Hebrews 8:1-6 (HCSB)
Now the main point of what is being said is this: We have this kind of high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it was necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest, since there are those offering the gifts prescribed by the law. These serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was warned when he was about to complete the tabernacle. For God said, Be careful that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain. But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises.
Over time it became very evident that every human high priest, from Aaron on down, fell far short of what people needed. From Aaron caving to the demands of the people for the golden calf while camped in sight of God’s very presence on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32:1-6), to the shameful compromises with idolatry that led to the exile in Babylon, the men who had been installed into the highest office in the world, high priest of God almighty, failed, and sometimes fell.
But in Jesus, the divine High Priest, God provided exactly what was needed for sinful humanity. He was someone who, because He was fully human, could understand the human condition and the failures that tend to spring from it. But because He is fully divine as well, He rose above that human condition to remain holy and righteous, and therefore perfectly obedient, His entire life.
It turned out, in fact, that the high priesthood was merely a shadow of the true high priesthood of Jesus which God was going to provide; a foretaste that would prepare the people for what was going to come. But the only way in which that foreshadow would be effective is if it were done accurately.
Thus all the rich symbolism of the tabernacle and temple, with their divinely planned proportions, the intricate interplay of light and shadow, fragrant wood and precious metals like gold, silver, and bronze, and the multi layered representations of cherubim guarding the way as one approached the holy of holies. All these were carefully designed by God, and he required Moses to craft them all exactly as shown to him on the mountain.
The high priest himself was a foreshadow as well, all the way down to the patterns and colors of his garments, the breastplate on his robe that bore the names of the twelve tribes of Israel over his heart continually (Exodus 28:15-30), and the plate of pure gold to be worn continually over his forehead with the inscription “Holy to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36-38).
Jesus was never ordained to serve in the earthly temple, bringing gifts and sacrifices that could not really cleanse from sin. Instead, as the fulfillment of all that those things represented, He serves in the heavenly tabernacle, the very throne room of God Almighty, bringing the sacrifice of His own body and blood, a sacrifice which can provide forgiveness, cleansing, and genuine transformation of heart and mind.
Father, thank You for the symbolism which You wove into the tabernacle and the temple, and from which we can learn so much about You. And thank You for the reality of Jesus, our divine and eternal High Priest, to whom that symbolism pointed. Thank You for the hope that He brings by conveying to us real forgiveness, real purity, and real transformation, so that we can all serve You without fear, in holiness and righteousness all our days (Luke 1: 74- 75). Amen.