By: Obed Pineda
The inspired Paul wrote, “let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). A proper exegesis (“critical interpretation or explanation of a text” The American Heritage Dictionary, pg. 300) of this Scripture will leave no doubt that the foods, drinks, festivals, etc. are in reference to Jewish practices under the Old Testament. A few passages prior, leading to the quoted Scripture, Paul spoke about Jesus Christ removing the Old Law through His cross, thus taking away a great obstacle standing in the pathway of salvation (cf. Colossians 2:13-15). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is concluding His thought in verse 17, that originated in verse 11 with the subject of “the circumcision made without hands” (cf. Colossians 2:11-17). It should be remembered that circumcision was a subject held in high esteem by the Jews because it was the sign of the covenant between Abraham and Jehovah God, that identified them as God’s chosen people (cf. Genesis 17:9-14). Nevertheless, it is imperative not to lose sight that Paul is not speaking about the physical circumcision, but the spiritual one, as clarified by his specificity of “the circumcision made without hands.” The inspired apostle encapsulates his thought in verse 17 by echoing the Hebrew writer in confirming that those practices according to the law were “the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle” (Hebrews 8:5). Although both amanuensis agree that what was dictated by the law was foreshadowing what was to come, it is Paul who establishes that “the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:17). The American Standard (ASV) and the old King James translations (KJV) have the word “body” in the place of “substance,” which is a better translation for the Greek word being used, sōma. Greek Lexicons define sōma as a human or animal body (living or dead), heavenly bodies such as stars, or as a group of people like a family or community united into one society (Thayer, G4983). One other definition provided by this lexicon is “that which casts a shadow as distinguished from the shadow itself.” Another way of interpreting this meaning is the object or person casting the shadow itself. Ergo, what the apostle Paul is declaring to the church at Colosse is that Jesus Christ is the One casting the shadow found in the Old Testament. Hence why the Hebrew penmen is able to declare that the priesthood of Jesus is superior to that of Aaron’s (cf. Hebrews 8:1-6), the covenant in Him is better than the first one (8:7-13), the tabernacle He entered into exceeds the earthly one (9:1-10), and that His sacrifice is perfect and complete, unlike those offered under Levitical law (9:11-28). Comprehending that Jesus was being prefigured by these priestly practices leaves no doubt why the Hebrew writer was able to illuminate the superiority of Christianity. Yet, it is unwise to discard the precious lessons that the Old Testament has to offer because it is no longer in effect, as evidenced by the Hebrew scribe’s ability to bring forth Christ’s superiority through his knowledge of the Old Law, verifying that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). The Mercy Seat that Jehovah God had commanded Moses to build, following the heavenly pattern shown to him (cf. Exodus 25:17-22), is an extraordinary example of the vitality of not falling prey to this inadvisable habit. The ninth chapter of Hebrews provides several outstanding revelations of what celestial objects were casting the shadows of the tabernacle and its furnishings. It is essential to keep in mind that these objects of worship from the Old Testament were “the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time” (Hebrews 9:8-9a). The Hebrew scribe explains that the tabernacle was a type of heaven itself (cf. Hebrews 9:1, 11, & 24), the High Priest’s yearly entrance into the Most Holy place announced Christ entering into heaven on our behalf (cf. 9:7, 12, & 24), and that the annual redemption the High Priest obtained on the Day of Atonement was representative of the eternal redemption Jesus would secure for mankind (cf. 9:7-10, 11-15, 10:1-10). In this final example selected by this author is where the significance of the Mercy Seat begins to unfold. According to Sacred Scriptures, the Mercy Seat was a beautiful lid made of pure gold, with two golden statues of Cherubim, positioned on opposite ends of the lid, with their angelic wings outstretched toward each other that was to be placed above the Ark of the Covenant (cf. Exodus 25:17-21). Jehovah had commanded Moses that the tablets of stone that contained the Ten Commandments were to be placed inside the Ark, where they would serve as a witness against the sin of the people (cf. Exodus 24:12-13, 25:21, 31:18, & 32:15-16). Additionally, God had declared to Moses, “there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel” and Moses confirms that when he “went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him” (Exodus 25:22 and Numbers 7:89). The similarities between Jesus and the Mercy Seat begin to surface when we understand that one of the primary functions of this sacred lid was where Jehovah God would meet with Moses, Israel’s mediator, to provide His commandments to His people. Of this, the Hebrew penmen states, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2). The Master, too, had exhorted His disciples, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:23-24). Furthermore, the Father responded to Peter’s petition to build three tabernacles for Elijah, Moses, and Jesus during the Lord’s transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him” (Matthew 17:1-6, Mark 9:2-7, & Luke 9:27-35)! Irrefutably, the Bible provides ample evidence demonstrating that like from the Mercy Seat Israel would commune with God to receive His commandments, today Jesus is where man meets God to receive His salvation (cf. Ephesians 2:14-18). To be continued…