[This study is from a series called "The Bible Class," which were Sabbath School Lessons for 1902. The whole series is included in the volume, "Studies in Hebrews".]
"Christ did not glorify himself to be made High Priest; but He that said unto Him, You are my Son, today have I begotten You, Also said in another place, You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek. Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared." (Hebrews 5:5-7)
Christ Prayed on Earth
The Gospel narrative abounds in references to the prayers of Jesus. The first thing He did after being baptized in Jordan, was to pray, and it was while He was praying that the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in visible form, and witnessed to His Sonship. "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, You are my beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21-22)
Immediately afterward He was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted forty days and forty nights by the devil. "And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto Him." (Mark 1:12-13)
We have only to read the 22nd Psalm, to know that both day and night He cried to God in prayer for deliverance: "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You hear not; and in the night season, and am not silent." (Psalm 22:2)
Soon after His return from the wilderness of temptation, while by the power of the indwelling Spirit He was going about healing all manner of diseases, and casting out devils, we hear of Him rising up a great while before day: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." (Mark 1:35)
In the height of His fame, when great multitudes came together to hear Him, and to be healed of their infirmities, "But so much the more went there a fame abroad of Him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And He withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed." (Luke 5:15-16)
Still later when His marvelous powers had aroused the jealousy of the priests and scribes and Pharisees, so much so that "they were filled with madness, and communed one with another" concerning how to destroy Him, we read that: "It came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12)
When He had fed thousands of hungry people in the wilderness with bread that came directly from His own body before their eyes, and they were determined to make Him king, He sent them away; "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray." (Matthew 14:23)
It was while He was alone with Peter and James and John in a mountain whither He had gone to pray, that: "As He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering." (Luke 9:28) "And He was transfigured before them." (Matthew 17:2)
And it was "as He was praying in a certain place," that at the request of one of His disciples, He taught them the prayer which has been the model for all generations since. "And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, When you pray, say, Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:1-2)
As He came down from the mount of transfiguration, a severe case of lunacy, epilepsy, and possession by the devil was brought to Him, which the disciples had vainly attempted to heal. After He had driven out the devil with a word, the disciples asked Him why they could not cast him out, and He replied: "This kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting," (Matthew 17:21) showing plainly the secret of His own never-failing power. And lastly we have the story of His prayer in the garden, the night that He was betrayed, when in the agony of His supplication, "His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:44)
Why Did He Pray?
It ought not to be necessary to ask this question, because the reason is so apparent it is evident that Jesus prayed because He felt the need of prayer. In the story of Christ's prayers we have the most convincing evidence that: "[He was] touched with the feeling of our infirmities,...[being made] in all things...like unto His brethren," (Hebrews 2:17) and that: "He was in all points tempted like as we are." (Hebrews 4:15)
No one dare hint that the prayers of Jesus were for show- that they were only a form of words, and not wrung from His heart; and just as surely as His prayers were real, expressing the real longings of His soul, so surely were His temptations real. They pressed upon His flesh and spirit.
Only through prayer could He find wisdom for teaching, power for healing, strength to remain humble amid the applause of the people, and courage and calmness and steadfastness of purpose in the face of the angry, threatening mob. In these words we find the reason why He did not fail, nor become discouraged: "The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary; He wakens morning by morning; He wakens my ear to hear as the learned. ... I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? let us stand together; who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up." (Isaiah 50:4,6-9)
Heard and Delivered
"[He] was heard." (Hebrews 5:7)
Just as in the Bible hearing by men is the same as obeying, so hearing by the Lord means the answering of the petitions offered to Him. God does not hear for nothing. "If we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:15)
No one could imagine God turning away from the cries of His only-begotten Son, and refusing to help Him and supply His need. Christ's prayers were heard by the Father; His strong crying and tears were heeded; and He received the deliverance that He pleaded for.
Delivered from Sin and Death
For what did Christ pray? The answer is found in the statement that He cried, "unto Him that was able to save Him from death." (Hebrews 5:7)
It was this cry that was heard. Evidently, then, He prayed to be saved from death. "But He died, nevertheless," someone will say.
Yes, He died, but He was saved from death. He died, but He was not overcome. His life was not taken from Him, but He laid it down of His own free will.
