hebrews 13:10-14

Pondering Hebrews 13:10–14 We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Yeshua also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come. As we read through Hebrews, we note repetition. Each time the author repeats he adds new information to us, so here too he harks back to the sacrifice that Yeshua made (Hebrews 9:11-10:18), and adds a new thought. In Leviticus, the priest when a sin offering was made had to take the carcasses of the sacrifices outside of the camp. When the anointed priest unintentionally sinned and became aware of what he had done he had to bring a sin offering; that was to be burned outside the camp (Leviticus 4:11-12). Or if the congregation of Israel became aware of its sin the sin sacrifice had to be burned outside of the camp (Leviticus 4:21). Note in Hebrews it mentioned that the blood was brought in by the high priest, this means that the author is referring not to the general sin sacrifices of chapter 4 but once again goes back to the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) sacrifice where the carcass also had to be taken outside of the camp (Leviticus 16:27). Even though the sprinkling of the blood purified the worshipper, it seemed that the carcass of the same sacrifices defiled those in the ritual (see also Numbers 19). As such he who burned them was ritually defiled till he bathed and washed his clothes (Leviticus 16:28). And because this sacrifice represented sin, the priests could not eat any part of it. We, in contrast, serve at an altar from which we can eat (Hebrews 13:10). Yeshua is symbolised as the altar, we as the Believers in the atonement He made, have been granted the right to eat at His altar. In contrast to those who serve in the Temple; who refused the atonement Yeshua provided they have no right to eat of the new altar. The offering He provided was spoken of in John 6:47-58, where Yeshua tells the disciples He is the Bread of Life. An additional point the author makes in these verses, is “outside”, outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27) this is where the ash pit was and where the sacrifice was burned up (Mishnah Zevachim 5.2). And outside the gate, Yeshua was the sacrifice that was crucified outside the gate of the 1st century city walls of Jerusalem (John 19:7, this may well be outside of the Gennath gate Josephus Wars, 5.4.2, Edersheim Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah 2.1, paragraph 4). What was the author of Hebrews saying? First, those who continue to participate of the sacrificial system of the Temple could not share in the sacrifice of Yeshua. And second, while not even the high priest could eat of the sacrifice he made, we as believers in Yeshua have a superior offer, for we can and should eat of the spiritual food Yeshua provided for us. We can only participate when Yeshua is our Sanctifier, which He did through His own blood, not the blood of goats and bulls. Yeshua purified us and like the Day of Atonement sacrifice, Yeshua did this outside the gate. This then is where we meet our Purifier; as such we too must go outside the camp. We cannot remain inside sacrificial Temple Judaism, as religiously observant people, we are free to remain in our cultural Jewish world (Romans 14:1-12). Saying Hebrew prayers, or partaking in the Jewish holidays like Passover and Chanukah are all fine we have the principle of freedom.  Our faith though has to be Messiah-centric not based on Sacrificial or Rabbinical or Mystical Judaism. The Tanach (Older Testament) longed for the days of the Messiah and now that He has come; our faith whether expressed in Jewish or Gentile terms ought to be Yeshua centred. The author, instructs us to go outside to Him just as the Jewish leaders rejected Yeshua, so too we are called to go with Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach, simply put we are to identify with His rejection. For He was despised and rejected by men, bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows, (Isaiah 53) and “scorned by mankind and despised by the people” (Psalm 22:6). So too we will at times be insulted or badly treated for our faith in Messiah Yeshua, but when that happens we are bearing His reproach. This happened to the early disciples, and Peter warned us that it would happen: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Messiah’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Messiah, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Peter 4:12-14 Bearing His reproach is part of our suffering for Messiah, in return He will provide us with His glory revealed in us (Romans 8:16-18). In verse 14, the author recalls the words of Yeshua that Jerusalem would be turned upside-down and destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2; Luke 19:41-44 and 21:20-24). As such he says we do not have a city that is here to stay, but we seek the eternal city (Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 11:10, 16, 12:22). Putting it in a nutshell, the commitment of every believer is to be to Yeshua, back then it meant the abandonment of Temple Judaism and the City of Jerusalem which was to be destroyed only a year or two later in 70 CE, today we must too make the point that our commitment is to Yeshua the Messiah and not to Rabbinic Judaism, and while like you, I love the Land of Israel and the city Jerusalem, I hope that we all with Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-10) long for the heavenly made city (Hebrews 11:16), the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-22:19). May we all identify with Yeshua and with Him bear the reproach, all the while looking to the Heavenly King who is coming soon. Shalom in Messiah Yeshua Paul © Map of Jerusalem by archaeological architect Dr. Leen Ritmeyer taken from the ESV Study Bible.