Hebrews 5:7,9 All the days of His life Christ offered requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death … And by being perfected in this way, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.
Hebrews is dedicated to a few, very deep, themes. The first, the cornerstone, is how Jesus became our perfect high priest and holy sacrifice. The second is that we must have complete faith in Him and follow His example. A pivotal point is: “During His entire life, Christ offered supplications, with loud cries, to the One who was able to save Him… and being perfected in this process, He became the source of eternal salvation, to all who obey.” There are many significant ideas here. First, Jesus could not save Himself. One might say, even if Jesus could have saved Himself, He could not have saved us, as well. To accomplish our salvation, He had to obey the Father 100%.
The Greek word for supplication in this verse is only used twice in the New Testament. Here and again in Hebrews 12:28. This word is the image of someone with an olive branch, a sign of deep respect and humility, begging for help. In Luke, Jesus told a parable of two kings saying, “If one king knows he cannot withstand the eminent attack of a greater king, he should quickly ask for terms of peace.” This is supplication. The olive branch was supple; it could bend without breaking. To offer it meant that the bearer was offering his will, bent to the will of the one who had the power of life or death and punishment or reward. All the days of His life, Jesus bent His will to the Father’s, with loud cries. This strikes me deeply.
Jesus, who came from the Father, had always been one with the Father, became like us and needed to consistently submit His human will to God’s, with loud cries and tears! Though the cross was the ultimate submission, all the days of His life He submitted His will to the Father. Through that process, He became our perfect example, our eternal high priest, and the only source of eternal salvation … to those who bend their wills to His. “So let us worship Him (bend our wills to His) in fear and awe, as our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28