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The Job of a Religious Leader

¹ Every Jewish religious leader is chosen from among men. He is a helper standing between God and men. He gives gifts on the altar in worship to God from the people. He gives blood from animals for the sins of the people. ² A Jewish religious leader is weak in many ways because he is just a man himself. He knows how to be gentle with those who know little. He knows how to help those who are doing wrong. ³ Because he is weak himself, he must give gifts to God for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people. ⁴ A Jewish religious leader does not choose this honor for himself. God chooses a man for this work. Aaron was chosen this way.

Christ Is Our Religious Leader Who Has Made the Way for Man to Go to God

⁵ It is the same way with Christ. He did not choose the honor of being a Religious Leader Who has made the way for man to go to God. Instead, God said to Christ, "You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father." ^{(a) 6} God says in another part of His Word, "You will be a Religious Leader forever. You will be like Melchizedek." ^{(b) 7} During the time Jesus lived on earth, He prayed and asked God with loud cries and tears. Jesus' prayer was to God Who was able to save Him from death. God heard Christ because Christ honored God. ⁸ Even being God's Son, He learned to obey by the things He suffered. ⁹ And having been made perfect, He planned and made it possible for all those who obey Him to be saved from the punishment of sin. ¹⁰ In God's plan He was to be a Religious Leader Who made the way for man to go to God. He was like Melchizedek.

Do Not Fall Back Into Sin

¹¹ There is much we could say about this, but it is hard to make you understand. It is because you do not want to hear well. ¹² By now you should be teachers. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the first things you need to know from God's Word. You still need milk instead of solid food. ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk cannot understand the teaching about being right with God. He is a baby. ¹⁴ Solid food is for full-grown men. They have learned to use their minds to tell the difference between good and bad.