The OT Sacrificial System, A Pattern of What Was To Come

Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples on the very night that he was betrayed by Judas, one of Jesus' own chosen disciples. The Gospel of John records one stirring event that night that has been imitated again and again by Christian communities as they remember and celebrate the Lord's Supper  in Holy Week. Jesus laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel wrapped around Him. This was, of course, the lowly task of a servant in the household of a great lord and certainly not the work of the Messianic King—or at least so the disciples thought.

Peter objected to what Jesus was doing, saying, "You shall never wash my feet."

Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.". . . And then he went on to explain, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. - John 13:8,13-16 ESV

The writer of Hebrews 8 uses this same word, example (hypodeigmä in Greek), to describe the entire Old Testament sacrificial system. He also calls it but a shadow (skia in Greek) of the heavenly things. God had given Moses specific instruction to make everything according to the pattern (typos in Greek) given to him. The tent had to be just so in size with a specific number of rooms. In each room certain specific objects were to be fashioned and placed. The high priest, in turn, was to be dressed in specific clothing and he had detailed instructions about how and when to carry out his duties.

The ministry or service that the high priest performed, says Hebrews, was not what goes on in heaven before God. All these rituals and sacrifices were but copies or shadows of what was to come when Christ, the true promised Messiah, came. They pointed forward to the substance or the living body and ministry of Christ (Col. 2:17). The entire law, Hebrews will go on to say, was but a shadow of the good things to come. It was not the true form (icon in Greek). 

In the next chapter he will use yet one more word to describe the various gifts and bloody sacrifices offered by the high priest for himself and the worshippers. He calls them all a parable ( parabolē in Greek) for that particular time, a period that came to an end when Christ, the true High Priest, fulfilled his duties upon the cross (John 19:30). 

So Hebrews practically exhausts the Greek language in order to point out that the whole sacrificial system, with the Tabernacle and later the Temple, the high priest and his helpers, the thousands of sacrifices of bulls, sheep and goats and all the various rituals—the entire system— was not and never was intended to be anything other than a . . . 

• shadow
• example
• copy
• pattern and
• parable

. . . of what was to come and what Christ completed once and for all in the presence of God, in the heavenly places. Watch how again and again the writer makes that point. In the words of Christ, "It is finished!" No more sacrifices, no more blood and no more death. It is over. The debts are paid. And what a comfort it is for all of us who put our faith and trust in Jesus, our true High Priest. 

No Work, No Eat

As we move toward sermon preparations for the Second-last Sunday of the church year there remains one final lesson to study, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13.

The Apostle asks this congregation to pray for him and his work of proclaiming the Word of the Lord. He request reminds us that the Lord is honored among us when we believe and trust His Word. Among the Thessalonians the Word had indeed sped ahead. Paul longs for that to happen in other places as he preaches and teaches. He wants his hearers to trust in the Lord's faithfulness and reliability. He knew the members of this group would indeed trust in the Lord and fulfill His commands, directed by the Love of God and the steadfastness of Christ.

Even as he says this he asks for prayers to be delivered from wicked and evil men. This is another sober reminder that we live in the final days of this era before Christ's return. In other parts of the letter Paul speaks about the destruction of the Roman Empire—a most unthinkable concept—and the rising up of the Antichrist. We don't have time today to get into a discussion of the Antichrist. If you own The Lutheran Study Bible, you will find good information there about the meaning of that widely misunderstood teaching.

The point the Apostle makes in our passage is that, yes, we live in the final days, but we still must live each day. That is to say, we will have to deal with evil men, the evil one and our own sinful natures every day while we wait for our Lord to return. One of the temptations we face is that of idleness or laziness. That refers to the habit of expecting others to take care of us and not being willing to do our part in the family, in the community and in the congregation of believers.

Paul invites us to look at him as an example. He did not ask for their support while he was there. He paid his own way, supporting himself by his tent making trade. He had a right to be supported, of course, even as everyone who devotes himself to full-time pastoral work. In 1 Corinthians 9:14-15 Paul had pointed to a command from the Lord Jesus Himself that "those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel." He taught the same thing in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 where he urges that elders or pastors be considered worthy of double honor as they labor in preaching and teaching. And yet, Paul himself refused to accept remuneration for his work. Why?

Paul wants his hearers to recall the Gospel. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Paul imitated Christ. Now he wants them to imitate him. He wrote extensively about this understanding in his letter to the Ephesians 5:1-21. We are children of light, he says. Christ has shined upon us to open the eyes of our hearts to His love and His promised return. So we walk and live in that light, filled with the Spirit of Jesus and addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with our hearts. At all times we give our Lord thanks and seek to serve one another, rather than being lazy.

So we have great encouragement as we wait for our Lord's imminent return. Even so, come Lord Jesus.