The tenth chapter of Hebrews emphasizes the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in contrast with the imperfect sacrifices that were under the Old Covenant. Our Lord’s superior priesthood belongs to a better order – Melchizedek’s and not Aaron’s. It functions on the basis of a better covenant – the New Covenant – and in a better sanctuary, in heaven. But all this depends on the better sacrifice, which is the theme of this chapter.

The need for a better sacrifice (vv. 1-4): Sin, of course, is man’s greatest problem. It has been said well that, “We are not sinners because of sin. We sin because we are sinners.” So, why were the Old Covenant sacrifices inferior? After all, they were ordained by the Lord; and they were in force for hundreds of years. The very nature of the Old Covenant sacrifice made them inferior. The Law was only “a shadow of good things to come” and not the reality itself. The sacrificial system was a type or picture of the work our Lord would accomplish on the cross. This meant that the system was temporary, and therefore could accomplish nothing permanent. The very repetition of the sacrifices day after day, and the Day of Atonement year after year, pointed out the entire system’s weakness.

The provision of the better sacrifice (vv. 5-9): It was God who provided the sacrifice and not man! The verses in Psalm 40:6-8 makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant sacrifices. Each of the offerings typified the sacrifice of Christ and revealed some aspect of His word on the cross (see Lev. 1-7). Twice in these verses (see Heb. 10:6, 8) the writer stated that God “had no pleasure” in Old Covenant sacrifices. This does not suggest that the old sacrifices were wrong, or that sincere worshipers received no benefit from obeying God’s Law. It only means that God had no delight in sacrifices as such, apart from the obedient hearts of the worshipers. No amount of sacrifice could substitute for obedience. Jesus came to do the Father’s will. This will is the New Covenant that has replaced the Old Covenant. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has taken away the first covenant and established the second.

The effectiveness of the better sacrifice (v. 10): Believers have been set apart (“sanctified”) by the offering of Christ’s body once for all. No Old Covenant sacrifice could do that. An Old Covenant worshiper had to be purified from ceremonial defilement repeatedly. But a New Covenant saint is set apart finally and completely.

Christ’s sacrifice need not be repeated (vv. 11-18): Again the writer contrasted the Old Covenant high priest with Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. The fact that Jesus sat down after He ascended to the Father is proof that His work was completed. The ministry of the priests in the tabernacle and temple was never done and never different: they offered the same sacrifices day after day. This constant repetition was proof that their sacrifices did not take away sins. What tens of thousands of animal sacrifices could not accomplish, Jesus accomplished with one sacrifice forever!

The phrase “sat down” refers us again to Psalm 110:1. Christ is in the place of exaltation and victory. When He returns, He shall overcome every enemy and establish His righteous kingdom. Those who have trusted Him need not fear, for they have been “perfected forever” (v. 14). Believers are complete in Him (Col. 2:10). We have a perfect standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. How do we know personally that we have this perfect standing before God? Because of the witness of the Holy Spirit through the Word (vv. 15-18). The witness of the Spirit is based on the work of the Son and is given through the words of Scripture. The New Covenant believer can say that his/her sins and iniquities are remembered no more. There is “no more offering for sin” (v. 18) and no more remembrance of sin!

Hebrews 10:1-18 Reflection Questions:

How does it make you feel knowing what Jesus did on the cross for you?

Do you have complete trust in what Jesus did or are you trying to earn your way to redemption?

Knowing what Christ has done, how free do you feel and what are going to do with that freedom?

The Old Testament system, which provides the prefigurement for Christ’s sacrifice, was a gory affair indeed. During the thousand-plus years of the old covenant, there were more than a million animal sacrifices. So considering that each bull’s sacrifice spilled a gallon or two of blood, and each goat a quart, the old covenant truly rested on a sea of blood. Why the perpetual sea of blood? For one main reason – to teach that sin demands the shedding of blood. It demonstrates that sin both brings and demands death. Steaming blood provided the sign – even the smell – of the old covenant. Thus, the devout worshiper of the old covenant came with a definite awareness, first, that sin requires death – second, that such a sacrifice required a spirit of repentance – third, that he was pleading the mercy of God – and, fourth, in some cases, that a great sin-bearer was coming.

Of course, the old covenant system was flawed in that, by design, it could only deal with sins of ignorance and could never completely clear one’s conscience. But then came Jesus with the new covenant in His own blood – a superior blood sacrifice that completely atoned for sins and completely cleared the conscience. Jesus was no uncomprehending, unwilling animal, but rather a perfect God-man who consciously set His will to atone for our sins. He is therefore a superior Savior and priest. With this being understood, the logic of verse 15 and the following verses becomes clear.

The job of mediator is to arbitrate in order to bring two parties together; here, the Holy God and sinful humanity. As the Father’s mediator, it is Christ’s job to bridge the vast gulf and obtain entrance for us into God’s holy presence. His sacrifice is the medium of arbitration, because His shed blood is both retroactive and proactive in bringing forgiveness for sins. The point in verses 16-17 is that Christ’s death activated His incredibly rich will – a fact alluded to by Paul in 2 Corinthians 8:9. Think of the benefits we enjoy because of Christ’s death: forgiveness, a clear conscience, peace, purpose, and ultimately eternal life in Heaven! All this is impossible apart from His death. And it is all activated by His death.

