Shadows and the Real Thing – Hebrews 8:3-5
Oct 15, 2025 134
[3] For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. [4] Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. [5] 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.” (ESV)
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Have you ever bought a knockoff product? It looks close to the real thing, but something’s off. It functions, sort of, but it’s not the genuine article.
The earthly tabernacle wasn’t a knockoff – God himself designed it. But it was never meant to be the final thing. It was a copy, a shadow pointing to something far greater.
Every Priest Must Offer Something
Verse 3 states a simple fact: every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. That’s the job description.
So Jesus, as our great high priest, must also have something to offer.
But here’s where it gets interesting. Verse 4 says, “Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law.”
Jesus didn’t qualify as an earthly priest. He wasn’t from the tribe of Levi. According to the law of Moses, he had no legal right to serve in the earthly tabernacle.
But that’s not a problem. It’s the whole point. Jesus doesn’t minister in the earthly sanctuary. He ministers in the true one – heaven itself.
Copy and Shadow
Verse 5 says that the earthly priests “serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.”
A copy and shadow. Not the real thing.
The tabernacle was magnificent. God gave Moses detailed instructions – the curtains, the altar, the ark. Every element had meaning. But it was still only a shadow of the true sanctuary.
Shadows aren’t lies – they’re true. But they’re not the substance. A shadow on the ground tells you something is there, but it’s foolish to settle for the shadow when you could have the real thing.
The Pattern on the Mountain
Verse 5 quotes Exodus 25:40, where God told Moses, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.”
God gave Moses a pattern – a design that reflected heavenly realities. The earthly tabernacle was built to echo something greater, something eternal.
But the pattern wasn’t the goal. The reality was. The shadow wasn’t the destination. The substance was.
And that substance is Jesus, ministering in the true sanctuary, offering the true sacrifice.
The Good News Is…
The earthly tabernacle was only a shadow, which means the sacrifices offered there were shadows too. They pointed forward, but they couldn’t bring final atonement. They had to be repeated again and again.
But Jesus offered himself – once, in the true sanctuary, before God himself. His sacrifice was the real thing. And because it was real, it accomplished what all those other sacrifices could never fully do: it dealt with sin completely and opened the way to God permanently.
You don’t have to settle for shadows anymore. Jesus has brought you into the real thing – into God’s actual presence, secured by his perfect sacrifice. The old system pointed you toward God but couldn’t bring you all the way in. Jesus has done what the shadows could only hint at. He has entered heaven itself and made a way for you to come boldly into the presence of the Father.
Reflection
Where are you tempted to settle for shadows – religious rituals or moral efforts – instead of resting in the reality of what Jesus has done? Today, thank God that Jesus ministers in the true sanctuary and has opened the way for you.
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