So Much Better

So Much Better

Some of the Jewish believers in the first century were tempted to return to their Hebrew customs. This is a similar problem to modern-day Gentile believers trying to adopt Jewish traditions. The letters to the Galatians and to the Hebrews was specifically written to address this problem. Each letter does so from a different perspective and Hebrews approaches the matter by showing that what we have in Christ is so much better and that Christ is so much greater than anything that the Old Testament had to offer.

The first couple of chapters show that He is greater than the prophets, the angels and even Moses, who, to the Jews, is the greatest of all Old Testament leaders. Jesus is also a “merciful and faithful High Priest” (Hebrews 2:17). This speaks to us of the fact that He is merciful to us, because of our weaknesses and temptations. (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15). The Levitical priests were often not very sympathetic with the people. They should have been because they themselves struggled with the same issues but they were not sympathetic and often laid heavy burdens on the people by adding to the Law many additional and onerous by-laws. But Jesus was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and He understands our struggles.

Jesus is also a “faithful High Priest” which refers to His faithfulness to the Father. Again, very few of the Old Testament priests were faithful. Most of them used their office for selfish gain and many of the Old Testament prophets reprimanded the priests for the fact that they were unfaithful. But Jesus was completely faithful in all He came to do, and totally fulfilled the will of the Father. Sometimes one could find a priest in the Old Testament who was faithful to God and some were merciful to the people, but very seldom did one find a priest who was both merciful to the people and faithful to God – Jesus was and is both.

The priests of the Old Testament were always changing. They served in relays and got old and died so just when you thought you found a good priest at the temple, he would retire or die. But Jesus has an unchanging and eternal priesthood. He never dies, retires or is in a bad mood. He ever lives to intercede for us with the Father. (Hebrews 7:22-25)

Old Testament priests were men with sins and weaknesses and before they could offer sacrifices for the people, had to offer sacrifices for themselves and go through extensive cleansing rituals. But Jesus “is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens… [and] who has been perfected forever.” (Hebrews 7:26,28).

The Hebrew priests were descendants of Levi and so were priests after the order of Levi or Aaron. Jesus could not be a Levitical priest because he was of the tribe of Judah, but more importantly, because He is a greater priest, of a greater order than any descendant of Levi. In Hebrews 7, the writer shows that Melchisedec is greater than Abraham and Levi and that Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchisedec and not of Levi. That makes Him much greater and much more important than any earthly priest because he is not the continuation of a faulty line of priests but He is the start of a new line of priests, not of an earthly order, but of a heavenly. (Thus we as believer-priests are no longer priests in the order of Levi but in the order of Melchisedec).

Priests in the Old Testament were not made priests by an oath and thus their ministry could be revoked at any time. In fact, the Levitical priesthood ceased to function 2,000 years ago. But God made an oath when he appointed Jesus saying: “The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’” (Hebrews 7:21). Thus His ordination and ministry can never be revoked or cancelled. Yes, the sons of Levi no longer stand between the people and God, but Jesus continues in His High Priestly ministry forever.

In the Old Testament priests had to continually make sacrifices because these sacrifices were weak and ineffectual. They could only cover sin for a while; they could not wipe sin away. It is estimated that on an average Passover about 250,000 animals could be killed and yet none of these could take away sin. But Jesus offered the one, complete and perfect sacrifice – Himself. This sacrifice was able to deal with all sin of all time and totally remove sin and justify the sinner before God. This is so much better than the system of continual sacrifice. Earthly sacrifices could not make those who brought the sacrifices perfect. In fact, they could only cover the sin but could not change the sinner. Jesus’ sacrifice does not only take away the sin but “by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14)

Earthly priests served in an earthly sanctuary made with human hands. Over the years these sanctuaries fell into disrepair, were looted and destroyed. For long periods of time Israel had no sanctuary and each successive temple was less glorious than the previous one. But Jesus does not serve in an earthly sanctuary, but in Heaven itself. This sanctuary is not made with human hands, but by God Himself. It is not temporal but eternal and its glory far exceeds that of earthly temples. The earthly tabernacle was but a poor copy of the true tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:5) just as earthly priests were but poor substitutes for the Great and Eternal High Priest – Jesus Christ. Here the Holiest Of All contained a portion of God’s glory but it could never contain such a great God. The heavenly sanctuary is the very presence of God Himself. (We cannot say it contains God since God cannot be contained). It is so much better to have our High Priest represent us in God’s very presence than in an earthly copy.

Indeed, the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ far exceeds anything that the Old Testamental system had to offer. Jesus Christ is greater, better, more glorious than any Aaronic priest. His sacrifice is much more powerful and much more effectual to deal with sin and the sinner. He serves in heaven itself in an unending ministry. There is just no comparison between the New and the Old. So why is it that some want to go back to the old? It beats me!

Anton Bosch

anton@ifcb.net

3310 W Magnolia Blvd

Burbank, CA, 91505

Tel 818 846 5520