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 "We
have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
tabernacle." The preceding verse, Heb. 13:9, warns against
"strange doctrines" and says "the heart be
established with grace, not with meats" so it would be
contrary to the argument of the context t o have this (v.10)
advocate some sort of ceremonial eating at some Christian (?)
altar. We have no man-built sanctuary (Heb. 8:1-6) and our
"altar" is in heaven (9:24). (Compare Rom. 14:17-18)
Hebrews 13:9-f. is not discussing the Lord's Supper though it is
sometimes so used. But to what does it refer?
Verse
11 reminds us that although the flesh of other sacrifices
offered under the Old Covenant was eaten by the priests and
Levites, only the blood had significance in the
atonement, being brought unto the Holy of Holies by the High
Priest once a year. The body of the offering was
"burned without the camp." (Cf. Lev. 4:11-12; 6:30)
Expositor's comment: "The burning of the victim was not
intended to sublimate (elevate, make sublime, rt) but to get rid
of it. The body plays no part in the atoning act, and has in
fact no significance after the blood has been drained from
it."
Reflection
upon these matters will protect us from two common errors: 1)
that redemption, atonement and justification are directly
related to Christ's faith or impeccable life before death,
imputed to us; 2) that we are cleansed from sins in partaking of
the Lord's Supper. The peculiarity of our Christian sacrifice is
that it is not eaten — literally. We partake of bread and
fruit of the vine as a memorial — "in memory" of Him.
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But we feed on
Christ in "believing" on Him (Jn. 6:41; 47-48; 58-69)
— in feeding on the truth He has brought us.
The
Hebrew text we are studying (13:9-f) makes another point. The
body of the typical atonement was burned "without the
camp", and the Hebrew writer selects this to remind us that
Christ's body was slain upon the cross "without the
gate" of literal Jerusalem. If Christians have a literal
altar in any sense of the word, it would have to be the cross
— and this was erected outside the wall of that which
represented the first covenant (Gal. 4:21-f). The significance
of the cross takes us outside of Judaism. "We have an
altar" apart from and wholly superior to that, so the
Hebrew writer urges his brethren to be faithful to Christ, and
avoid drifting back into their old ways.
Alford
comments: "Let us then not tarry in the Jewish tabernacle,
serving their rites, offering their sacrifices; but offer our
now only possible sacrifice, that of praise, the fruit of a good
confession, acceptable to God through Him." By this he
relates our text to that which follows in verse 15.
"We
have an altar" really says, "a different concept"
of altar, atonement and worship. The ritualistic and ceremonial
idea of service to God has fulfilled its role of introducing man
to his Creator. Now, we must grow up. Mere ritual and ceremony
is no more valid in Christianity than in Judaism. Our study and
worship must come from hearts that hunger for righteousness.
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