The Effectiveness of Christ’s Sacrifice & the ineffectiveness of the OT Legal Sacrifices (Heb. 10:1-18)

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of them, it can never make perfect those who come to worship by the same sacrifices that they offer continually each year. 2 Otherwise, would not the sacrifices have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, once cleansed, would no longer have had any consciousness of sins? 3 But in those sacrifices there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, 4 for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. 5 For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. 7 Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” 8 First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. 9 Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

The Mosaic law was only a shadow and could not illuminate the good things that were to come.  It was not the very image, the reality of what was to come through Christ Jesus, (Col. 2:17).  The annual OT atonement sacrifices and rituals required by the Law (Lev. 16: 20-22) were only a symbolic representation of the perfection that was to come through Jesus (Heb. 7:19).  They were a reminder of personal sins but it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to expiate sins or give interior perfection otherwise those offering sacrifices would be freed from sin and not have to repeat the ritual continually year after year.  Sacrifices that must be repeated show their lack of power by their repetition.  

God sent Jesus to abolish the legal sacrifices and the author attributed the words from Psalm 40 to Jesus at his incarnation (Ps. 40:7-9).  Christ’s coming ushered in a new era.  He replaced all the OT legal sacrificial offerings with his obedience, obedience unto death (Phil. 2:8) when he offered his body as a sanctifying sacrifice once for the salvation of all in accordance with God’s will.

The main types of offerings in the OT were Holocaust or Burnt Offerings (Lev. ch.1), Grain or Cereal Offerings (Lev. ch. 2), Peace Offerings (Lev. 3:1-5), Sin Offerings (Lev. Ch. 4), and Guilt or Trespass Offerings (Lev. 5:6-7).  Christ’s willing sacrifice of his Body and Blood replaced all of those offerings.

Almighty God, let your Holy Spirit come upon us so that we might understand your ways, and grant us the grace to delight in obediently doing your will through works and self-sacrifice.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.