v1: The qualifications for the Aaronic priesthood are reflected in Christ.

• The priest was taken from among men, see 2.11, 14; Christ had to become a man.
• The priest was appointed to represent men before God, see 3.2. This involved handling the precious and glorious things of God, and was therefore an important task.
• The priest offers gifts and sacrifices for sins, see 8.3; 9.9. There were offerings for worship as well as for forgiveness. Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice to God.

v2: Christ is our teacher, for we are ignorant; He is our shepherd, for we go astray.

The priest was beset by weakness, and subject to the same temptations as those he represented; he therefore had compassion and sympathy.

v3: Since the priest was a sinner, he had to offer sacrifices for his own sins also. In this respect, Christ was different, as He had no need to offer a sacrifice for His own sins.

v4: The priest was called by God. Christ was similarly called by God to be High Priest. He is a priest forever, and the author of eternal salvation, for He can never die.

In addition, Christ was set forth by God as an atoning sacrifice (Rom 3.25); no Aaronic priest could fulfil this role.

These things give assurance, since Christ is both our priest and sacrifice.

v5: Christ fulfilled the priestly calling (as in v1-4); He was appointed as priest.

v6: Christ is a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, which is explained further in chapter 7.

v7: A reference especially to Christ's prayers in Gethsemane; Christ became a real man and suffered. He was thus qualified to be High Priest. His prayers were no less real since He was the Son of God.

v8: Christ shared in human suffering, learning obedience. This was a new and essential experience for Him.

v9-10: Christ was perfected by His experiences, and qualified to be High Priest. Since He has become the author of eternal salvation, we need no further priest, no more sacrifice for sins; we can be utterly confident of our salvation in Him.

v11: The peril of immaturity; a specific problem for the Hebrew Christians. There was a lack of spiritual growth and understanding; this was a cause for concern. The teaching on Christ the High Priest, and the throne of grace would give encouragement to them to press on.

There is "much to say", but we can miss out on it. Some were "slow to learn", and missed out on much that God had for them in Christ.

v12: There was an expectation of spiritual growth, "you ought to be teachers", to strengthen and help others, to be unselfish, to contribute to the good of others. Compare 1 Cor 3.1-2; the divine expectation is that we mature as disciples of Christ.

"Elementary truths" (or 'oracles' or 'first principles'), authoritative messages, not to be doubted nor questioned; also these truths are those foundational matters, on which the faith is built.

They needed milk; this was ideal for the immature, as in 1 Pet 2.2. The solid food diet was a characteristic of the mature, which requires more digestion, but gives appropriate strength.

v13: There is a clear need to know God's word, and to be skilled in it, 2 Tim 2.15. We study to be able to teach others also. To continue to live on milk is a sign of immaturity.

v14: Discernment is another characteristic of maturity; this is not an overnight thing, but the result of constant growth, Ezek 22.26.