The Person of Christ and the Picture of Christ

The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to a group of believers who held the law in high regard, even though they lived in the age of the New Testament. The law, as presented in the Old Testament, was revered by these believers, but they failed to realize that the law was merely a foreshadowing of something greater—Christ Himself. Christ, the one whom the law pointed to, had already come. Therefore, their focus should have shifted from the law to Christ, yet their deep appreciation for the law made it difficult for them to relinquish it. This attachment to the law became a distraction, keeping them from fully embracing Christ. The Epistle to the Hebrews was intended to help these believers understand that the law, though valuable, was only a representation—a picture—and that the living person, Christ, was now present. Like someone treasuring a photograph of a loved one instead of cherishing the person standing right before them, the Hebrew believers were clinging to the picture of Christ while missing the opportunity to embrace the reality of Christ Himself.

“The law is but a shadow; Christ is the substance”

The writer of Hebrews used the analogy of the tabernacle in the Old Testament to highlight the difference between the picture and the reality of Christ. The tabernacle had two significant sections: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. According to the Old Testament, all priests could enter the Holy Place regularly, but only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and that only once a year (Heb. 9:2-7). The Holy of Holies, where the presence of God dwelled, was just beyond the Holy Place, a place that the high priest could almost touch yet was so restricted. Similarly, God desired for the Hebrew believers to not remain content in the Holy Place, representing the old covenant, but to step forward into the Holy of Holies, the realm of the new covenant where the fullness of God's presence is found (Heb. 10:22). This was a call to move beyond the picture to the person of Christ Himself.

“Remaining in the old covenant denies access to the fullness of God in the new covenant.”

The Holy Place, though significant, was a symbol of something far greater. The writer of Hebrews emphasized that the Holy Place was just a type—a picture of the old covenant. The Holy of Holies, on the other hand, represented the new covenant, the reality of all that had been foreshadowed by the old covenant types. The Hebrew believers were being urged to leave behind the types and shadows, and enter into the deeper, richer reality of Christ, which the new covenant offered. This theme of moving from picture to person, from shadow to substance, is the central message of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

“The old covenant serves as a gateway, but the new covenant reveals the fullness of God's plan.”

As believers, our expectation is to embrace Christ fully, not settling for mere representations or shadows of the faith. We must step beyond the symbolic and into the experiential reality of Christ, where we find the richness of the new covenant. To do this, we need to let go of the past frameworks that once guided us and move boldly into a deeper relationship with Christ. The picture has served its purpose; now we are called to live in the fullness of the person, Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, pursue this greater intimacy with Him by entering into the Holy of Holies, leaving behind the old to experience the true essence of the new.

#Discp. Samuel✍