To what does “being made perfect” refer?

Explanation:

There is a strong syntactical connection between Hebrews 5:7–8 and Hebrews 5:9. In Hebrews 5:7–8 we learn that Jesus offered prayers to God, and he was heard for his reverence. The author clarifies the significance of this by reiterating that although Jesus was a Son (referring to his divinity, Hebrews 1:2–3), he also learned obedience through what he suffered. The point is that in his human nature Jesus underwent a process of development, specifically in terms of learning obedience, not unlike any other human. In the original Greek, there is no punctuation between Hebrews 1:8 and Hebrews 1:9, but we move straight to the participle τελειωθεὶς (being made perfect/complete). The notion is that by learning obedience through suffering Jesus was made perfect/complete.⁴ This process of learning obedience through suffering is what qualified Jesus as the perfect high priest.

Counterargument:

There are several ways to interpret the participle form of τελειόω (to perfect/complete). For example, it could refer to the culmination of Jesus’ suffering, which was his crucifixion on the cross.⁵ In other words, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered, and this was brought to completion when he endured the ultimate suffering of death on the cross. Another possibility is that it refers to Jesus’ resurrection.⁶ On this reading, Jesus learns obedience through what he suffers, is crucified on the cross, and is made perfect when God raised him from the dead. Another possible reading is that Jesus’ vocation as high priest is brought to completion as a result of his learning obedience through what he suffered.⁷

The point is, there are several possible interpretations of the participle τελειόω (to perfect/complete), and not all of them have to do with being made perfect by enduring a lifetime of obedience.

Response to counterargument:

While it might be possible to interpret the participle of τελειόω in different ways, our aim is to determine the most appropriate interpretation. To do this, we look to the direct context and the book as a whole. We have already seen that the direct context calls for one to connect Hebrews 5:9 with the preceding Hebrews 5:7–8, which seems to imply that Jesus is made complete through his willing obedience to the Father. We find confirmation of this interpretation when we look back on Hebrews 2:10–18 (see argument 2).

Explanation:

Earlier in the book, the author of Hebrews introduces the fact that God found it fitting to make Jesus τελειόω (to perfect/complete) through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). He goes on to explain what it means that God made Jesus complete through suffering, by noting that for a high priest to be effective, he must be like those whom he represents in every way (Hebrews 2:17). This includes sharing in the flesh and blood of those whom he serves, as well as enduring death (Hebrews 2:14). It also means that since his brothers and sisters suffer when they are tempted, Jesus also suffers when he is tempted (Hebrews 2:18). The author goes on to explain that Jesus is the great high priest (Hebrews 3:1–6) and to exhort his audience not to harden their hearts (Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11), before returning to the theme of being made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 5:7–9).

The author explains that in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus cried out to God in loud cries, and he was heard for his reverence (Hebrews 5:7). Cleary, Jesus is suffering, but what makes him the great high priest is that, even if he is tempted to avoid the suffering of death on the cross, his priority remains the fulfilment of his Father’s will (Hebrews 5:8). Through suffering Jesus learns obedience, and through this process of learning obedience, Jesus is made τελειόω (to perfect/complete).⁸

Counterargument:

The problem with this view is that it makes two assumptions. First, it assumes that Hebrews 2:10 has to do with Jesus’ developing to completion. This is possible, but given the ambiguity of the context, it is also possible that it refers to Jesus’ resurrection, death on the cross, or the fulfilment of his vocation as high priest (see argument 1, counterargument). Added to this, it assumes that there is a connection between Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 5:9. Given the distance between the verses, it is possible that these do not inform each other.

Added to this, it seems as though Hebrews 5:10 supports the notion that Jesus’ being perfected has to do with his being consecrated as a high priest. We read that through suffering Jesus learns obedience, after which he is made complete and designated a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. This implies that Jesus is made perfect in the sense that after a life of suffering he is consecrated as a high priest.

