A Better Tabernacle

Midweek Lent 2013  Hebrews 9:11-12,21-28  J.D.Roekle

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

²¹ In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. ²² In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

²³ It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵ Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

 

A Better Tabernacle

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

          The holiest place in Judaism is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  However, if you are a Jew, you cannot go on top of the Temple Mount because it is controlled by Muslims.  Even though that is the case, the Jewish people value the Temple Mount so highly because it is there where they believe the temple of the Lord will be built once again. 

          But since they are not allowed to go on top, they turn their attention to the next best thing… at least for the meantime.  They were able to take control of property nearby on the western side of the Temple Mount grounds.  Daily, Jews flock to this wall, known as the Western or Wailing Wall.  They go there in order to pray.  To pray for something better.  To pray that their temple will be rebuilt.  You could say that they want to return to what they would consider the glory days of their past. 

          The author of the book of Hebrews had an audience of Christian Jews in mind as he wrote this letter.  They were evidently born and raised in the Jewish faith, but then converted to Christianity.  Even though they knew and believed in Christ, they were tempted to revert back to the religious rites and ways of Judaism.  Repeatedly, throughout the letter, the author makes the point of reminding them that they have something better than those things, because they have A Better Savior.  In these verses, he talks about something that they all would have known: the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a place where they could be reminded of the presence of God. But the reminder for the recipients in this letter to the Hebrews is that in Christ, they have A Better Tabernacle than the Old Testament version.    The reminder for us is that we enjoy that better tabernacle too.

 

          In order to understand the point, let’s give ourselves a little Bible history lesson.  After the children of Israel were miraculously brought out of Egypt, the Lord wanted to assure them that he would be with them, and so he had them build the tabernacle.  The tabernacle was basically an elaborate tent-like structure.  It was designed entirely by God to be a dignified place of worship, and moveable at the same time. 

          Let’s take a brief tour of the tabernacle.  When you enter into the tabernacle grounds, you enter into an area that is roughly ¼ of a football field.  Think of an area from the goal line to the 50 yard line long and from one sideline to about halfway to the other sideline wide.  As you enter, you will see a very prominent altar plated in bronze called the altar of burnt offering.  It is clear that animals are sacrificed here.  As you go further into the courtyard, you see a basin full of water.  It’s not the cleanest looking water either. 

          As you pass the basin you come upon a structure that is made up of gold-plated wood frames covered by curtains made of fine linen.  The structure is covered by various layers of animal skins which are stretched over the structure and tied down with ropes and pegs.  It is a long and narrow building measuring 45 feet long by 15 feet wide by 15 feet high. 

          When you enter the building you note that there are actually two rooms, separated by a curtain.  In the first room, which is called the Holy Place you notice 3 furnishings of gold.  On one side, you see a table that is about the size of a standard rectangular coffee table you put in front of your couch, only it is more like the height of an end table.  On this table you find 12 loaves of bread.  This is what is known as the table of shewbread.  On the other side of the room you see a lampstand with 7 branches.  At the top of each branch is an ornate flower-like cup.  Contained in each cup are oil and a wick that is lit.  Then you look at the third structure in the room which is another altar standing in front of the curtain to the next room.  It is rather small: a little taller than a standard end table, standing 18 inches by 18 inches and 3 feet tall.  Unlike the altar in the courtyard, animals aren’t sacrificed here.  Incense is burned on this altar.

          There is one final place to explore.  You approach the curtain that separates the two rooms and you pull back the curtain and go in.  You have just entered the Most Holy Place or Holy of Holies.  Here you see a single ornate item of gold.  Just by its location, you get the distinct impression that the entire tabernacle and courtyard was designed around it.  The single item is a rectangular chest.  It measures just under 4 feet long, by a little over 2 feet wide and high.  The cover contains two cherubs facing each other with their wings spread upward and overshadowing the cover.  Two gold poles are looped through rings on both sides of the chest.  What you are looking at is the Ark of the Covenant.  It is called that, because of what is contained inside: the 2 tablets of the law; the 10 commandments that Moses received from God at the top of Mount Sinai. 

          What did this all mean?  What was this all about?  Why such an elaborate, well-planned setup?  Everything in this tabernacle, including the structure itself, was designed to point the people to the presence of God.  God was coming to his people.  But how could a people who broke the covenant, namely the 10 commandments that were inside the Ark, approach the holy and righteous God? 

          The answer was found in what went on in that tabernacle.  In order to atone for sins, blood was demanded by God.  This was the function of the altar of burnt offering in the courtyard.  Here the blood of animals was shed.  That same blood would be spattered on the tabernacle itself by the priest.  Once a year, the high priest would enter into the Most Holy Place, sprinkling blood along the way, including on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant itself.  On the mercy seat of God, which is also known as the atonement cover.  This act signified that the people’s sins were covered. That they were removed from God’s sight.    

          But the fact that the priests had to repeat sacrifices of animals daily, and the fact that the high priest would have to go through the ritual of sprinkling blood on the atonement cover of the Ark year after year, signified that God was pointing them to something better.  While the entire tabernacle was a structure designed by God himself for the good of his people, God was pointing them to a better tabernacle. 

          After all, think about the fact that the tabernacle was very limited in the people’s ability to be with God.  Only the high priest was able to come closest to the presence of God.  And even he was only able to approach the mercy seat once a year.  Even though the tabernacle was a wonderful place for people to have fellowship with God, the people really had limited access to God.

          There is a much better tabernacle which was not made by human hands.  It is a tabernacle that was not made from materials that God had created at the beginning of time.  We are talking about being in the presence of God where he is no longer hidden from us. 

          We have this better tabernacle because of our better Savior, Jesus Christ.  He became our high priest when he became both the one who sacrifices and the one who is sacrificed.  At the altar of his cross he shed his blood for you and for me.  Christ’s blood covers all our sin.  Because of that, nothing blocks us from gaining access to the presence of God.  God forgives us because we are covered with Christ’s own blood.  We can enjoy being in communion with God forever! 

          Ultimately, we are talking about heaven, aren’t we?  That’s where we will enjoy the permanent tabernacle which Revelation pictures:  “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

          We certainly look forward to that perfect and permanent dwelling that will be ours when we pass on from this earth.  But even now we are assured of the fact that we live in the presence of God.  Your church is a reminder of that fact.  Think about what the main focal point of your church is.  It is in the area that we call the chancel. 

          Consider what you see here in the chancel.  Take a look at the furnishings.  You see the baptismal font.  Here is where you are reminded of how God first came to you.  Here you took on the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Here you became a child of God who is always in God’s presence.  Here you see the pulpit and the lectern where you hear on a regular basis about the Word becoming flesh and living among us for a time, so that he might provide for you an eternity in God’s presence.  You can enjoy God’s presence whenever you open His Word on your own too.  And here at the very center of the chancel is the piece that reminds you of how that Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, accomplished this for you.  Here you see the altar.  The altar pictures for you the ultimate sacrifice Christ made for you.  From this altar you receive the very body and blood of our Savior whose sacrifice on the cross means that you now enjoy the presence of God. 

          And God gives you a solid promise.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Nothing can separate you from being forever with the Lord.  Because of Jesus, you enjoy a better tabernacle.  Amen.

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