The Story of Hebrews continues...
1 -- The Setting of Hebrews
2 -- The Cast of Characters
3 -- The Context at Corinth/Ephesus (13:22-25)
4 -- Closing Clues (13:1-19)
5 -- The Main Takeaway (4:14-16; 10:25-31)
6 -- Remember the Good Times (5:11-6:2; 10:32-39)
7 -- The Impossibility of Repentance (6:3-8; 10:26-31)
8 -- The Rhetorical Strategy of Hebrews
9 -- An Eternal Priest (Hebrews 5, 7)
10 -- The New Covenant (Hebrews 8)
_________________________________
1. "Now we get to the very center of Hebrews' argument," Apollos said.
"The offering of Christ?" Tertius asked.
"Yes. As Jesus was dying," Apollos continued, "the disciples couldn't make sense of it. Messiah's don't die -- at least that's what every Jew thought at the time."
"I get it," Tertius responded. "You expect a worthy king to win."
"But after the resurrection," Apollos added. "It made sense to think of Jesus' death as something like the deaths of the Maccabees -- a righteous death to atone for the sins of Israel. It is all there in Scripture. Before the kingdom could be restored, the sins of Israel needed atoned for."
"So the cross," Tertius added, "which was a tool of capital punishment, not to mention Roman shame and humiliation, becomes a sacrifice for sins."
"Yes," Apollos agreed. "Jesus is the Lamb of Israel, as John liked to put it."
"And the great insight of Paul," Tertius continued, "was that it was not just for Israel but for anyone who gives their allegiance to Christ."
"Yes," Apollos said. "What did you write with him in the letter to the Romans? God sent his Son to take care of sin? And clearly Paul meant all sin in the flesh -- the sins of all humanity."
"Yes, indeed," Tertius confirmed. "And now over ten years later we are writing the same people again, mostly non-Jews that Jesus' death was equally for."
2. "Here is the new insight," Apollos said, getting very serious now. "It was always Jesus. Jesus was always the plan. Sure, God didn't count the sins of those in the old covenant who offered sacrifices. He knew that Jesus' offering was coming."
"So their sacrifices weren't empty or vain?" Tertius asked.
"Their sacrifices purified them on a physical level (9:13)," Apollos answered. "It cleansed their flesh. But it couldn't in itself cleanse their spirits. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (10:4). To cleanse the spirit required a spiritual sacrifice."
"And Christ offered himself with an eternal Spirit?" Tertius asked (9:14).
"Yes," Apollos answered again. "As Silas likes to say in worship, 'Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God, having died in the flesh, but having been made alive in the Spirit' (1 Pet. 3:18)."
"His indestructible life (7:16)," Apollos continued, "is what makes it possible for him to be a priest forever. It is what makes his sacrifice a once and for all sacrifice."
3. "So, how will you approach the argument?" Tertius asked.
"I'm going to explore the contrast between the true, heavenly sanctuary, and the earthly copy that was a shadow of it."
Apollos continued. "The structure of the earthly Tent of Meeting that God had Bezalel construct -- by the way, Bezalel means 'in the shadow of God' -- had an allegorical meaning. Every item inside it did as well, although we don't have enough space in this sermon to go into it" (9:5).
"I am very interested in these spiritual meanings," Tertius said. "Tell me more."
"Well, there were two tents, a first and a second one," Apollos began.
"Don't you mean two rooms in the one tent?" Tertius asked.
"No, two tents," Apollos continued. "The first one, the Holy Place, represents this present age (9:9). It represents the created world (9:11). It represents the continual sacrifices that earthly priests offer in the tent that only cleanse the flesh but can't cleanse sin" (10:1-2).
"Don't you mean offered, past tense" Tertius asked, "since the temple is now destroyed?"
"I am speaking of the old system and the old covenant," Apollos answered. "It is about the theology of atonement, the eternal pattern and its earthly shadow. Yes, the temple is destroyed but many think it will be rebuilt. I am speaking of the system itself, which is disappearing. But it won't entirely disappear until this created realm is consumed by fire and recreated" (12:26-29; cf. 2 Pet. 7, 10).
"I think I get it," Tertius said. "It will be difficult for some to grasp, but I think you are talking about the theory behind all the earthly sanctuaries of Israel. You are talking about the ideal behind them all, whether the first or second temple or even the tabernacle Moses had in the desert."
"Yes," Apollos said. "I am talking about the heavenly model, the heavenly pattern of which all those sanctuaries were just shadowy illustrations."
4. "So, if the outer room represents this present age and the created realm, what does the inner chamber represent?"
"Heaven itself" (9:24), Apollos answered. Christ passed through the created heavens into the highest heaven (4:14; 7:26), into God's throne room. The second tent, which you are calling the inner chamber, represents the new covenant, the age to come that has already begun but is not fully here."
"Are you saying that when Christ passed through the heavens and sat at the right hand of God, it was like the high priest going through the outer room into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement?"
"Exactly," Apollos said. "In a sense, he offered his blood to God in heaven itself" (9:12).
"Can you take blood into heaven?" Tertius asked.
"I don't mean that part literally," Apollos answered. "Strictly speaking, heaven is a spiritual realm. The created realm is intrinsically inferior (12:27)."
"This will be a difficult letter for many to understand," Tertius said with a smile.
"But many will," Apollos added. "And for those who don't entirely grasp it, they will still get a strong sense of security in the depth of God's brilliance."
5. "Again, let me get this straight. All the various sacrifices of the Scriptures find their fulfillment in the death of Christ?"
"Yes," Apollos agreed. "From the ceremony involving scarlet thread (9:19) to the use of the ashes of a red heifer (9:13) to the Day of the Atonement sacrifice (9:7) to the daily sacrifices (10:11) -- they all were foreshadowings of Christ's once and for all sacrifice and offering."
"Wow," Tertius said in amazement.
"Even the inaugural sacrifices, the ones that sanctified the wilderness tent (Exod. 29), were a shadowy illustration of Christ's inaugural offering in heaven itself, the true tent" (9:18-24).
"It's funny," Tertius remarked. "According to the Law, blood is necessary for forgiveness (9:22). But none of the blood offered in the old covenant actually took away sins (10:4), only the blood of Jesus."
"Yes," Apollos agreed. "And even then, it was not the physical blood so much that was effective but Christ's eternal spirit" (9:14).
After a moment of reflection, Apollos continued. "With one offering, Christ has perfected forever each person who is made holy (10:14). With one sacrifice -- of his body -- he has taken away the Levitical sacrificial system and replaced it" (10:5-10).
"I know that psalm," Tertius said. "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire but a body you prepared for me" (Ps. 40:6; Heb. 10:5-10).
"Yes, in our Greek version of the Scriptures," Apollos said. "I remember Paul saying that the Hebrew has something about ears, but we will use the Greek."
6. "What amazing truths you have shared today, Apollos."
"What did brother Paul write," Apollos asked. "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Rom. 11:33).
"Amen!"
No comments:
Post a Comment