The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. 3 Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are those who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.
The author is summarizing the argument developed in the preceding chapters, particularly focusing on Christ as the true High Priest. The Levitical priests served in earthly sanctuaries, but Christ has taken his place of authority at the right hand of God after the completion of His sacrificial work (cf. Ps. 110.:1). Christ’s priesthood is unique because it is eternal, unlike the temporal role of earthly priests. Christ has an active role in the heavenly sanctuary and the “true tabernacle” in heaven, where he performs the liturgy of the new covenant. The earthly sanctuary was merely a shadow of the heavenly reality ((cf. Ex 25:9; Heb 9:11).
According to Jewish tradition, the role of a priest was to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. Christ, as the true High Priest, must also offer a sacrifice, his own body and blood, offered once for all (Heb 7:27; 9:12). The Levitical priests offered animals, but Christ offers Himself as the perfect, unblemished sacrifice. Christ would not fit into the Levitical priesthood on earth for a couple of reasons. The Mosaic Law required priests to be from the tribe of Levi, but Christ was from the tribe of Judah (Heb 7:14). Also, his ministry cannot be limited by the regulations governing the temple sacrifices.
The author quotes Exodus 25:40, where God instructs Moses to build the earthly Tabernacle based on the pattern of the heavenly reality revealed to him on Mt. Sinai, the place where God made His covenant with the Israelites and gave them the Ten Commandments. The earthly sanctuary and its rituals are only a copy or shadow of the true heavenly sanctuary. The Levitical priests serve in this shadow, while Christ serves in the real Tabernacle. Christ’s priesthood is superior because he is the mediator of a better covenant, the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34. The old covenant was based on the Law, which could not bring about the perfection required for eternal salvation (Heb 7:19). In contrast, the new covenant, mediated by Christ, brings the promise of forgiveness of sins and a transformative relationship with God, where believers are brought into communion with Him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Almighty God, we thank You for sending Christ, our eternal High Priest, who mediates a new and better covenant for us. May we live in the grace of his perfect sacrifice, entering into communion with You through the power of the Holy Spirit. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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