"It was necessary therefore that the copies of things in the heavens should be cleansed with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us." Heb 9:23,24
The Hebrew writer penned his letter primarily to make the case for the supremacy of Christ over all who had come before. There were people who were leaving the Christian faith to return to what they felt they knew best. They had begun to fall back to their traditions and religious habits that had since been superseded in innumerable ways and measure.
In short, everything that was being done was mere practice for heaven. The temple worship of old and all of its tenants and implements were symbolic of things in heaven (Rev 4). Even they, however, required the sacrifice of bulls and goats to make them clean. In order for you and I to gain the actual heaven, far more was needed. In fact, it required the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus to make it possible.
Beloved, many times in life, we get by with the next best thing. Rather than insisting on purity, the genuine article or the name brand, we compromise for one reason or the other. Know that God is the master of quality. Our reconciliation to Him required no less than the perfect sacrifice. Knowing and requiring this, He sent the only one of his kind. He sent nothing but the best. Dare we give Him any less than our best?
Committed,
Lee
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