Heb. 9:7. not without blood,
After having called the cross a sacrifice—both without fire and without wood, and not offered repeatedly—he shows that the Old Testament sacrifice was also of this kind, for it was offered once with blood. Some have asked how it is that in the book of Exodus it is written that he should burn incense upon the golden altar, which was evidently located in the Holy of Holies: "Aaron shall burn on it compound fragrant incense early in the morning"; "On it Aaron shall burn fragrant incense; every morning, when he tends the lamps, he shall burn it" (Exod. 30:7–8), so that every day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies twice in order to burn incense upon that place where the golden altar was located. So how does the apostle say here that this high priest entered once a year? And they resolve it by saying that once a year the high priest entered with blood, but with incense—twice a day. However, you should know that they doubted needlessly and out of ignorance: it was not in the golden censer that Aaron burned incense twice a day, but upon the golden altar, and the latter was located not in the Holy of Holies but in the middle tabernacle, where the lampstand and the table also were; whereas with the golden censer he entered the Holy of Holies truly once a year. For the censer is one thing, and the altar is another. I have pointed out this difficulty so that the reader of these words, having heard the objection raised by others, might not be led astray into thinking that it is sound.
Heb. 9:7. which he offers for himself and for the sins of ignorance of the people.
And again: "for himself." The lawful high priest, he says, offered sacrifice for himself. But Christ not for Himself, for He had no part with sinners. In every respect there is a complete difference between the one and the other. He said "for sins of ignorance," and not for transgressions, in order thereby to bring into greater fear both the ancient Jews and all people, and to humble their pride. For even if you did not sin willingly, you sinned unwillingly and through ignorance, and no one is free from this. Some maintained that he said this to show here as well the difference between the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifices of the law. Under the law, sacrifices pardoned transgressions committed in ignorance; but the sacrifice of Christ pardons even deliberate sins.
Heb. 9:8. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the sanctuary is not yet opened, as long as the former tabernacle still stands.
Finally, he begins to consider more loftily the matters concerning the tabernacles, and says that since the Holy of Holies, as an image of heaven, was inaccessible to the other priests, while the first tabernacle, that is, the first one located directly beyond the bronze altar, was always accessible to them, being a symbol of the legal service, this symbolically indicated that as long as this tabernacle stands, that is, as long as the law remains in force and the legal services are performed according to the law, the way of the saints, that is, entry into heaven, is inaccessible to those who perform such services. For them it was not only not open, but also closed, and this way was prepared for the One High Priest Christ alone.
Heb. 9:9. It is a figure for the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make the one who offers them perfect in conscience,
What he said above, the apostle now affirms, namely, that the tabernacle into which the priests always entered was a parable, that is, a figure and shadow of the present time according to the law, the time before the coming of Christ: during this time such sacrifices are offered, and ones so weak, that they cannot "in conscience," that is, according to the inner man, make perfect those who offer them. They cleansed bodily defilements, but not sins of the soul. They could not cleanse either adultery, or murder, or sacrilege.
Heb. 9:10. which stood only in meats and drinks, and various washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed until the time of reformation.
They, he says, were established only for the people of that time and are connected with instructions concerning foods and drinks. Eat this, but do not eat that. Why did he say "drinks"? For the law said nothing about distinctions in drinks. He says this either concerning the priest, that he must not drink wine when he intends to enter the sanctuary; or concerning those who had made vows, that is, promises of abstinence from wine, such as the Nazirites; or he said this simply with the aim of devaluing and diminishing these ordinances. The washings were various. If someone touched a dead body or a leper, and if someone suffered from a discharge of seed, he would wash and thus appeared to be cleansed. Carnal ordinances are precisely fleshly commandments, purifying the flesh and carnally justifying those who were considered unclean according to the flesh. However, they were not established permanently, but "until the time of reformation," that is, until the coming of Christ, who was to set all things right and introduce true and spiritual worship. And since the law was a heavy yoke, it was probably for this reason that he said "imposed." As it is also written in Acts: "Now therefore why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (Acts 15:10).
