He was made "perfect"

Every once in a while I bump into people who have questions about certain verses of scripture.  Sometimes they are simple and humble questions from people who are genuinely confused.  Other times the questions come from people who are cultists who think they have found a verse that provides a road block to orthodoxy.  One such verse is Hebrews 5:9.

Hebrews 5:9 says this about Jesus: "And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation…"

The confusion regarding this verse hinges on the nature of the word "perfect."  Understandably, modern people read this with a modern, and english, understanding of this word. We use the term today to refer to that which is flawless; that which his has all the desirable elements; that which is absolute.  So, a person with a flawed understanding of who Jesus is would point to this verse as a proof text to say that Jesus could not be God because he was imperfect, and had to be made perfect.  And even Christians stumble on this verse.  "Wait a second here…does this mean Jesus was not perfect?  That he was not complete?  That he had flaws?

The greek term we translate "Perfect" however does not carry the same connotation for perfect that we have…unless we inflect the word "perfect" by emphasizing the second syllable: perFECT.  And even then it bears explanation.  The greek term, teleio, refers to that which is complete; that which has gone through a process in which it can be declared mature or fully finished; that which is accomplished.  So in context, this word is referring to the fact that Jesus' life and obedience completed a process which resulted in him being fully qualified, prepared and complete to be a High Priest for us who need eternal salvation.  

God could have sent him to be Messiah right from birth.  He could have been raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, raised on the knee of a great queen, surrounded by the best teachers and advisers. Instead, he came and lived life like a common Joe.  He suffered, was mistreated, experienced cold and hunger, was misunderstood, beaten, experienced injustice, tortured and murdered.  His experiences mean that he could be an ideal priest because he did all that following the will of the Father wherever it lead… And now he can minister to anybody.  He is well qualified. He aced the certification test.  

In fact, you could insert "having been certified one hundred percent qualified by his experiences…." and that would do a pretty good job of conveying the idea intended in that verse.   This verse does not teach anything remotely like what some cultists would make it out to be.  Its telling us Jesus is the man for the job to be our High Priest.