Well, we’re finally into Hebrews 5, so at long last, it’s time to unpack what the author of Hebrews means when he/she talks about Jesus as the “perfect priest.” I mean, it’s kind of a weird title, isn’t it? It’s even a little self-contradictory in a beautiful way. You see, Hebrews 5 gives three qualifications of a priest that William Barclay unpacked further:

(1) A priest intercedes.
As previously mentioned, the audience of Hebrews would have understood “sin” as a perpetual falling short— a habitual, involuntary imperfection. The atoning sacrifices of the Hebrew Scriptures were meant for this sort of sin, and priests in those days would offer atonement for themselves and others. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus does exactly that: overcome the perpetual shortcoming and bring us into new life.

(2) A priest empathizes.
Apologizes in advance for using two Greek words today, but Hebrews 5:2 offers us a great one: metriopatheia. There’s not a perfect English translation for this word, and a lot of Bible translations offer the underwhelming rendering of “deal gently.” This translation is about as accurate as calling Godzilla a lizard; while technically correct, it overlooks a few pretty big details. In the same way, metriopatheia is the giant, radioactive, fire-breathing version of empathy. It involves fully realizing another person’s burdens without a shred of irritation, and a more accurate translation might be “bearing with others without ever getting annoyed by them.” It’s a high standard, but according to Hebrews, this is a goal of the priesthood.

(3) A priest is never self-appointed.
Lastly, a priest must be appointed by someone else: the church, the community, God— anyone except the priest him or herself. Biblical descriptions of priests almost always describe who appointed them to their roles (and, as for the “almost” in that statement, we’ll get there in chapter 7). There’s a humility in being appointed by others, and given the priest’s other responsibilities, that humility might just be the linchpin that holds the rest in place.

Jesus certainly does all those things. He intercedes; he empathizes; he is appointed by God; but why is Jesus called the perfect priest? Well, it’s time for Greek word #2: telos. In Greek philosophy, “perfection” doesn’t necessarily mean flawless; rather, something is “perfect” when it has fulfilled its purpose.
The perfect chair is any chair that supports me without ever falling.
The perfect plate is any plate that holds food without ever spilling.
The perfect dog is any dog.
You get the idea.
For the author of Hebrews, a perfect priest flawlessly fulfills a priest’s purpose: interceding on our behalf and empathizing on the deepest possible level without being self-aggrandizing. It’s not just his sinlessness that makes Jesus the “perfect priest”; it’s the way he perfectly fulfills this priestly role.

By calling Jesus the “perfect priest,” Hebrews offers us a taste of good news:
Jesus is always forgiving.
Jesus is always empathizing.
Jesus is always at our side.
And he will never fail in any of these duties.