He went into the grave a conqueror, stronger than the "strong man armed" who kept his palace; and He overcame him, and took from him all his armor wherein he trusted. "When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils." (Luke 11:21-22) "And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." (Colossians 2:15) "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15)
He came from the grave by the power of His own word, the commandment given Him by the Father. "No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." (John 10:18)
God raised Him up, having loosed the pains of death; "Because it was not possible that He should be held of it." (Acts 2:24)
His deliverance was complete, and thus He is the Deliverer. Why was it not possible for Jesus to be held by death? The answer is, Because He did not sin. "You know that He was manifested to take away our sins: and in Him is no sin." (1 John 3:5)
It is only by sin that death has power over men. "By one man sin came into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12) "Sin when it is finished brings forth death." (James 1:15)
The only thing that can cause fear of death is sin. Now as Jesus "did no sin," and yet prayed in anguish to be delivered from death; it is evident that He prayed to be kept from sin, and that His prayers were the reason why He did no sin. He felt the burden of sin in His flesh, and prayed to be delivered from its mortal power, and was heard. Life was given Him, which swallowed up the sin; so that, though the sins of the whole world were upon Him, no man ever saw one of them revealed in His life and character.
Bruised For Our Iniquities
Not for himself did Jesus suffer, and not for himself was He delivered. "Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)
He who knew no sin was made to be sin on our behalf; "that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Because of His prayers our iniquities are pardoned; through His struggles our warfare is accomplished.
How often do you stop to think that everything that Jesus passed through on this earth was wholly for our sakes? He had no need to come to earth and be tempted, in order to prove His own loyalty to the Father.
It was our nature and our sins, our sinfulness, that the Word which "was in the beginning with God, ... "[and] was God," (John 1:2,1) took upon himself when: "[He] became flesh, and dwelt among us." (John 1:14)
It was our flesh--yours and mine--that the Spirit that filled Him strove against. Therefore, glorious thought! all our sins, even the worst and most obstinate, have been already overcome. Every temptation that is common to men has been met and successfully resisted.
When we meet the enemy that lurks in our flesh, we have only to lay hold of the victory that has already been won over it, and claim it as ours. Then we shall demonstrate that: "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4)
It was through the eternal Spirit that Jesus offered himself without spot to God. By that same Spirit He abides with us, dwelling in us, so that we may say, "I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
So the temptation that we meet is His temptation. He, being "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," (Hebrews 4:15) has the temptation to deal with; and as surely as He resisted it "in the days of His flesh," (Hebrews 5:7) will He overcome it now in the days of our flesh. It is already overcome; and the knowledge of this turns our mourning into dancing: "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing: You have put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." (Psalm 30:11) "His Divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue." (2 Peter 1:3)
Making Intercession for the Saints
Although Christ is not visibly present in the flesh, the Spirit as His representative is poured out upon all flesh; and thus it is really the same as though He had never left the earth, but had been multiplied indefinitely. Of the Comforter who comes in His name, He says: "He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you." (John 14:17-18)
Now we may know more fully what it is to pray in the name of Jesus. It is to consider ourselves dead, and Christ living in our place, reanimating our body, and speaking with our mouth. So when we ask for deliverance, we are asking it not for ourselves, but for Him; we ask for His sake, on His account. Or, better still, it is Christ asking through us as for himself.
Then, remembering that when He cried He was always heard, we know that not one of our petitions offered in His name can be neglected. "Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit; because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27)
The Spirit that so successfully made supplication in Christ still lives and makes intercession for us. Jesus has gone into the heavens, "there to appear in the presence of God for us." (Hebrews 9:24)
But by His Spirit He is still on earth dwelling with men. So by the Spirit in us we ourselves have access to the heavens, in the person of Jesus we ourselves are in the holiest, close by the throne of grace, boldly making our requests to God.
And He has called us there for the express purpose of supplying all our need according to His riches in glory. Surely if we know this we shall never more go empty.
Why Was Jesus Heard?
"[He was heard] in that He feared." (Hebrews 5:7)
Not, as the margin has it, "for His piety," but, as in Hebrews 12:28, where the same word occurs, for His "godly fear." The Greek word has the significance of caution, circumspection. He was heard, and delivered from sin, because He feared to sin, and thus displease God. He was saved from sin, because He wanted to be saved.
Here is our assurance. God gives to every man the desire of his heart: "The king shall joy in your strength, O Lord, and in your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips." (Psalm 21:1-2)
His mercy is upon us according as we hope in Him: "Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in You." (Psalm 33:22)
He grants us according to our own heart: "The Lord ... Grant you according to your own heart, and fulfill all your counsel." (Psalm 20:1,4) "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him." (Psalm 145:19)
Every unspoken longing, every aspiration of the heart, is an articulate voice in the ears of God, who hears the cry of the blood of the slain, and of the wages of which the poor are defrauded. Not one longing desire is overlooked by "Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think," (Ephesians 3:19) "For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 17:9)
Therefore, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift," (2 Corinthians 9:15) "[of] victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)--Present Truth, June 18, 1903.