Hebrews 5 DEVO: Priesthood, Warning & Spiritual Maturity

Chapter 5:
What were the qualifications to be a priest and did Jesus meet them?
First, you had to be a man.
Second, you had to be sympathetic – able to deal gently with others.
Third, you had to be called by God.
Did Jesus meet these? Absolutely and completely! He became a man so He could sympathize with our weaknesses. He deals graciously and lovingly with all people in offering hope. And He was called by God, “So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest.”
Next we the writers third warning. The first was about ignoring the Gospel (2:1-14). The second was regarding hardening hearts toward the Gospel (3:7-19). And now here the warning is regarding spiritual maturity.
“Slow to learn” = intellectually numb, spiritual dullness. Spiritually slow people are difficult to teach. Until we let go of old ways, we are unteachable. Same was true of the Jews in regard to the Old Covenant. Truth taught over and over again should cause change, but it had not. We are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers!
It’s ok to feed a baby Gerber food with a spoon, but it would be an embarrassing shame to be doing the same with my high school son Drew. The same is true spiritually! Those who act n God’s truth are the “mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
SO WHAT?!
*All of us who know Jesus personally are called to be sympathetic and caring towards others. Who do you know who is going through a lot right now? Make time today to reach out to them and show the love and compassion of Jesus to them!
*Are you spiritually dull or numb? Have you been listening to message after message from God’s Word and doing nothing with it? Ask God right now to take His Word and use it to transform your life (& mine)! Practice Nike Theology and “Just Do It!”