Read with Me
Hebrews 13:11-14 (HCSB)
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest as a sin offering are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, so that He might sanctify the people by His own blood. Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.
Listen with Me
The Jewish Christians to whom the writer of Hebrews is writing this letter were fearful of rejection and disgrace. To them, it seemed wiser to turn back to the rituals and regulations of Judaism than to risk alienation from their families and friends. But the writer gives a powerful illustration to counter that argument.
According to Leviticus 4:1-12, the high priest was to slaughter a bull to atone for the sins of the nation, or for his own sins. The blood of that bull was taken into the Holy Place and sprinkled before the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, in which the Ark of the Covenant sat. The fat of the bull was burned on the altar, but the rest of the bull, its hide, its offal, and all the meat, was taken outside the camp and burned to ashes. Even on the Day of Atonement when the blood of the bull was taken into the Most Holy Place by the high priest, the flesh and hide of the bull was burned outside the camp (Leviticus 16:1-34).
The writer notes that this is a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice. Though His blood was poured out, it was received before God’s throne as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all people. But His body was hung on a cross outside the city walls in shame and disgrace, and then buried outside the city walls as well, in Joseph’s tomb near Golgotha.
The writer’s point is that if Jesus suffered shame and disgrace “outside the camp” to pay for our sins, then our proper response is to go to Him “outside the camp” and suffer shame and disgrace on His behalf when and where that is necessary. If the Lord of glory was willing to be cast out as a heretic and a liar for our sake, then it cannot be beneath us to be cast out as heretics and even as liars for His sake.
The writer’s point in the final sentence of this section is merely to remind his readers that this world is not our home anyway. We are aiming our whole lives toward an eternal home, the city that is to come. So, to turn away from Jesus in order to make this temporary dwelling place more tolerable, throwing away our hope of that eternal city in the process, is ridiculous.
Pray with Me
Father, the writer could not have made his point any clearer. It is ridiculous, and even foolish, to put ourselves and our honor above Jesus and His honor. And that is what we are doing anytime we pull back from Him, intimidated by the opinions of those around us. It is only when we are willing to suffer shame for Him that our witness can be powerful and effective. Help me, Lord, to never pull back from You, but to always stay close to You, no matter what happens, even if it means ending up “outside the camp”. Amen.