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.
Questions to consider:
- What is the duty of a priest?
- Where and how is Christ fulfilling his priestly duty?
- How is the earthly sanctuary a model for Christ’s ministry? How is it an expression of the mind of God?
- How is the setting of Christ’s ministry as high priest superior to the setting of the ministry of earthly priests?
What is this talk of covenants? Old one? New one? Well, it’s actually pretty important stuff--the old covenant refers to the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel around Moses’s time (which is why there are explanations of many and varied laws in the beginning of the Old Testament). The new covenant is the one we have through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. We are no longer tied in the same way to the very specific laws laid out in the Old Testament, and have the opportunity to have a relationship with God without needing to make sacrifices for our sins. Take a minute to think about what your life would look like if you were required to make a sacrificial offering for every sin you committed--it would be a lot, would it not? Today, praise God for the new covenant you are privileged to find yourself a part of.
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