1Every high priest selected to represent men and women before God and offer sacrifices for their sins
2should be able to deal gently with their failings, since he knows what it's like from his own experience.
3But that also meaos that he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as the people's.
4No one elects himself to this honored position. He's called to it by God, as Aaron was.
5Neither did Christ presume to set himself up as high priest, but was set apart by the One who said to him, "You're my Son; today I celebrate you!"
6In another place God declares, "You're a priest forever in the royal order of Melchizedek."
7While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him.
8Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do.
9Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek,
10he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.
11I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening.
12By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!
13Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways;
14solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.