October 7th Bible Study Guide

HEBREWS 2:10-18

Hebrews 2:10-11a   Sovereignty of God

What do we learn from the free modifiers?

For whom:

By whom:

What is the purpose of suffering here?

BIG QUESTION: How was Jesus made perfect?

BIG QUESTION: Why does God allow suffering?

 

Hebrews 2:11b-16   Christ our Brother and Savior

How are we called brothers to Christ?

One Source –

Flesh and Blood –

Experience –

What was the purpose of Jesus’ death as shown in vss. 14 and 15?

MEDITATION: Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers…

 

Hebrews 2:17-18   Christ our High Priest

What was the purpose of becoming our brother?

What does propitiation mean?

DIG DEEPER: The connection between brotherhood and the High Priestly role? (See handout)

DIG DEEPER: How does the OT sharpen our understanding of Jesus as our High Priest?

  • Numbers 18:7 –
  • Leviticus 21:6-8 –
  • 2 Chronicles 19:11 –
  • Numbers 27:21 –
  • Leviticus 4:3-21 –
  • Numbers 35:28 –
  • Leviticus 16:14-15 & Exodus 30:10–

 

 

DIG DEEPER: Brotherhood and the High Priestly Role

 

By the rite of ordination Moses consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests (Ex 29:1), just as Jesus now consecrates his brothers (Heb 2:11). It occurred in seven stages, in each of which Moses served as the inaugural officiant. Since there are so many echoes of this rite in Hebrews, it is worth recalling them.

  1. Moses washed Aaron and his sons with water from the most holy font (Lev 8:6), just as all Christians are washed with the pure water of Baptism (Heb 10:22).
  2. Moses clothed Aaron with his diadem and his holy vestments (Lev 8:7–9), just as Jesus was crowned with glory and honor (Heb 2:9) in order to bring his brothers into glory with him (2:10).
  3. Moses anointed the tabernacle, the altar, and the head of Aaron with the most holy anointing oil (Lev 8:10–12), just as Jesus was “anointed” with the oil of gladness (Heb 1:9) to become the “Christ,” God’s anointed Son.
  4. Moses clothed Aaron’s sons with their sacred vestments (Lev 8:13).
  5. Moses offered a bull as their sin offering, using some of its blood to purify and consecrate the altar (Lev 8:14–17), just as Jesus offered himself as a sin offering for the purification of his disciples (Heb 1:3; 7:27; 9:13–14; 10:19; 13:12).
  6. Moses offered a ram as a burnt offering for the completion of their ordination (Lev 8:18–21), just as Jesus offered his body for the consecration of his disciples (Heb 10:10, 14).
  7. Moses offered a ram and some bread as their ordination offering.
  • He smeared some of its blood of their right ears, thumbs, and big toes to cleanse them from impurity before pouring out the rest of it against the altar (Lev 8:22–24).
  • He filled their hands with the portions that belonged to the priests from the peace offerings and so perfected them for their service by burning their portions on the altar (Lev 8:25–28), just as Christians have been perfected for heavenly service (Heb 9:9, 14; 10:1–2, 14).
  • He sprinkled the most holy anointing oil mixed with the holy blood from the altar on the priests and their vestments (Lev 8:30), just as Christians have their hearts sprinkled with the blood of Jesus (Heb 10:22; 12:24; cf. 9:13–14) and are sanctified by his blood (10:29; 13:12).
  • He instructed them to eat the holy meal with the meat and bread from the ordination offering (Lev 8:31–32), just as Christians eat food from Christ’s altar (Heb 13:10).[1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIG DEEPER: Jesus as High Priest in Contrast to Israel’s High Priests

 

 

 Israel’s High Priests

 

 Jesus Christ as the High Priest

 
Order of priesthood

 

 Levitical priests in the order of Aaron (7:11)

 

 Royal Priest in the order of Melchizedek (5:10; 6:20; 7:11)

 
Foundational covenant

 

 First covenant (8:7)

 

 Second, better covenant (7:22; 8:6)

 
Institution

 

 The Law of Moses (7:11, 12)

 

 Better promises (8:6)

 
Installation

 

 Human appointment according to the Law (7:28)

 

 Appointment by divine oath (5:10; 7:21, 28)

 
Duration of service

 

 Temporary and impermanent as limited by death (7:23)

 

 Eternal (7:3, 17, 21, 28) and enduring (7:3, 24)

 
Personal potency

 

 Mortal men with human weakness (7:8, 18, 23)

 

 Ever-living man with the power of indestructible life (7:8, 16, 24)

 
Location

 

 Earth (8:4; 9:1)

 

 Heaven at God’s right hand (1:3, 13; 8:1; 9:24; 10:12; 12:2)

 
Shrine: tent

 

 Man-made tent with its two shrines (9:2, 3, 6, 8)

 

 True tent pitched by God (8:2); greater and more perfect tent, not handmade (9:11)

 
Holy places

 

 Earthly sanctuary (9:1) with its holy places (8:2; 9:24, 25; 13:11)

 

 The heavenly holy places (9:8, 12; 10:19)

 
Liturgical service

 

 Copy of the heavenly service (8:5; 10:1)

 

 Better liturgical service in the heavenly shrine (8:2, 6)

 
Posture with God as an index of the priest’s status

 

 Standing before God (10:11)

 

 Enthroned at God’s right hand (1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2)

 
Offerings

 

 Domesticated animals as burnt, sin, and peace offerings, as well as grain offerings (10:5–6)

 

 Himself (7:27; 9:14, 26); his own body (10:5, 10); his flesh (10:20)

 
Atonement

 

 Repeated sacrifices for their own sins and the sins of the people (5:3; 7:27a; 9:7)

 

 Sinless Priest’s single sacrifice for the sins of all others (7:26–27; 9:26; 10:12)[2]

 

 

[1] John W. Kleinig, Hebrews, ed. Curtis P. Giese, Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2017), 149.

[2] John W. Kleinig, Hebrews, ed. Curtis P. Giese, Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2017), 139.