The writer wants his readers to understand that the old covenant law was initiated with a pronounced spilling of sacrificial blood that prefigured Christ’s blood in initiating the new covenant. The noun “blood” is used six times in verses 18-22. The old covenant sailed on a sea of blood, for two fast reasons. First, to emphasize the seriousness of sin; the Bible takes sin seriously, more than any other religious scripture. Sin alienates one from God; sin is rooted in the hearts of humanity. Sin cannot be vindicated by any self-help program. Sin leads to death – and it will not be denied. The second reason is the costliness of forgiveness; death is the payment. It will either be Christ’s life or our life!

Having demonstrated the importance of blood/death in the old covenant, the writer now describes the surpassing effect of Christ’s sacrifice in establishing the new covenant. He begins by stating that the better sacrifice of Christ brings better purity (v. 23). Next, the writer expresses that Jesus’ blood grants us a better representation before the Father (v. 24), and as a further evidence of the superiority of Jesus’ shed blood is its efficacy (vv. 25-28a). Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient and thus needed no repeating. He is our constant priest, but this in no way suggests that He is perpetually offering Himself. The sacrifice was so monumental and efficacious that it could only be once-for-all. His blood is totally sufficient. The sufficiency of Christ’s atoning death is the centerpiece of our salvation.

Finally Christ’s blood gives us a better hope that He “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him” (v. 28b). Here we have a brilliant fresh perspective on the return of Christ. Our Lord Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary “to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (v. 24), and He “will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him” (v. 28). Hallelujah! – He is coming again as both King and Priest. The blood of Christ may be a stumbling block to a lost world. But for the heart that knows the depth of its sin and its lostness, the metaphor of the sea of blood is sweet because it means Jesus gave His life for us.

Hebrews 9:15-28 Reflection Questions:

What were your thoughts of the “sea of blood” before this study? Was it disgusting or is it sweet because of what it represented?

What stands out for you in this study?

The writer of Hebrews begins his telling comparison between the saving powers of the old and new covenants with a brief summary in verses 1-5 of the layout and furnishings of the wilderness tabernacle, which he concludes by saying, “Of these things we cannot now speak in detail” (v. 5). Indeed, there was no real need to discuss them in detail because his Jewish readers were well acquainted with the desert sanctuary and its regulations for worship.

The inadequacy of the Old Covenant (vv. 6-10): The old system was inadequate for two reasons – its limited access and its limited efficacy. Just how restricted the access was, is seen in the experience of the official hereditary priesthood as verse 6 describes it. If they were fortunate, they got to go into the outer room once in their priestly lives for a week. The Israelite layperson’s access was even less – the front of the courtyard, and that’s all! If one was fortunate enough to attain high priest, one could have access for a blessed (and tense!) minutes at best. On the Day of Atonement, when the high priest took his censer in to first burn incense in God’s presence, it was prescribed that he must not stay too long “lest he put Israel in terror.” The people waited with bated breath, so that when he came out from the presence alive, there went up a sigh of relief. In verses 7-8 the point is crystal-clear: throughout the ages of the old covenant, there was no direct access to God, period!

But as inadequate as the access to God under the old system was, it was exceeded by its limited efficacy. The blood sacrifice that the high priest offered only covered sins of ignorance (v. 7). There was no provision in the old covenant’s sacrificial system for forgiveness of premeditated sins! Premeditated, willful sins were called sins of the “high hand,” and for such there was no remedy (see Num. 15:30-31).The spiritual limitations of the old system went even deeper, because since only sins of ignorance were forgiven no one could have a completely clear conscience (vv. 9-10). So the limitations of the old covenant were profound – limited access and limited efficacy.  The average Joes were several ecclesiastical layers removed from access to God’s presence – and their consciences never rested easy.

The adequacy of the New Covenant (vv. 11-14): Christ’s unrestricted access is dramatically stated in verses 11-12. Christ came having given His own precious blood once and for all, and then He sat down at the right hand of the Father – never more to leave. Everything foreshadowed by the earthly tabernacle is fulfilled in His priesthood in ways beyond description. But there is even more, for the unlimited access is crowned with unlimited efficacy as Christ makes consciences clean. To make this point, the author reiterates the limited nature of the old system in verse 13. Considering that the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer had that much effect described in Numbers 19:1-13, “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (v. 14). There is deep glorious forgiveness in the new covenant, and it is available to all! What more can we ask for than forgiveness of our sins and a clear conscience? We have exactly that in Christ!

Hebrews 9:1-14 Reflection Questions:

What type of priest was Zechariah in Luke 1:5-25?

How does the old covenant point to Christ?

What type of sins were committed by the high priest and Jewish leaders that convicted Jesus to death?