It's All About Him: Hebrews -- Lesson 29

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.

Flame's Shadow

If you light a candle in a dark room, you will light to see and read. If you place a candle in front of a projection screen and shine a very bright light on it, you will see the shadow of the flame. This is what you must visualize as you read this next section of Hebrews:

Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "See," He says, "that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:1-6, NASB 95)

With these words, the Writer transitions from Jesus the better priest to his new and lengthy section on the better covenant. By now you should see why I have titled this series "It's all about Him." The Writer says, "Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. " This is his summary of Psalm 110. It combines "sit at my right hand" with "you are a priest forever" and adds this, "a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man."

The tabernacle erected by Moses and the temple, which followed, are based on what Moses saw on Mt. Sinai. The Writer of Hebrews now tells us that Moses saw the real thing and came down and erected a copy. So the tabernacle/temple on earth and the annual calendar of offerings are merely pictures that model a heavenly reality. Jesus is the priest and central figure in that reality. The heavenly tabernacle and sanctuary and the High Priest Jesus are as light--the models on earth are the shadow.

You have to say one thing about the Writer--he knows how to draw a contrast. Earlier he wrote that "Jesus is greater than Moses by just so much as the builder of the house is greater than the house." Here the difference is light and substance over shadow and copies. What we have on earth in the Old Testament are the architectural drawings of heaven's edifices.

The amazing thing about what Jesus has provided mankind is that through His own offered blood, we have access to the inner rooms of the real thing! What religion on earth has granted such access to God. Indeed as the Writer said earlier, "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" With each topic on which he touches, we have become more and more aware of how wonderfully complete the New Covenant is.

It is very important that we apprehend these realities and truly and freely approach the throne of grace. We are free to enter there at the time of need--at the time of great temptation--at the time of imminent failure! At those times, there is our high priest and intercessor, sitting at the right hand of God, pleading for our rescue because we have come to Him. We tend to come after we have failed, and, of course, we obtain forgiveness and are given grace. But that is very Old Testament--the bring of a sin offering or a guilt offering after the fact. We have more!

The pillars of the Old Covenant have been superseded: The prophets, Moses, the priesthood. Now the Writer takes a look at the very covenant itself and compares it to the New Covenant. The next lesson will follow.

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It's All About Him: Hebrews -- Lesson 28

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.

A Better Priesthood

The Writer has established the priesthood of Jesus the Messiah by connecting him with Melchizedek. But the question remains, "What of the levitical priesthood?" Here is what the Writer has to say:

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

When the Writer asks, "If perfection was through the Levitical priesthood...," he implies that perfection did not come and, therefore, a new priesthood was in order. But he also notes the need for a change of Law concerning a legitimate priesthood. The Levitical priesthood is based on the commands in the Torah. They are, by definition, descended from Levi. Since Jesus is descended from Judah, He cannot officiate at the altar in the temple.

And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek." For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, "The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, 'You are a priest forever'"); so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Jesus is a priest by virtue of an indestructible life and the sworn oath of the Lord God! The Law made nothing perfect. The offerings of the priests never changed the hearts of men and women. The blood of goats covered sin, but did not clear the conscience. Even more so, nothing about the older priesthood gave access personal access to God. With Jesus as our high priest, we have complete forgiveness of sin and free access to the throne of grace by which we receive the help that we need. This is the better hope.

The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:11-28, NASB 95)

Every Levitical priest has died or will die, but Jesus continues forever. There is no loss of continuity. They are many, He is one. They die, He lives on. They must make offerings for their own sins, He is holy, innocent, undefiled, and exalted above the heavens. They offer goats, He offered Himself. They are weak, He is perfect.

So here is the Jesus in the book of Hebrews:

1. The radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature.
2. Greater than David because He is seated at the right hand of God.
3. Superior to the angels and prophets, because He is the Son
4. Our kinsman by taking on our flesh and blood.
5. Greater than Moses, because the builder of the house is greater than the house.
6. A greater high priest, because He was appointed by the sworn oath of God, because He offered Himself as an offering, and because He lives forever.

It only remains to compare the New Covenant in Jesus' blood with the Old Covenant. That is the topic we will pick up next.

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It's All About Him: Hebrews -- Lesson 27

To start at the beginning of this series, click here.

Melchizedek

The Writer has established the priesthood of Messiah Jesus according to the order of Melchizedek. He has taken Psalm 110, which was universally in the first century to make the case that Jesus was the Messiah seated at the right hand of God and developed the verse which says, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." But how does this priesthood rank with the levitical priesthood? That is the task the Writer takes on next:

Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest?s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. (Hebrews 7:4-10, NASB 95)

The Writer begins, "Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a 10th of the choicest spoils?" The Writer compares Melchizedek with Abraham and notes that Abraham was the patriarch: the head of Jews genealogists line. He also notes that Abraham gave Melchizedek 1/10th of the choicest spoils of war. What was it about Melchizedek that warranted such honor from Abraham?

What does it mean that the levities collect a tenth from the children of Israel while Abraham gave a tenth to "one whose genealogy is not traced?" Notice how the Writer is emphasizing the symbolic connection between Jesus and Melchizedek--and by doing so makes everything that transpired between Abraham and Melchizedek apply to Jesus-- a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. It is not that Melchizedek was a pre-incarnate vision of Jesus, but rather the priesthood that he had from God that is the connection. In a sense we are asked to acknowledge this fact, "if Melchizedek, the shadow, how much more Jesus the reality?" In addition, the Writer is asking us to note that Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek, because he was greater than Abraham--a fact that is then underscored by the Writer noting that Melchizedek "...Blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater."

Abraham as the patriarch is greater the whole tribe of Levi, who descended from him and inherit the promises through him. Melchizedek is greater than Abraham, because Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils to him and received a blessing from him. In arithmetic terms M > A > L! Now since Jesus is a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, we can make the substitution J > A > L and conclude that the priesthood of Jesus is greater and worthy of more honor than the Levitical priesthood. Indeed, let us note, as the Writer of Hebrews asks, that through Abraham, the levitical priests owed and paid a tenth to Melchizedek.

All that remains is to establish that a priesthood, according to the order of Melchizedek, can be from a tribe other than Levi. That is the Writer's next task.

Test everything. Cling to what is good.