Hebrews 10:1-18 | What's the connection?
The Shadow
There is a shadow of the good things to come. It is at this point that the writer to the Hebrews brings the hammer down. Everything has led to this moment. One after another, he has drawn distinctions of the limitations of the law and how it pales in comparison to Jesus. Now that all of that has been drawn, it is time to come out and and say it. The law bears no substance. The substance is Christ. The solutions found in the law are insufficient to accomplish what Jesus accomplishes.
The connecting piece comes out of Psalm 40:6-8. Those things that were established in the law did not result in the pleasure of God nor in the removal of sins. But, again, Jesus accomplishes this. It is a lesson that is important for the believer to realize that we truly can be and are pleasing to the Lord because of the sufficiency of the work of Christ. To the audience that is receiving this, the question arises, "What are you going back to?" Should they make that choice and depart from Jesus, they only return to the same work that was insufficient for the Lord.
I want to draw our attention back to the very beginning of Hebrews. The tone was immediately set that Jesus would be better in comparison to anything. He was better than Moses, better than the prophets. His covenant is better than the old. His law of grace surpasses the Law of Moses. In every way, shape, and form, Jesus is proven better than anything the reader, even today, would draw back to.
This is why the imagery of the shadow is so critical. Just like your own shadow outlines your form, so does the law outline the form of Jesus. Still, Jesus is the substance therein that casts the shadow. We can look upon the law and find grace. We can look upon the sacrifices and find Jesus. We can examine all that was spoken in the law and the prophets and find that Jesus is all throughout it. We now have the substance. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The connection, then, is a broad one. For at this moment, the writer to the Hebrews draws the entire picture together with one bold move. And it shows that the law could never accomplish what Jesus does.
What connection are you seeing?
The connecting piece comes out of Psalm 40:6-8. Those things that were established in the law did not result in the pleasure of God nor in the removal of sins. But, again, Jesus accomplishes this. It is a lesson that is important for the believer to realize that we truly can be and are pleasing to the Lord because of the sufficiency of the work of Christ. To the audience that is receiving this, the question arises, "What are you going back to?" Should they make that choice and depart from Jesus, they only return to the same work that was insufficient for the Lord.
I want to draw our attention back to the very beginning of Hebrews. The tone was immediately set that Jesus would be better in comparison to anything. He was better than Moses, better than the prophets. His covenant is better than the old. His law of grace surpasses the Law of Moses. In every way, shape, and form, Jesus is proven better than anything the reader, even today, would draw back to.
This is why the imagery of the shadow is so critical. Just like your own shadow outlines your form, so does the law outline the form of Jesus. Still, Jesus is the substance therein that casts the shadow. We can look upon the law and find grace. We can look upon the sacrifices and find Jesus. We can examine all that was spoken in the law and the prophets and find that Jesus is all throughout it. We now have the substance. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The connection, then, is a broad one. For at this moment, the writer to the Hebrews draws the entire picture together with one bold move. And it shows that the law could never accomplish what Jesus does.
What connection are you seeing?
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2026
January
John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
February
Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What am I going to do about it?
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