Hebrews Chapter 8
Originally publishedTuesday October 21, 2008
Hebrews, Chapter 8:1-13 Mediator of a Better Covenant
The author
has made an extensive argument in Chapters 5 through 7 for Jesus
as the Great High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," the
one without beginning or end. In Chapter 8 he will move the center of the
discussion to Jesus and his heavenly ministry as the High Priest. The opening
phrase, "Now the main point...is this," focuses our attention on
the important outcome of what was affirmed before: Jesus is the Great
High Priest and his priestly ministry in the heavens. Everything before is as a
prelude to this presentation.
Unlike Melchizedek,
Jesus as High Priest is "located." He is in the heavens, having
been exalted to and seated at "the right hand of the throne of the
majesty (God)." This placement affirms that his function is in the heavens
as one appointed by God to his priestly
function. Jesus' high priestly function is as "a
minister of the holy things (Holy of Holies) and of the
true Tabernacle." In Exodus the Sanctuary and
Tabernacle are part of the same structure with the sanctuary being the
place where only the High Priest can enter. It was the sanctuary where the Ark
of the Covenant was placed, Aaron's rod and a bottle of manna was within the
Ark, with the winged Seraphim hovering above the Mercy Seat. The
Tabernacle in heaven is the true one. It has been set up by the Lord in
heaven. "Lord" as used here probably refers to Jesus. In Jewish
tradition the earthly Tabernacle of the wilderness journey was considered
to be merely a copy of the perfect one erected in heaven. By stating that it
was the Lord who set up the Tabernacle in Heaven the author
presupposes the pre-existence of Christ. With a location in the
heavens and a function as a priest established we need to know
the nature of this priestly ministry.
Typically we think
of the priest as one who offers the daily and feast day sacrifices and other
offerings on the Temple (Tabernacle) altar. It is the High Priest alone
who offers (sprinkles) the blood of the sacrifice behind the
veil within the Sanctuary once a year on the Day of Atonement. The author
assumes the regular sacrifices apart from the Sanctuary (daily offerings,
gifts, etc.) which are made by other Levitical priests are, by
relationship, being made as if by the High Priest. But under
what authority are they made and what kind of sacrifices can be offered by this
new High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary? In the earthly Tabernacle sacrifices
were made according to the detailed instructions of the Law of Moses.
They were offered in an imperfect, earthly sanctuary built according
to the directions of a faulty Law (covenant). In the heavens, the
sanctuary is perfect. We read that the covenant under which sacrifices are
offered is a new and "better covenant." This new covenant is
based on "better promises, i.e. on faith instead of on the faulty promises
of the Law. In fact, it was the failure of this first covenant of Sinai to
produce righteousness that led to the need to receive one that did.
The author appeals
to scripture, specifically Jer.
31:31-34, as God's promise that a new covenant will be given. This is a
well know and often used scripture in early Christianity. It is the basis for
Jesus' words of institution at the "last supper," (see Lk. 22:20) in which God establishes
a new covenant rooted in faith instead of the former covenant rooted in the
Law. Reading the Jeremiah text as a Christian we can understand the author's
reasoning. The entire Christian understanding of Christ as the replacement of
the Law and traditions of Judaism is rooted in this text. As understood by the
earliest Christians, the days of which Jeremiah spoke had already begun to
be realized in Jesus' appearing and were fulfilled with his
resurrection/exaltation. It is this new covenant that the new High Priest
"forever" will offer in the heavenly sanctuary. It has been
made not only once on the cross, but now "as a priest
forever" he will offer it in the heavenly sanctuary on behalf of human kind.
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