The passage
      v7. We are told that during his life, Jesus prayed for his eternal salvation and that his prayer was answered. It was answered in his resurrection because of his "reverent submission" - he was "heard for his godly fear." What this means is that our Lord's prayer was heard because of his devotion and submission to the will of God. He came through the trial; he was victorious; he did not suffer annihilation. It is difficult to know exactly what the writer is alluding to in this verse. It seems a bit like the Gethsemane scene, but he may be harking back to Psalm 22; in "crying and tears" he was "heard". The phrase, he was "heard because of his reverent submission", simply means that he was heard by God because of his devotion and submission to the will of God.
      v8. Our writer goes on to say that although Jesus was the Son of God (the definite article ["the"] is not in the Greek, but is best translated this way) he still had to strive to be obedient to the Father. Jesus had to struggle with all the temptations, tests, strife..... that are part of human existence. He learnt by honouring the will of God and taking the suffering that such obedience brings. He chose the path of honour and integrity rather than dishonor, and in so doing could stand before God as the tested and honourable Son - having emerged perfect through suffering.
      v9-10. The writer concludes by making the point that Christ was "made perfect". That is, he is fully qualified to be the saviour of his people, having traveled the way of faithfulness unto death. Unlike the rest of humanity, he was not a rebel. The important point for our author is that since Jesus is perfect, then he is a perfect High Priest. As the perfect High Priest he is the pathfinder and source of a permanently valid ("eternal") salvation for his people. This salvation is available to all who "obey" Christ i.e. who are loyal to Christ in the sense of identifying with him, following him, believing in him. He was therefore named their Great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, which priesthood is not Aaronic, but of a far superior (eternal) order.

Our confidence in Christ
      Some years ago I developed a gospel presentation which I have used ever since. It has changed a little as time has moved on and it is always adapted to the circumstance and the person or group I am speaking with. I call it the 5 by 5 presentation:
        1. This is God's world;
        2. We have lost eternity;
        3. God in Christ has sorted out our problem;
        4. In Christ we may possess life eternal;
        5. We must ask for God's gift of life.
      The center of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus and the consequent blessings that flow from this, point 4. The substance of God's blessing is his free gift of grace in Christ. "Because he lives we may live also." I sum this truth up in five sub points under point 4:
        i] A new friendship with God;
        ii] A new life-style;
        iii] A new freedom;
        iv] A new community to be part of;
        v] The hope of a new world.
      The second sub point in this gospel presentation affirms freedom. This is pure John Stott, in fact, he sees this as the central statement of the gospel - freedom from guilt, self and fear. I can't think of any better way of saying it, so I use it. This world cries out for freedom. In Christ we are offered the gift of freedom: Freedom from the dominance of self, of the psyche; Freedom from guilt and condemnation - forgiven; Freedom from the fear of judgement - loss, death...
      Of course, it is not just unbelievers who cry out for freedom. I believe Christians find themselves enslaved as do unbelievers, yet our slavery is different. We are enslaved to our piety, to Sunday religion.
      Hebrews reminds us that Jesus functions as a High Priest. That is, he stands between God and ourselves and gains for us a right of approach to the throne of God. The point our writer wants to drive home to us is that Jesus has experienced all the limitations of humanity. He understands our weakness and identifies with it, for he was "tempted in every way as we are". He cannot be horrified by our sin. He has felt everything that we feel. The only difference between him and us is that he is "without sin." Therefore, we need have no hesitation to come before God's throne and cry for mercy. We don't have to ask twice for forgiveness.
      Jesus is a perfect High Priest. He is sinless and therefore, his sacrifice upon the cross did not have to be applied to his own sin, but could be fully applied to ours. In him is forgiveness, and in forgiveness there is freedom. Christ is the "source of eternal salvation" therefore we are eternally free.

v8
      kaiper wn uiJoV "Although he was a son" - although being a son. "Son though he was", NEB. Although there is no definite article, son still should have a capital. He is not a son. "God's son", TEV.
      emaqen (manqanw) aor. "learned" - disciplined learning. "learned" and "suffered" have a similar sound, ie. they rhyme in Gk. The words were often used together in Greek literature to make the point that learning comes only by suffering. "Suffering was the way to learn obedience", Barclay; although Phillips gives a better sense, "he had to prove the meaning of obedience through all he suffered", Phillips.

v9
      teleiwqeiV (teleiow) aor. pas. part. "made perfect" - having been made perfect, complete, finished. "Having been perfected" in the sense of fully completing his mission through obedience and now enthroned at the right hand of the Ancient of Days. Eusebius, writing about the martyr Marinus, said, "having been led off to death, he was perfected." The difference of course is that Jesus was perfect, while Marinus' perfection, like ours, is only his as a gift in Christ.
      uJpakouousin (uJpakouw) pres. part. "obey" - obeying. Is this the obedience of faith? If so, then the sense could be "those who follow him", as in "believe in him."