In this section, we see verse four emphasizing the place where the Lord Jesus ministers. It is not on earth where priests already function. Furthermore, these priests, according to verse 5, serve in an earthly replica of the heavenly tabernacle. To prove this, the writer quotes Exodus 25:40 where Moses on Mount Sinai was shown the heavenly tabernacle. The earthly tent was merely a copy of the genuine one which Moses saw. Not only is Christ superior to Aaron because He occupies a better position (4:14-16) and because He is a better priest (5:1–8:5), but also because His ministry is based on a better covenant (8:6-13). The new covenant is better because it “has been enacted on better promises” (v. 6).
4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things by the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, to the extent that He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. (NASB)
Key Takeaways:
- The writer provided two evidences of the superiority of the New Covenant: it is ministered by a superior Priest, Jesus Christ; and it is ministered in a superior place, heaven itself
- The earthly priesthood and sanctuary seemed quite real and stable, and yet they were but copies of the true! The Old Testament system was but shadows (Col. 2:17). The Law was but a “shadow of good things to come” (Heb. 10:1); the true and full light came in Jesus Christ. So why go back into the shadows?
- Jesus Christ not only serves in a better sanctuary; He has a more excellent ministry and is mediator of a better covenant based on better promises
Closer Look:
Verse 4: Christ’s ministry is more effective both because of who He is and what He does. Verse 4 emphasizes His effective work as a priest. Jesus’ effective work as a priest did not occur on earth. According to the Mosaic Law, Jesus was not descended from the proper tribe for serving as an earthly priest (cf. 7:14). Only men from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests. Jesus would find no place for serving as a priest on earth, but He serves effectively as a priest in heaven. His effective ministry on earth was His offering up of Himself as a sacrifice for sins.
Now, look again at the writer’s logic here: “Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all.” There is already the Aaronic priesthood and He was from Judah and not Levi (also according to the order of Melchizedek), so He would not be a priest on earth. The ministry He exercised on earth was a preparation for His ministry in heaven. Jesus’ heavenly high priesthood depended on the offering of a perfect earthly sacrifice followed by His ascension to be seated before God in heaven. In heaven Jesus carried on a far greater priestly ministry than any earthly priest enjoyed.
As far as Jesus’ human ancestry is concerned, He came from the tribe of Judah. God had promised that the Messiah would come from the kingly tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:8–10). But the priests had to come from the tribe of Levi. Therefore, if Jesus Christ were still on earth, He could not function as a priest. But He can serve as High Priest in heaven because there the order of Melchizedek governs the ministry, not the order of Aaron.
Again, the writer’s argument is sound. David predicted that Jesus Christ would be a Priest (Ps. 110:4). Jesus’ earthly birth into the tribe of Judah would not permit Him to be an earthly priest; therefore, He must be a Priest in heaven. He would not be accepted in the earthly sanctuary, so He must be serving in the heavenly sanctuary.
Verse 5: This verse makes two emphases about the ministry on earth by Levitical priests. First, the priestly ministry on earth represented only a “shadow” of the truly effective priestly ministry Jesus performed in heaven. A shadow is a reflection of another object. It resembles the other object, but it contains some distortion. A “copy” of a work of art only gives a general idea of what the original work is like. The earthly ministry of Jesus served only as a “copy and shadow” of His real priestly ministry in heaven. The work of the Levitical priests only served as a preview of the atoning work of Christ.
Just as the Levitical priesthood served as a copy of the heavenly Priest, the same goes for the tabernacle. Moses was shown a “pattern”, a type or model, of the true tabernacle. Second, even though the earthly ministry was only a copy of the heavenly reality, God had still designed this earthly priestly ministry in detail. Quoting Exodus 25:40, the author reminds the readers that God had provided precise instructions about the details of the tabernacle. Even the small details of the earthly tabernacle were in God’s hands. If this were true, then the heavenly sanctuary in which Jesus served with such effectiveness must be more glorious and significant. Jesus’ service cannot be an earthly one since the Levitical ritual of sacrifice continued. (just a thought here: these words seem to imply that the Jewish temple was still standing.) But the sanctuary used for that is a mere “copy” (hypodeigmati; cf. 9:23–24) “and shadow” (skia; cf. 10:1) of the heavenly one in which the new Priest ministers. Its status as a “shadow” sanctuary was secured when Moses erected “the tabernacle” (prototype of the temple) under strict divine direction.
