John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 8

Now of the things, etc. So that readers might understand the subject he is addressing, he reminds them that his objective is to prove that Christ’s priesthood, by which the priesthood of the law had been abolished, is spiritual. He indeed continues with the same argument; but since he argues using various lines of reasoning, he introduced this reminder, so that he might keep his readers focused on his main point.

He has already shown that Christ is a high priest; he now argues that His priesthood is celestial. From this it follows that by His coming, the priesthood established by Moses under the law was annulled, because it was earthly.

And since Christ suffered in the humble condition of His flesh, and having taken the form of a servant, made himself of no reputation in the world (Philippians 2:7), the Apostle reminds us of His ascension. By this ascension, not only was the shame of the cross removed, but also that lowly and humble condition He had assumed together with our flesh.

For it is by the power of the Spirit, which was gloriously revealed in Christ's resurrection and ascension, that the dignity of His priesthood is to be assessed. He then reasons as follows: “Since Christ has ascended to the right hand of God, so that He might reign gloriously in heaven, He is not the minister of the earthly but of the heavenly sanctuary.”

Of the sanctuary, or, literally, of holy things, etc. The word is to be taken as being in the neuter gender, and the Apostle explains himself by saying, of the true tabernacle.

But it may be asked whether the tabernacle built by Moses was a false one and presumptuously constructed, for there is an implied contrast in the words. To this I answer, that 'true' as used here is not set in opposition to what is false, but only to what is typical; as we find in John 1:17, The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Then the old tabernacle was not the empty inventions of humans, but the effigy of the heavenly tabernacle. As, however, a shadow differs from the substance, and the sign from the thing signified, the Apostle denies it to have been the true tabernacle, as though he had said that it was only a shadow.

Which the Lord pitched, or, fixed, etc. What does the Apostle mean by locating Christ’s priesthood in heaven? For doubtless he suffered on earth, and by an earthly blood he atoned for our sins, for he derived his origin from the seed of Abraham; the sacrifice of his death was visible; and lastly, so that he might offer himself to the Father, it was necessary for him to descend from heaven to the earth and, as man, to become exposed to the sorrows of this mortal life, and eventually to death itself.

To all this I reply that whatever in Christ appears at first sight to be earthly is to be viewed spiritually by the eye of faith. Thus his flesh, which proceeded from the seed of Abraham, since it was the temple of God, possessed a vivifying power; indeed, the death of Christ became the life of the world, which is certainly above nature.

The Apostle therefore does not refer to what belongs specifically to human nature, but to the hidden power of the Spirit; and for this reason, the death of Christ has nothing earthly in it. When, therefore, we speak of Christ, let us learn to raise all our thoughts to the kingdom of God, so that no doubt may remain in us.

Nearly to the same effect is the language of Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:1; he calls God the builder of this tabernacle, in order to set forth its stability and perpetuity. For, on the other hand, what is built by human hands is unstable and ultimately sure to perish. But he says this because redemption was truly a divine work, attained by the death of Christ, and in this the power of Christ manifested itself in a wonderful manner.

For every high priest, and so forth. The Apostle intends to show that Christ’s priesthood cannot coexist with the Levitical priesthood. He proves it in this way — “The Law appointed priests to offer sacrifices to God; from this it appears that the priesthood is an empty name without a sacrifice. But Christ had no sacrifice, such as was offered under the Law; it therefore follows that his priesthood is not earthly or carnal, but one of a more excellent character.”

Let us now examine every clause. The first thing that deserves notice is what he teaches: that no priest is appointed except to offer gifts. It is therefore evident that no favor from God can be obtained for men except through the intervention of a sacrifice. Therefore, for our prayers to be heard, they must be founded on a sacrifice; the audacity of those who pass by Christ and forget his death, and yet rush into the presence of God, is therefore altogether pernicious and fatal. Now, if we wish to pray effectively, we must learn always to keep before us the death of Christ, which alone sanctifies our prayers. For God will never hear us unless he is reconciled; but he must first be pacified, for our sins cause him to be displeased with us. Sacrifice must necessarily precede, so that there may be any benefit from prayer.

We may therefore further conclude that no one, either among men or angels, is qualified for pacifying God, for all are without any sacrifice of their own which they can offer to appease God. And this abundantly exposes the effrontery of the Papists, who make Apostles and martyrs share with Christ as mediators in the work of intercession; for they assign them such an office in vain, unless they also supply them with sacrifices.

