Read the passage here.

Our passage today is Hebrews 9.  And this passage picks up immediately from the previous passage, continuing with the consideration of the motif of Jesus as the true High Priest.  In chapter 8, which we looked at last week, the author discussed Jesus as the true High Priest and that, as the true High Priest, He fulfills the true sacrifice, in the true tabernacle, for the sake of the true covenant (in contrast to the earthly sacrifices, the earthly tabernacle, and the Old covenant). 

Today’s passage continues this consideration, digging deeper into the nature of the sacrifice and what this means in relation to the new or true covenant. 

We will look a little more closely into the importance of this passage.  But what we will see immediately is that this passage picks up on several things that were mentioned last week.  Beginning at 8:3, we read: 

^8:3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. ⁴ If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

In this paragraph, the author declares that Jesus, as the true High Priest, offers sacrifices, in the sanctuary, according to the covenant.  And again, this whole discussion is set in the context of Old (or earthly) vs New (or true).  So what we get in chapter 9 is a more detailed consideration of these ideas. 

Again, we’ll move somewhat quickly but I hope that we will be able to grasp the broad strokes and not get lost in too many details.  To begin, the first couple of paragraphs (vv. 1-10) outline what typically happens in the earthly temple.  Once again, we read:

^9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. ² A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. ³ Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, ⁴ which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. ⁵ Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

⁶ When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. ⁷ But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. ⁹ This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. ¹⁰ They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

The author here is outlining the basic practices of the Tabernacle according to the Old Testament/Old Covenant Laws.  Again, the audience of Hebrews isn’t clear but an explanation like this gives credence to the hypothesis that at least a significant part of the readership were gentiles.  Of course, the author might equally been reviewing what a Jewish audience was already familiar with – and this because of what follows (i.e. Jesus is greater). 

In short, the temple system stipulated that only the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place, in the heart of the temple/tabernacle, in order to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. 

The point that the author seems to be making is that this was an incredibly sacred practice, presumably highlighting the holiness of God and the extent to which human beings fall short.  And yet this sacrifice, this practice, was not sufficient – the repetition of it demonstrating precisely that it was not sufficient. 

That is, if it were sufficient, why would it need to be repeated every year? 

Continuing on, we read in vv. 11-16 that Jesus, by the sacrifice of His own body and blood, as opposed to that of sheep and goats, becomes the truly sufficient sacrifice and the truly sufficient High Priest.  So we read: 

¹¹ But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtainingeternal redemption. ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

¹⁵ For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

So in verses 15-16, we read that since Christ is a different kind of sacrifice, and therefore a different kind of High Priest, this must mean that He has inaugurated a different kind of covenant (though, as we know, God had spoken of this new covenant repeatedly through Israel’s history). 

The final two paragraphs of our passage pick up on the significance of sacrifices.  In the first paragraph (vv.16-22), we read essentially that blood is necessary to bind or enforce the covenant.  In vv. 21 & 22, we read that in the context of the covenant, blood has a cleansing effect, by which we understand that blood is necessary to cleanse the sinfulness of the covenant participants (that is, human beings). 

¹⁶ In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, ¹⁷ because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. ¹⁸ This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. ¹⁹ When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. ²⁰ He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” ²¹ In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²² In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

At the very least, this should reinforce to us the significance of holiness.  To put it very  simply, sin and holiness is a matter of life and death.  The consequence of sin, as we should know, is death.  And the sacrifice of the animals essentially takes the place of the death that we are owed due to our sin. 

But in the final paragraph of our passage, we read that, instead of calves and sheep and goats, Christ has become our perfect, sufficient, once for all sacrifice. 

²³ It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵ Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

In the earthly tabernacle, the “copies of the heavenly things,” the blood of animals was good enough.  But with the arrival of the really real, “better sacrifices” are necessary.  In Christ, we participate in the really real, that which the Old Covenant merely pointed to.  And this sacrifice is sufficient once for all, not needing to be repeated every year.  Christ’s work is sufficient because He is the perfect sacrifice and our perfect High Priest. 

I imagine that there is very little here that is new to most of us (though we’ve glossed over most of the intricacies of the passage and of the practices it describes).  But as we wrap up, I want to quickly review what we’ve discussed  in order to help us put this passage (and the main ideas) in the proper context.  What we’ve read can basically be summed up in three points: 

Firstly, we see in the sacrificial system, the temple system, the seriousness of sin and what it requires to overcome the consequences of sin.  In short, what the Old Covenant laws describe and demonstrate is the biblical principle that the wages of sin is death.  And of course, most of us are okay with that in principle.  And most of us are comfortable pointing this out in other people.  But what we need to come to grips with is that the wages of my sin is my death. 

What the temple system reminds us is that, when we enter into the temple (and we won’t get into it, but there’s an argument that the temple is a representation of the cosmos – therefore, when we enter into or stand in the grandeur of creation…), when we enter into the temple, we enter into the presence of a holy God.  And woe befall any of us who comes before a holy God unclean. 

The second thing that we see in this passage is that the system is insufficient.  The temple system is insufficient because the priests are insufficient and they bring insufficient sacrifices: “^9:9…The gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.”

And of course this makes sense.  For how can the death of a goat or a calf stand in the place of the life of a human being?  And we are painfully aware of the shortcomings of religious professionals, of those who claim to stand in the place of God. 

And we are (or should be) well aware of the history of Israel, who failed to live according to the covenant established by their God.  We know how frequently, how easily, and how willfully they took the covenant for granted and rebelled against the One who had saved them and who would save them still. 

But what the author tells us is that the terms of the Old Covenant, the temple system under the numerous High Priests, was never meant to be sufficient.  It was merely supposed to point to God’s ultimate purpose, which is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 

And so the third thing that we  learn from this passage is that God’s purpose, God’s promise, God’s plan for the redemption of creation is truly and finally fulfilled in Christ.  Christ enters the true temple; Christ offers the true sacrifice; and Christ truly takes away the sins of the world.  “²⁸ …so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

And this verse, verse 28, reminds us once again of the dual purpose of the author of Hebrews.  Again, it seems that the author is doing a couple of things.  Firstly, he is concerned with asserting the sufficiency and superiority of Jesus Christ.  Possibly this is because there are some in the community who are looking somewhere else, putting their trust in something else.  And the author wants to remind them that there is no other name under heaven by which we are saved than the name of Jesus Christ.  As we’ve described it, this is his theological purpose. 

But as we’ve also seen, he seems to have a distinct pastoral purpose as well.  The author wants to encourage his community to remain faithful. He likely wants to encourage his community in the face of trials and tribulations, in the face of persecution, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he is also concerned about a growing doubt, or a looming forgetfulness.  Whatever it is, the author encourages the community to remain faithful.  Again, he says, “²⁸ …so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”  For those who are waiting, for all the readers/hearers of the author of Hebrews, for all of us who wait thousands of years later, salvation is indeed coming.  Jesus is coming again, and the fullness of the kingdom will be revealed with Him. 

Be faithful, says the author.  Be faithful because our hope is secure.  We do not put our trust in princes, we do not put our trust in priests, we do not put our trust in the strength and wisdom of human beings.  Our hope is in God alone and His promise cannot fail.  Be faithful because according to the will and purpose of God, Jesus Christ has come and Jesus has completed the work and Jesus will come again. 

^{2 Cor. 4:16} Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.