Read: Hebrews 9:1 – 10:18
The writer of Hebrews gives us a clear picture in this chapter of what
our world and our lives really are. He calls them copies. This world, and all
the religious symbols God put into the plan of salvation, and the execution of
that plan, are copies of the real thing. He made the Law to
require a death to cover sins – that’s why the Jews had to kill animals and
bring the blood in as proof that a death had happened. But the death of those
animals didn’t really offer forgiveness. It was just a copy of what was in
heaven. Jesus would be the real deal. Jesus’ death, and His
blood, replaced the need for the copy.
God used the Law and the sacrificial system, the copy to help us
understand our need for Him. Some people are great at visualizing things.
Others are not. Some can look at an empty field and imagine it full of houses
with yards with shrubs and gardens, and happy children playing in the park.
They can see how it all fits together and can spend money on that plot of land
because they see what’s not there yet. Others look at that same field and see…
a field. They leave thinking that land has nothing to offer except as a place
where a farmer can plant another crop just like the one that’s there now.
So architects build little models to scale for their clients. We can
hold it in our hand, or walk around it, and look at it from all angles. We can
see how it all fits together, and as the construction workers begin to dig, and
build, we can compare it to what the model showed. In the end, when the project
is done, the real thing is magnificent! It’s functioning and perfect. The model
can be thrown away because the real deal can be viewed, touched, experienced.
The sacrificial system God created for the Jews was to show them this
model. It was a copy. Now the real thing has arrived: Jesus! The final
sacrifice has been made. Now we can look back at the copy and see how much more
perfect and amazing Jesus really is. We can contrast the temporary nature of
the yearly sacrifices to Jesus’ once-and-for-all sacrifice and give Him praise.
We can compare the copy and the fullness of it in Jesus and see even more
benefit and blessing that we might have previously missed.
According to the last verse of this chapter we are living partly in
the copy and partly in the final reality. The day will come soon where the plan
is fully complete – from beginning to the end. Our redemption won’t be just a
hope but our actual experience. It’s like we are living in between then and
now.
If we were standing on the edge of the field seeing the real houses
being built and the shrubs and gardens planted, an excitement would grow within
us to move in! We’d keep checking back to the model to see how much more until
it’s done! Our eyes would be less and less on the model and more and more on
the actuality. Verse 28 tells us Jesus is coming soon for those who are ready.
They believed the model would be beautiful, but now they are standing with
their hearts ready and their eyes open, eagerly waiting for Jesus to come back
and say, ‘Come on in, the wait is over!’
Journaling and Prayer
1.
Think about some of the symbols or pictures God put in the sacrificial
system so that we could get a glimpse of Jesus. Ask Jesus to help you see them
(eg. Blood, death, a priest, etc.) Ask Jesus to show you something new today
about how Jesus is the fulfillment of the copy.
2.
Ask Jesus if your eyes are on Him and if you are eagerly awaiting His
return. Ask Him what you can do, or what steps you could take, to grow the
anticipation of His return. Ask God to open your eyes as you read Scripture
from now on, to see how beautifully the model He gave us revealed Jesus.
3. Spend time
thanking God for the promise of His return and the fulfillment of the copy