For if he were on earth, etc. It is now beyond dispute that Christ is a high priest. But, just as the office of a judge does not exist without laws and statutes, so the office of sacrificing must be connected with Christ as a priest. Yet he has no earthly or visible sacrifice; therefore, he cannot be a priest on earth.

We must always hold this truth: when the Apostle speaks of the death of Christ, he does not regard the external action, but the spiritual benefit. He suffered death as humans do, but as a priest, he atoned for the sins of the world in a divine manner. There was an external shedding of blood, but there was also an internal and spiritual purgation. In a word, he died on earth, but the power and efficacy of his death proceeded from heaven.

What immediately follows, some render this way: “He could not be a priest of the number of those who offer gifts according to the Law.” But the words of the Apostle mean another thing, and therefore I prefer this rendering: “He could not be a priest as long as there are priests who,” etc. For he intends to show one of these two things: either that Christ is no priest while the priesthood of the Law continued (as he had no sacrifice), or that the sacrifices of the Law ceased as soon as Christ appeared. The first of these is against all reason, for it is an act of impiety to deprive Christ of his priesthood. It then remains for us to confess that the Levitical order is now abolished.

Who serve unto the example, etc. The verb λατρεύειν, to serve, I take here to mean the performing of sacred rites; and so ἐν or ἐπὶ is to be understood. This is certainly more appropriate than the rendering given by some, “Who serve the shadow and example of heavenly things;” and the construction in Greek will naturally admit the meaning I have proposed.

In short, he teaches us that the true worship of God does not consist in the ceremonies of the Law. For this reason, the Levitical priests, while exercising their functions, had nothing but a shadow and a copy, which is inferior to the prototype—for this is the meaning of the word ὑποδείγμα, exemplar.

And in this way, he anticipates what might have been raised as an objection, for he shows that the worship of God, according to the ancient sacrifices, was not superfluous, because it referred to what was higher—namely, to heavenly realities.

As Moses was admonished by God, etc. This passage is found in Exodus 25:40; and the apostle adduces it here on purpose, to prove that the whole service, according to the Law, was nothing more than a picture, as it were, designed to shadow forth what is found spiritually in Christ.

God commanded that all the parts of the tabernacle should correspond with the original pattern, which had been shown to Moses on the mount. If the form of the tabernacle had a reference to something else, then the same must have been true for the rituals and the priesthood. It therefore follows that there was nothing real in them.

This is a remarkable passage, for it contains three things entitled to special notice.

1. First, we learn from this that the ancient rituals were not appointed without reason—as though God, by means of them, engaged the people's attention as one does with children's diversions—and that the form of the tabernacle was not an empty thing, intended only to allure and attract the eyes by its external splendor.

   For there was a real and spiritual meaning in all these things, since Moses was commanded to execute everything according to the original pattern given from heaven.

   Extremely profane, therefore, must be the opinion of those who hold that the ceremonies were enjoined only to serve as a means to restrain the people's waywardness, so that they might not seek after the foreign rites of pagans.

   There is indeed some truth in this, but it is far from being the whole story; they omit what is much more important: that these rituals were the means of keeping the people in their expectation of a Mediator.

   However, there is no reason for us to be overly curious here, seeking some sublime mystery in every nail and minute detail, as Hesychius and many of the ancient writers did, who anxiously toiled in this work. For while they sought to philosophize with excessive refinement on things unknown to them, they childishly blundered and, by their foolish trifling, made themselves ridiculous.

   Therefore, we ought to exercise moderation in this respect, which we will do if we seek only to know what has been revealed to us concerning Christ.

2. Secondly, we are taught here that all those modes of worship are false and spurious which people allow themselves to invent by their own ingenuity and which are beyond God’s command. For since God gives this direction—that all things are to be done according to His own rule—we are not permitted to do anything different from it.

   Indeed, these two expressions, “See that you do all things according to the patterns,” and, “See that you do nothing beyond the pattern,” amount to the same thing. By enforcing the rule He Himself delivered, He prohibits us from departing from it even in the smallest detail.

   For this reason, all modes of worship taught by men fall to the ground, as do those things called sacraments which have not originated from God.

3. Thirdly, let us learn from this that there are no true symbols of religion except those which conform to what Christ requires. Therefore, we must take care that, while seeking to adapt our own inventions to Christ, we do not transfigure Him (as the Papists do) so that He is not at all like Himself.

   For it is not for us to devise anything as we please; it belongs to God alone to show us what to do. It is to be “according to the pattern” shown to us.