So this question of copy and shadow naturally leads us to wonder, do these verses suggest that heaven contained a literal counterpart of the earthly tabernacle? The Jews often discussed this subject, and this is another issue of where your hermeneutic will come into play. Some will take this literally and there is no reason not to, the earthly tabernacle was a replica of the heavenly tabernacle. Others will say it is not literal but just a use of imagery to help.
In the phrase, “Who serve a copy and a shadow of the heavenly things.” The author is saying the earthly tabernacle is not the real tabernacle. Christ is serving in the true or genuine tabernacle. That is what the author just said. What does the genuine or true tabernacle mean? There’s a heavenly tabernacle, and there’s an earthly tabernacle, and Christ is serving in the heavenly tabernacle.
Verse 5 then says, “’SEE,’ He says, ‘THAT YOU MAKE all things BY THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN TO YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN.’” Now what is the author saying? When Moses went up on Mount Sinai, he saw the true tabernacle, the genuine tabernacle. The tabernacle on earth is only a reflection, a copy, of the true tabernacle that Moses saw on Mount Sinai. I don’t know if you have ever tried to construct a tabernacle, in your own mind at least, but I have tried this in my mind. Any time I read this or the Exodus account, I try to figure out how it looked and even how the boards fit in the corners. I could never figure out how those corner joints are put together. For Moses, it was no problem. I mean, he saw it. He saw exactly how it was constructed. When you see models of the tabernacle, you will notice that some of them had flat-roofs. And some of them have a pitched roof. Well, how was it constructed? No problem. Moses saw it. He saw the true tabernacle, and the earthly tabernacle is only a reflection, a copy of it. I am not talking about a theory, or an idea, or something just intellectual and spiritual. It is much more than that. This earthly tabernacle is real also, but it is not the genuine one. So the priests are serving here in the copy, the picture. Christ is serving in the genuine tabernacle, which God built.
Exodus 25:40 says, “Build it according to the pattern which is shown you on the mountain.” This is very good as it is clear direction from God to Moses on what he was supposed to do. The earthly tent is merely a copy of the genuine one, which Moses saw on Mount Sinai. This is very interesting when you stop to think about it. So Moses knew exactly how to build it. He saw it and how the joints were made and how the poles put through the loops. He saw all that.
As we have said previously, whatever your interpretation is does not affect your salvation. It is something just to think about. While it is interesting to debate about, for us, at the end of the day it should lead us to focusing on the ministry of Christ both on earth and in heaven and the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross. It was on the cross that Jesus and His sacrifice accomplished the activity which affected our relationship with God.
Verse 6: Jesus’ ministry surpasses that of the Levitical priests just as the covenant He mediates supersedes theirs. Jesus’ ministry was more effective in its service than the work of the descendants of Aaron because God had established Jesus’ ministry on “better promises.” What these better promises involve will be explained in verses 10–12. Better promises produce a better covenant.
Christ was the “mediator” of “a better covenant” (i.e. the new covenant). We will see a more complete explanation of this idea in 9:15–22. The mediator had the job of keeping two parties linked in fellowship. As Mediator, Christ rescued the perishing and flawlessly carried out God’s will (John 17:4). (The word “Mediator” is used of Jesus by the author three times—8:6; 9:15; 12:24.) The word “ministry” (leitourgia, cf. “serves,” 8:2) again strikes the pivotal note, but it is now added that the superiority of the new priestly service is related to a superior covenant, which in turn is founded on better promises.
Next time, we will see both the covenant and its promises be discussed and continue to be discussed from 8:7-9:15.