supplications. The author uses this to exemplify Christ’s infirmity as well as to impress on us how great a work it was to make expiation for sins. Jesus was overwhelmed by the pressure of horror and anguish caused by the divine anger against sin. In Mt 26:38, Jesus said to his disciples “ I am deeply grieved, even to death.” So the intention of Jesus was to pray to the Father “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” He is in agony and prays more earnestly that his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. Such was the travail of his soul that he cried for deliverance. His priestly offering (Cf 5:1-3) consisted of prayers and supplications (Cf. Mt 26:36-44) emerging from a situation of distress, and they were accompanied by a loud cry (Mt 27:46-50) and tears. In this way, Christ’s whole passion is presented as a priestly action that assumes human anguish in the presence of death and transforms it into an offering of prayer. 2.3 He Learned Obedience Through Suffering Although he was a son, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. Like, in ordinary life, children especially sons have to undergo the discipline of suffering and such suffering is a mark of God’s love (Cf. Heb 12:6-7). However, Jesus’ suffering is for a different reason. His sonship is very perfect. In considering the divine son, it is difficult to attach any meaning to the learning process, but in thinking of the son as perfect man, it becomes at once intelligible. Learning, as the author puts it, implies the progressive process Jesus Christ showed by his obedience to the Father’s will, a continuous making of God’s will his own, reaching its climax in his approach to death. The cry of acceptance in the garden of Gethsemane was the concluding evidence of the Son’s obedience to the Father. We can learn therefore that it is through suffering that perfection is achieved. Obedience is linked with perfection. It is sufferings both tested, and victoriously endured, attested Jesus’ perfection which is an ever present reality. It is evident that the test of obedience always comes when God’s will crosses our inclination. Jesus could not learn obedience until he had entered that place where for once his own desires shrank from the results of doing the Father’s will. Man never trusts God when inclination pulls back, when his own instinct shrinks from that path of duty, the obedience takes on the nature of faith. As long as life is plausible and rational man can not trust God. Only when we cannot see the way, yet walk forth upon it, does trust become strong. When Jesus in Jn 19:30, said “it is finished,” the lesson in obedience had been believer’s faith. Distorted by sin, human nature had to learn obedience so that it could forever be re-introduced into God’s intimacy. Christ did not need this painful learning for himself since he was a Son, yet he accepted it (5:7; Cf. 2:17) because of his generous solidarity with us. Therefore, he became the perfect man, fully worthy of being accepted and even enthroned at God’s right hand, and he did that for the sake of all since this perfection was the fruit of his complete solidarity with us. 2.3 He was Heard We can truly, with human thinking, doubt that Jesus’ prayer was heard considering the fact that he suffered death. Jesus was not saved from death. His prayer was that the cup may pass. However, he drinks it to the last dregs, yet he was heard. God’s answer was that Jesus would face his trial and death with calm courage. Jesus was heard, his cry did not fall on death ears, nor echo back from an unhearing heaven in mocking indifference. While our prayers may not be granted, they are heard. We bend in grace to our distress. We may pray for relief from a burden and find instead quiet strength to carry just that burden. But we are heard. Jesus was heard because he had prayed in faith, “yet not what I want, but what you want” (Mk 14:36). However, the full meaning of his faith of his willingness to enter the depths, is still the secret of Jesus. In other words, Jesus prayer to be delivered from death is not granted because he died. Taking the word “rendered godly fear”, fear or anxiety, being heard means then that Christ was praying to be freed from fear. Jesus was delivered from fear of death (Mt 27:46; Ps 22:1; Mk 15:34). On the surface, the statement that Jesus was heard is not true, but only if the content of the prayer is limited to deliverance from death. Christ did not pretend to impose his own will on God (Mt 26:39) instead, he let his Father choose the best solution. This is the reason he was heard. The divine solution did not consist in preserving Jesus from death, but transformed his sufferings and death into the instrument of definitive victory over evil and over death itself. Conclusion The phrase “days of his flesh” in verse 7 happen to draw attention to the weakness that characterised the life of Jesus during his earthly sojourn. Jesus’ prayers from Gethsemane and the cross were part of his offering of worship and expiation to God (Cf. Ps 22:22-24; Heb 2:12). God heard and granted Jesus’ prayers the evidence of which was his resurrection (Cf. 22:22-31). Also Jesus’ prayer was heard not by exemption but by divine relief which gave enablement to bear the trial (Lk 22:43). Jesus’ specifically demonstrated his ability to sympathise and identify himself with those he represents (Heb 5:2-3; Cf. Jn 17). Most scholars believe that Jesus prayed that if it was the Father’s will, he would not have to endure the cross (Lk 22:42). Another intention of Jesus’ prayer was that he wanted the Father to prevent Satan from killing him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Although he was God’s Son and as such perfect in one sense, Jesus grew in favour with God and man (Lk 2:52). He had to learn obedience in the sense that he learned to obey his Father’s will, as a human, through what he suffered. For Jesus, God’s will involved suffering (Phil 2:6-8). Someone once said that innocence is life untested, but virtue is innocence tested and triumphant. Jesus had to suffer, not because but although he was Son. He is Son in a unique sense. Divine huios (Son) in the sense of 1:1-2, might have been expected that he would exempted from such a discipline. As our great high priest, Jesus was given experiential knowledge of what human beings must endure. And his obedience rendered to his Father implies trusting him (Cf Jn 6:29; Acts 6:7; 1 Pet 1:22; Rom 10:16). Man thus obtains eternal inheritance offered by Jesus by being obedient to God and obey him through suffering as Jesus did (Cf Mk 8:34-35) 1