|
by
Doug Ward |
Shortly before taking his final breaths on the cross, Jesus triumphantly
declared, "It is finished" (Jn 19:30). He had been dedicated to
finishing the work that the Father had given him to do on earth (Jn 4:34;
17:4), work that culminated in his death. By dying as the ultimate Passover
lamb, he defeated the devil and liberated his people from slavery to the fear of
death, inaugurating a new covenant (Heb 2:14-15; 9:15-20).
Jesus'
death is not the end of the story, however. As the epistle to the Hebrews
explains, Jesus accomplished even more after the completion of his work on
earth. The author of Hebrews, addressing Jewish Christians at around the time
of the destruction of the Second Temple, bases his reasoning on the details of
Israel's priesthood and sacrificial system.
The
tabernacle and temple sacrifices described in the book of Leviticus entailed
much more than the death of an animal. A sacrifice was a process including
several steps, of which slaughtering an animal was only the first. After the
animal was killed, priests carried out the key task of bringing material from
the sacrifice into God's presence. They would burn parts of the animal on the
outer altar and apply its blood to either that altar or the incense altar
inside the sanctuary (see Lev 1-7). For the sacrifice to be acceptable, each
step of this process had to be carried out properly.1
The
priests, then, had a great responsibility, especially the high priest. Each
year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest carried out a cleansing of the
sanctuary and the people of Israel (Lev 16). On this one day of the year he entered
God's presence in the most holy place, making atonement for himself and for the
people. As a result, the people's covenant relationship with God was
maintained, and God continued to dwell in their midst.
|
Hebrews
and the Heavenly Temple |
The earthly tabernacle and temple were patterned after a heavenly temple, based
on plans that God had revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 25:9,40; Num 8:4;
Heb 8:5). Reasoning by analogy, the inspired author of Hebrews concludes that
the services of the heavenly sanctuary must be similar to those of the earthly
one, with a high priest doing sacrificial and intercessory work.
Hebrews
gives a detailed explanation of the qualifications of Jesus to be the high
priest in the heavenly temple. First, since Jesus is fully human, he can
represent human beings effectively (Heb 2:17-18). He is also without sin and
can come into God's presence perpetually, not just on the Day of Atonement (Heb
4:15; 7:25-28).
Jesus
is from the tribe of Judah, so he is not eligible for the priesthood of the
earthly temple, which is reserved for descendants of Levi. Instead, the Messiah
had been prophesied to be "a priest forever after order of
Melchizedek" (Ps 110:4). The Bible gives no record of Melchizedek's birth
or death, making that mysterious priest of Abram's day a fitting type for the
Messiah, who has existed eternally and lives forever (Heb 7).
Jesus'
resurrection allowed him to complete the sacrifice that began with his death.
After forty days with his disciples, he ascended to heaven (Ac 1:9), to the
right hand of the Father (Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12-13). Entering the heavenly
sanctuary, he then offered himself there as a sacrifice (Heb 7:27; 9:11-14).
On
the Day of Atonement, the Aaronic high priest interceded for the people of
Israel, praying for them during his annual visit to the most holy place in the
temple. In the heavenly sanctuary, access to God is not restricted to one day a
year, or limited by the imperfections or mortality of the high priest. Instead,
Jesus is continually present in the heavenly temple, interceding for his New
Covenant people (Heb 7:23-28) and maintaining their standing with the Father.
|
The
New Exodus in Hebrews |
In addition to explaining Jesus' high priestly role, the book of Hebrews
describes the new exodus in which Christians participate. Through the death of
Jesus, we are freed from spiritual slavery and come into a covenantal
relationship with God (Heb 2:14-15; 9:15). We are now on a kind of wilderness
journey, coming "to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem" (12:22). In the process of being sanctified (2:11), we
await the return of Jesus, who "will appear a second time, not to deal
with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (9:28).
The
author of Hebrews admonishes Christians to learn from the wilderness experience
of the children of Israel. At the borders of the Promised Land the Israelites
of the exodus rebelled, calling for a new leader and a return to Egypt. Their
time of sojourning was then extended to forty years, with the older generation
dying in the wilderness and never seeing the Promised Land (Nu 14). God
determined that this unbelieving generation "shall not enter my rest"
(Ps 95:11).
Hebrews
places Christians, spiritually speaking, at the border of the Promised Land
with crucial choices to make. Quoting Psalm 95, the author urges readers to
avoid "an evil, unbelieving heart" (3:12). Instead, we are to
"exhort one another every day," so that "none of you may be hardened
by the deceitfulness of sin" (v 13). Taking every opportunity to meet
together, we should "consider how to stir up one another to love and good
works" (10:24).
Knowing
that Jesus is continually on duty as our high priest provides extra incentive
and encouragement to persevere. Through him, we know that we can "with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need" (4:16). With him interceding for us,
nothing can separate us from God's love (Rom 8:32-39).
1See
David M. Moffitt, "It Is Not Finished: Jesus' Perpetual Atoning Work as
the Heavenly High Priest in Hebrews," pp. 157-174 in So Great A
Salvation: A Dialogue on the Atonement in Hebrews, John C. Laansma, George H. Guthrie, Cynthia Long Westfall, Editors,
T&T Clark, 2019.
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