Response to counterargument:

It is not a baseless assumption to connect Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 5:9; we have solid contextual grounds for doing so. In fact, the connection between these is so strong that there is a sense in which Hebrews 5:9 is essentially an elaboration of Hebrews 2:10.⁹ In Hebrews 2:10 we read that God found it fitting that the pioneer of salvation should be made perfect through suffering. In Hebrews 5:7–9 we read how Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered, and, after having been made perfect, became the source of eternal salvation. Added to this, the verb τελειόω (to perfect/complete) is in the passive voice, which suggests that Jesus himself was made perfect/complete.

Finally, the only other place in the New Testament where Jesus is described with the verb τελειόω is Luke 13:32, which also points to the attainment of completion through suffering and death.¹⁰ Taken together, it is appropriate to infer that all three passages point to the same reality. In his suffering Jesus learned obedience and was therefore made complete.

The weakness of this view is that it assumes that Jesus is consecrated as a high priest only after he has endured the suffering of obedience. This is possible, but it is also possible that Jesus’ entire ministry was an act of service as high priest (see Hebrews 2:10, Interpretation 1, argument 1)). If it is the case that Jesus entire life is an act of service as high priest, then it is possible that what is made complete in Hebrews 5:9 is not Jesus’ humanity, but his high priestly vocation. After learning obedience to the Father and suffering death on the cross, God raises Jesus from the dead, and his vocation as high priest is τελειόω (to perfect/complete).

Explanation:

Since Jesus was the Son of God, in his divine nature he did not grow or develop. Still, as a human Jesus grew and developed, even learning obedience. For example, Luke 2:52 states that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Hebrews 5:8 reiterates this by stating that although he was a Son, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered. Still, the reason Jesus became incarnate and endured the process of development as a human was to accomplish the task that the Father had given him. Jesus came to earth on a mission from the Father. This implies that everything Jesus endured as a human was directed at fulfilling his task, so when the author of Hebrews states that Jesus was perfected, it means that Jesus completed the task that he entered humanity to perform.¹³

Counterargument:

While it is true that Jesus entered humanity in order to fulfil a task that was given to him by the Father, the passage does not connect the fulfilment of this task with Jesus’ being perfected. In fact, a handful of elements in Hebrews up until Hebrews 5:9 suggests that it was Jesus himself who was made complete (in his human nature), not his task. For example, in Hebrews 2:10 the author states that God found it fitting to make the author of salvation perfect through suffering. This seems to refer to Jesus’ person, not his task. The author further clarifies this statement by explaining that for Jesus to be a faithful high priest he has to be like those whom he serves in every way (Hebrews 2:17). This includes suffering while being tempted (Hebrews 2:18), and enduring death (Hebrews 2:14). Further, the author explains that Jesus is able to sympathize with us in every way, yet is without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Finally, we reach Hebrews 5:8 where we learn that even though Jesus was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Each of these passages suggests that like the humans he serves, Jesus developed over time in his human nature. When we finally reach Hebrews 5:9 we learn that after having been made perfect/complete, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation. Considered against the backdrop of the preceding verses that highlight how Jesus grew in his humanity, it is hard to see how Hebrews 5:9 would suddenly be about Jesus’ completing his task.

To be sure, Jesus did complete his task of accomplishing the Father’s will, but Hebrews 5:9 seems to state that since Jesus developed in obedience through his suffering, he became complete, making him the perfect high priest.

The problem with this view is that it imports a concept that is foreign to the text. The Greek phrase that the author uses in Hebrews 5:9 is a participle in the passive voice of the verb τελειόω (to perfect/complete). Since the verb is in the passive voice the action of the verb applies to the subject, who is Jesus (Hebrews 5:7). Since Jesus is the subject of the action of the verb when it is in the passive voice, the most obvious meaning is that Jesus is the one who is perfected/completed. Notice that neither the preceding verses nor the passage at hand say anything about Jesus’ task, or his task being completed. The focus is on Jesus’ learning obedience through suffering, which completed him. Implicit in all of this is the fact that Jesus completed the task that the Father gave him. That Jesus was perfected in the sense that he completed the Father’s task is foreign to the text.