Heb. 9:11. But Christ, the High Priest of the good things to come, having come
The Old Testament worship, he says, did not lead to heaven. But Christ, "having come," entered once into the Holy Place, for that is where the thought is directed. He did not say "having become" a high priest, but "a High Priest... having come," that is, having come for this very purpose. He did not first come and then, when it happened so, become a High Priest; rather, the goal of His coming to earth was the high priesthood. He did not say a High Priest of sacrificial offerings, but "of good things to come"; since language is powerless to represent everything precisely, he simply and indefinitely called "good things" what has been done for us. He called these good things "to come" as if in relation to the time of the law. For just as he called that time the present, so he calls Christ's time the coming, as if in comparison with it, or also in comparison with the mysteries that are to be revealed to us in the age to come.
Heb. 9:11. with a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
Here he means the flesh; it is the greater tabernacle, because in it dwells both God the Word and the entire power of the Spirit. For "God does not give the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34). Being the most perfect tabernacle, it also accomplishes greater things.
Heb. 9:11. not made with hands, that is, not of such construction,
Here heretics attack, saying that the body is heavenly and ethereal. However, if the apostle considered His body "heavenly and ethereal," how could he have said that it was "not of this construction"? For heaven is not excluded from the number of created things. So what do his words mean? On the one hand, that the Old Testament tabernacle was constructed by the hands of the craftsman Bezalel and his coworkers (Ex. 31:2–6), while the tabernacle of God the Word was formed by the Spirit. This is why he said that it was "not of this construction," that is, not from these created things, but that it is spiritual and divine. For none of the created things has in itself God the Word by nature; but that one was united with Him by nature. Thus, in material the Lord's body was like ours and of one substance with us, as formed from the pure blood of the Most Holy Virgin; but in the manner of union, it is above us, because by nature it was united with God the Word. Since the materials for the Old Testament tabernacle were wood and skins, gold and silver, bronze and certain fabrics, the apostle, turning his gaze to these things, said that that tabernacle was "not of this construction," such as was needed for the Old Testament tabernacle. In general, he speaks comparatively and shows the superiority of Christ. He calls the Lord's body both a tabernacle, as here, by virtue of the fact that the Only-Begotten dwelt in it, and a veil, because it concealed the Divinity. He also calls heaven by these same names: a tabernacle, because the High Priest is there; a veil (Heb. 10:20), because the saints are sheltered by it.
Heb. 9:12. and not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own Blood,
Behold, everything has changed, and to the same degree as the Blood of the Lord surpasses the blood of animals with which the high priest of the law entered.
Heb. 9:12. once entered into the sanctuary
That is, to heaven.
Heb. 9:12. and obtained eternal redemption.
Not a temporary purification, like those, but an eternal liberation of souls from sins. Or, that having entered once, through one entrance He accomplished for us an eternal benefit. Pay attention also to the expression "obtained." This expression is used as though the matter occurred beyond expectation, for the liberation was doubtful for us; but He obtained it.
Heb. 9:13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, (cf. Lev. 16, Num. 19.)
Since, perhaps, it seemed incredible to many that through a single sacrifice and the blood of one, eternal redemption is granted, he confirms this and shows its plausibility on the basis of the Jews' own belief. If, he says, you believe that by being sprinkled with the blood of goats, and also with ashes mixed with water, for the ashes were kept for purification, then how shall the Blood of Christ not cleanse souls? Notice his wisdom. He did not say that the blood of goats cleansed, but sanctified; not to glorify the law, but to accomplish what he desires. For if, as you believe, the blood of goats gave sanctification, then you ought much more to believe that the Blood of Christ grants sanctification. And that he said this not in order to exalt the belief of the Jews, see how he added: "so that the body might be clean." For the sanctification was for the cleansing not of souls, but of flesh.
Heb. 9:14. how much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who through the Holy Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God,