Hebrews 8:3-5

Summary retelling of Hebrews 8:3-5

The point of being a priest is to offer gifts and sacrifices to God, thus it makes sense that Jesus offered gifts and sacrifices as well.  Jesus is not on the earth, because the Law only has a provision for the lineage of Aaron to serve as priests.  Such earthly priests serve a duplication of the real temple of God, as the temple here was build according to the instructions given to Moses when he was on Mount Sinai.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Here we have another difference between the high priests of the Law and the high priest of Jesus Christ.  The priests under the Law offered sacrifices of animals over and over and over.  Jesus offered Himself once and then kept that promise.  This goes a long way to speak to the model He set for us.  God doesn’t desire the sacrifice of external things; He desires we offer ourselves to Him in obedient service and devotion to Him.

What does it feel like to know that He is the only sacrifice we need?  Why should we then focus on devotion?

Second Thought:

The fact that we know Jesus is serving God’s purposes in heaven also challenges us to understand the place of the Law.  The Law teaches us to appreciate the need for a sacrifice – a sacrifice God makes available in Jesus.  But the Law also demonstrates just how much Jesus wasn’t meant for worldly service in the temple.  He wasn’t of the line of Aaron.  Thus, Jesus serves as a priest in an eternal capacity, serving God’s purposes in heaven having completed His work here on this earth.

Do you ever wish that Jesus was still on this earth?  Do you ever wish you could see Jesus face to face?  What do you think it will be like to get to heaven and be in the presence of God and Jesus?

Third Thought:

The author of Hebrews here indicates that the temple in Jerusalem is a “reproduction” of God’s heavenly temple.  At the very least, he speaks of the temple as a duplication of God’s instructions.  This isn’t really meant as an insult.  Rather, the author of Hebrews is trying to show that the earthly temple and the Law’s provision for priests is an example of what we cannot see: the heavenly realm.  Thus, the Law provides a means for us to see in the flesh what Jesus did from a spiritual perspective.  In other words, the priests offer sacrifices to teach us about why sacrifice is important so that when we hear about Jesus we are prepared to understand what He did for us.

What does this passage really teach us about how we should perceive the Law and it’s allocations for priests?  Although certainly not perfect, what can we learn from the Old Testament priests and their duties?

Passage for Tomorrow: Hebrews 8:6-7