Today in God's Word—September 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
September 3, Hebrews 9
Early one morning not long ago, I was walking our little dog, and noticed my shadow. I was surprised to see that my shadow was over fifty feet long! But I knew I was still (just barely) six feet tall. I know the difference between myself and my shadow. Pretty smart, huh? But wait, there’s more! We have pictures of our children in our home. Sweet memories of childhood and landmarks like graduations and weddings are associated with those photographs, but I have never once confused the real presence of one of my kids with their photographic likeness. I can tell the difference between an image of my child and the real person.
After briefly describing the layout and furnishings of the tabernacle, the writer said it was not his purpose to go into detail about those matters. He then described the mediating work the priests were called to do, how they ministered in the first room of the tabernacle. But only one (and only once each year) went into the second room, the Most Holy Place, to make a blood sacrifice for himself and the rest of the people. The sacrifice was required, but was merely a token, a representation of a real sacrifice still to come. It had no real power to forgive the sins and perfect the guilty conscience of the worshipper.
But when Christ came, he made his offering as our high priest in the true Most Holy Place (not an earthly tent), by the means of his own blood (not the blood of an animal). Jesus’ blood, shed when he died, had the power to truly forgive our sins and cleanse our consciences. All the symbolism and ceremony of the tabernacle and later the
temple, all the architecture, furniture and blood offerings were shadows. They were images depicting what Jesus would do at the cross. The shadows and pictures were rich in promise, but they only pointed to the coming reality. Their promise was fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus, as mediator of the new covenant, died to establish it. The blood that sanctified the covenant and everyone under it was his own. By his once for all offering for sin, Jesus has put away sin and taken its punishment for all who trust in him. By his death, resurrection and promised return, we have hope and confidence about our salvation and eternal life. The author of Hebrews did not want his first readers to forsake the reality of these things they had in Jesus by returning to the shadows and images of the Levitical priesthood.
What’s the point for you and me? No symbol or ceremony, even God-appointed ones, can do what Jesus did for us. No work we do, even in imitation of his sacrifice, can atone for sin like he did. To think that might be possible is to confuse shadows and pictures with reality. We’re smarter than that, aren’t we?
Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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