Yesterday I wrote about following the example of Jesus. I mentioned that the Old Covenant, that which was established on Mount Sinai, included a detailed set of laws and regulations which the Israelites had to obey. When we read through the over 600 laws which are contained in the first five books of the Old Testament we can get a feel for the burden it was to try and keep that law.
The Book of Hebrews focuses on the differences between that covenant and the one we live under. It contrasts the two, showing the superiority of the covenant which Jesus established through His death and resurrection versus that given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Where Moses was but a servant in the house of God, Jesus is the Son. Where the Old Covenant established a priesthood of mortal men, the New Covenant has an eternal high priest, Jesus Christ. Where the Old Covenant was based around a sanctuary that was merely a copy of the real one, the New Covenant is based on a ministry that is carried out in God’s true sanctuary, the heavenly one.
It is in this context that the writer of Hebrews wrote the following: “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5) This passage shows that Moses’ ministry was inferior to that of Jesus because it was merely based on a sanctuary that is a copy, built according to a pattern that Moses was shown. To get a feel for that pattern, you can read chapters 25 to 40 of Exodus. It is a detailed description of exactly how God wanted the tabernacle to be built. Surely the builders in our congregation can appreciate the instructions given in these chapters; it would not be all that hard for us to follow them and build a replica of the tabernacle which the Israelites built (although obtaining the materials might be difficult).
Hebrews 8 is showing that the earthly tabernacle is merely a copy of the heavenly one. You can go out today and buy copies of paintings by Da Vinci and Michelangelo, and you won’t have to spend a lot of money. But I doubt that any of us has enough money to buy an original painting by one of those artists. The original is always of more value than the copy. That’s what Hebrews 8 is talking about.
I have heard brothers read verse 5 and say: “Moses did everything according to the pattern and so should we.” The biggest and most obvious problem with that saying is that it has nothing to do with what the Hebrew writer is saying. He is not arguing that we should follow a pattern just as Moses did. He is showing the superiority of Jesus to the priests under the Mosaic system. To make this passage a call for us to follow a pattern is to ignore what the Bible is teaching.
Secondly, where in the New Testament do we find anything that remotely resembles Exodus chapters 25 to 40? Do we have any description of the physical arrangements of the Jerusalem church? Do we know if they used one cup or two for the Lord’s Supper, if they sat on chairs, or if they had any of their songs written down? We cannot compare the New Testament to the pattern that Moses followed.
How many divisions have been caused by brothers trying to take a system of grace and turn it into a system of law? Again, I have to ask: is there anything in the New Testament that remotely resembles the body of laws that we find in Exodus through Deuteronomy? When we start trying to “fill in the gaps” in God’s revelation, we get into trouble. There is but one lawgiver (James 4:12); He himself has given us the laws that we need. Woe to the man that takes it upon himself to create new ones.
The Greek word for pattern is tupos. It is most often used in the New Testament in the sense of an example, as in these passages: 1 Corinthians 10:6,11; 2 Peter 2:6; Philippians 3:17; Romans 6:17 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7. We are called to follow the “pattern” that was laid out, that is, the example of godly living that Jesus and His apostles left for us. We are to follow the pattern of love and zealous worship which the New Testament church left for us. We are to avoid the patterns of error that we find in the New Testament. We are to follow the perfect pattern: Jesus.
Pure was the mind of Christ, sinless I see.
He the great example is, and pattern for me.
Where He leads I’ll follow. May Jesus himself be the pattern for our lives and for our church.