He,
in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear,
Hebrews 5:7
Hebrews 5 [6.] As he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
Hebrews 5 [7.] He, in the days of his flesh, having offered up prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and having been heard for his godly fear, though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation, named by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 5 [11.] About him we have many words to say, and hard to interpret, seeing you have become dull of hearing. For although by this time you should be teachers, you again need to have someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the revelations of God. You have come to need milk, and not solid food. For everyone who lives on milk is not experienced in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby. But solid food is for those who are full grown, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.
Meaning:
The letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the great High Priest. A priest must be able to sympathise with the people he represents, and in this verse the writer shows that Jesus truly shared our human weakness. Without naming the place, he describes the prayers of Jesus in Gethsemane on the night before the cross (Mark 14:32-34).
- “In the days of his flesh”
This phrase refers to Jesus’ earthly life, when he lived in a real human body with all its limitations. The eternal Son of God became fully human. He knew hunger, tiredness, sorrow and fear. Hebrews says elsewhere that we have a high priest “who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
- “Prayers and petitions with strong crying and tears”
The Gospels tell us that in Gethsemane Jesus “began to be greatly troubled and distressed” and fell to the ground praying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me” (Mark 14:35-36). Hebrews adds that he prayed with loud cries and tears. His prayer was not calm or formal; it was the anguished cry of a son facing the most terrible suffering.
- “To him who was able to save him from death”
Jesus knew that his Father had the power to rescue him. Yet the Father did not spare him from dying. Instead, he saved him out of death by raising him to life. The prayer was answered in a deeper way than escape: through death, Jesus would destroy the power of death for all who trust him.
- “Having been heard for his godly fear”
Jesus was heard because of his reverent submission. His prayer ended with the words “not what I desire, but what you desire.” The writer goes on: “though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Paul describes the same obedience: “he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
The Significance of Hebrews 5:7
- A High Priest who understands
Because Jesus prayed with tears, no believer’s tears are strange to him. “For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
- Honest, reverent prayer
Jesus shows that strong emotion and deep reverence belong together. We may pour out our hearts to God with crying, while still trusting his will.
Cross-References:
Mark 14:36: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Please remove this cup from me. However, not what I desire, but what you desire." The prayer in Gethsemane.
Hebrews 4:15: "For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin." A sympathetic High Priest.
Hebrews 5:8: "though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered." Obedience through suffering.
Conclusion: Hebrews 5:7 describes Jesus during his earthly life offering prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the Father, who was able to save him from death, and says that he was heard because of his reverent submission. It looks back to Gethsemane and shows that Jesus truly shared human weakness. That is why he is the perfect High Priest, able to sympathise with us and to save all who come to God through him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible