Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law. They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning:
“Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.” [Exodus 25:40]
But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises. If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:
“The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbours, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” [Jeremiah 31:31-34]
When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
Hebrews 8:1-13
This layout should help you to get a better sense of what is being said in this section. I trust you noticed that the author had included two quotes in this segment which of course takes you back to what I told you of how the writer of Hebrews uses quotes in his letter. See Gem 2033 and the related Gems concerning the four quotes used in Chapter 1 as well as other places. Keep in mind too that the author of Hebrews is putting his case to the Jewish Christians in Rome of how much greater Jesus is than anything which represents the old order. Now of course we are well aware that he has moved on to the Priesthood and the fact that Jesus is the Great High Priest of the New Covenant. It soon becomes apparent that that is exactly what he is arguing.
Jesus is a greater High Priest of the replacement covenant! You have only to notice the way he used the quote from Jeremiah to gather that. But of course you know that there is more. His argument is simple. Did you pick up on his main point once you had sorted out “the wood from the trees”? Did you see what he was doing by the way he structured what he wrote?
We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour
beside the throne
of the majestic God
in heaven.
There he ministers
in the heavenly Tabernacle,
the true place of worship
that was built by the LORD
not by human hands.
Is it clear to you now that I have laid out the propositions in the way the author has written them? He has made it clear by the way he has layered each proposition he has added to his thought process. This Great High Priest, Jesus, is so much greater than all others he has mentioned. At first he has mentioned the offices of prophet, king, patriarch etc, but then he moved on to the Great High Priest and the Priestly Order. At which point he introduced us to Melchizedek. It matters not which points he might make based on Melchizedek. There is no historical Priestly Order he can appeal to, but that matters not. He picked up first of all on the meanings of their names: Jesus & Melchizedek. You have to admit the titles they bear is ample proof on its own. Even Melchizedek’s king is Melchizedek’s righteousness. The Word of Righteousness is the only Righteousness there is or can ever be. But now this remarkable author doesn’t dwell on trying to piece together anything to say about the Priestly Order of Melchizedek. In all honesty there is nothing to say. Rather he examines Jesus’ superiority to Melchizedek from the point of view of the place where they carry out their priestly role. Jesus is far greater than Melchizedek because of the Temple where He ministers. Jesus ministers in the Tabernacle in heaven; all other tabernacles or temples are copies or shadows of the one true Holy of Holies in heaven. For that reason Jesus is greater than all other high priests who have ever lived.
The way the author has layered his thought emphasised the point that he was making:
- This Great High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God,
- ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship, built by the LORD.
Now allow me to pick up on what the commentators talk about. There is much centred around [kephalaion] “the point”. The word [kephalaion] lies at the back of two different interpretations.
- Summary, Sum or Summation
- Chief Point, Main Thing or Main Matter
The root word is [κεφαλή] (kephalē) Yes Indonesians; it’s related to [kepala] in Indonesian. The meaning is the ‘head’, ‘chief’, ‘top’, the ‘principle’ or ‘paramount thing’. But the derivative word [kephalaion] can also mean the crowning, ultimate point in an argument or even the sum or summation of what is being said. I am sure that you will see the relevance of both senses of the word here. The commentators argue back and forth as to which sense is the primary one. But surely it is {both and}. Both senses apply to the passage and the meaning well. it is highly likely he has reached his main point by introducing the crowning point of his argument as to why Jesus is far greater than all other High Priests. Equally this could be his way of summing up all he has said, before by making his summation point and gathering his argument together. The author was clearly a very skilled writer. Especially so after all his word playing on the meanings of their names. No wonder he wrote: “There is much more to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull to listen.” [Heb 5:11]
There is a compound verb which is derived from (kephalē) and that is [ἀνακεφαλαoώμαι] (anakephalaoōmai) which also has two meanings.
- To bring something to a head, or a conclusion, to sum up, to give a comprehensive summary, to divide into its main parts.
- To bring under the headship, to subject something to the chief or head.
This compound verb is the one used in Ephesians 1:10 where Paul talks about ‘everything being subject to the headship of Christ’. It is not hard to see that both senses apply in this case. I wouldn’t mind betting the author of Hebrews is making another word play. No doubt if we ask him about this when we can in the Life of the Age to Come, he will smile and say, “I deliberately used that word in order to have both senses in the sentence.” I can’t wait to talk to this guy, he seems a deep kind of character and a really fun guy.
There is more to come but I think I will let you digest what I have written thus far first before we move on. It is possible that what we read here in chapter 8 is the summation of all the author has been saying before this. Just as it is possible the author has just now reached his main point, his coup de grâce. It is not that it is hard to understand; it is just that it takes a while to get your head around all the nuances. So I think I will leave it there for the moment so you can take it all in and fully digest it.
Jesus is the Great High Priest of the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship in heaven, built by the Lord.
Hebrews 8:2
All other tabernacles or temples are a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven.
Hebrews 8:5
Doubt wonders, “Have I done enough to go to heaven?” Grace answers, “No, you haven’t. But Jesus has on your behalf.”
Max Lucado
Christian, you are not a citizen of this world trying to get to heaven; you are a citizen of heaven making your way through this world.
Vince Havner