See the Bible Through Jewish Eyes BIBLE STUDY WITH DR. RICH FREEMAN
Hebrews 9:15-28
The Superior Sacrifice of Messiah
Our study begins in Hebrews 9:15 with the phrase,
“For this reason.” This is referring back to the
end of the last study, in 9:14, where the writer of
Hebrews states that the blood of Jesus “cleansed the
conscience from dead works.” Because of His death,
certain truths are revealed. First, “He is the mediator
of a new covenant” (9:15). As mediator, He enacts
and ratifies the New Covenant. This New Covenant is
shown to be far superior to the “first covenant,” namely
the Mosaic Covenant, which was
never able to bring in “the promise
of the eternal inheritance.” Second,
it is Jesus’ death—His shed blood—
that made atonement “…for the redemption
of the transgressions that were
committed under the first covenant…”
(9:15). The Mosaic Covenant could
only cover sins—it could never remove
them. Ultimately, it was Jesus’
death that brought redemption to
Old Testament believers—to “…
those who have been called…” (9:15).
The Greek word dia-theke,
can be translated either as
“covenant” or “testament,” as in
a will. The connection between
these two English words is the
idea of inheritance. In essence, in
Hebrews 9:16-17, the writer is saying
that the New Covenant is really like
a will. Like a human will, it is not in
force until the one who made it dies.
That is when it will take effect. It was
necessary for Yeshua (Jesus) to die so
that the terms of the New Covenant
might be enforced. As He said, “…
this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant
in My blood” (Luke 22:20). In Hebrews 9:18-22,
the writer summarizes Exodus 24:3-8, showing
that Moses uses blood in inaugurating the Mosaic
Covenant, and therefore reminds us that the Old
Covenant is also established on the basis of blood.
God’s principle is that without the shedding of blood
there is no forgiveness of sin (Leviticus 17:11).
The writer concludes his argument in 9:23:
“Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things
in the heavens to be cleansed with these….” The copies
could be cleansed with the blood of animals, but the
actual heavenly things require a better sacrifice than
animals. Therefore, the death of Yeshua was necessary
and clearly superior. Yeshua, as our High Priest,
represents sinful people in heaven itself, in the very
presence of God. His sacrifice had to be far greater
than that which allowed entrance into a man-made
FEBRUARY 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 6
sanctuary that was only a copy of the
true tabernacle. Additionally, Messiah
could not offer repeated sacrifices
as in the Levitical priesthood because
that would have required Him to
die many times, “since the foundation
of the world…” (9:26). Instead,
the heavenly ministry of Yeshua the
Messiah called for a one-time sacrifice—
a sacrifice so superior to the
Levitical priesthood that it takes care
of the sin question. It “…put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (9:26).
In 9:26, the writer of Hebrews uses
the term “consummation of the
ages,” to refer to the conclusion of
the Old Testament era as well as to
the imminent return of Messiah and
ultimately to the climax of all things.
In the last verses of this section
(9:27-28), the writer of Hebrews
points out the principle that judgment
will follow death: “And inasmuch as it
is appointed for men to die once and
after this comes judgment.” Because
Yeshua the Messiah died for our
sins, we do not need to fear the
judgment that comes after death. His death on that
horrible Roman cross has paid the penalty for our sin.
“Salvation without reference to sin…” (9:28) refers to
the completion of our redemption. When He returns,
we will receive new resurrected bodies. The theological
term for that is glorification. When we are glorified, we
can reign with Him in the Millennial Kingdom and
ultimately in eternity. His once-for-all perfect sacrifice
has made that possible.
Dr. Rich Freeman, D. Min.
serves as the Vice
President for Church
Ministries and
Conferences with
Chosen People Ministries
and lives in South Florida
with his wife, Julia.
Hebrews 9:15-17, 27-28 NASB
15 For this reason He is the
mediator of a new covenant,
so that, since a death has
taken place for the redemption
of the transgressions
that were committed under
the first covenant, those who
have been called may receive
the promise of the eternal
inheritance. 16 For where a
covenant is, there must of
necessity be the death of the
one who made it. 17 For a
covenant is valid only when
men are dead, for it is never
in force while the one who
made it lives. 27 And
inasmuch as it is appointed
for men to die once and after
this comes judgment, 28 so
Christ also, having been
offered once to bear the sins
of many, will appear a second
time for salvation without
reference to sin, to those who
eagerly await Him.