Hebrews 10:19–25

10:19–20 Two gifts from God under the new covenant motivate believers to “draw near” in worship (v. 22). Believers have (a) “confidence to enter the holy places” (vv. 19–20) and (b) “a great priest over the house of God” (v. 21). As the preceding discourse demonstrated, the first gift (confidence) is based on the second (Jesus’ priestly ministry), which removed the sinful defilement that would otherwise have excluded sinners from God’s presence. The preacher has already urged his readers to hold fast to their confidence (3:6, 14), and at the conclusion of this exhortation he will insist that they not throw it away (10:35).

The “holy places” are the Most Holy Place in God’s heavenly sanctuary, the original from which the earthly tabernacle was copied (8:2, 5). Jesus has entered the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf, bringing not the blood of slain animals but his own blood, the evidence of his sacrificial death on our behalf (9:24–25). As he entered, therefore, he “opened” or “inaugurated” (enkainizō; also in 9:18) for us a route into heaven’s inmost sanctuary “through the curtain.” The repetition of “curtain” reminds us that Jesus has gone “behind the curtain” as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek, and his presence there anchors our souls in solid hope (6:19–20). The Greek terms rendered “to enter” (eisodos) and “way” (hodos) emphasize the change that has occurred since the OT era, when “the way [hodos] into the holy places” was not yet displayed (9:8–10).

Now, not only has Jesus entered God’s glorious presence, but we also may draw near to God’s throne of grace through him (4:16; 10:22). The Gospels record that, when Jesus died on the cross, the temple’s curtain, separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place, was torn from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Hebrews provides the Holy Spirit’s interpretation of that event. This way of access is both “new” and “living.” It is “new” because Jesus has opened it recently. It is “living,” even though inaugurated through his death, because this High Priest, who died once for all, has been raised and “lives forever to make intercession” for those who draw near to God through him (Heb. 7:24–25).

The parenthetical comment “that is, through his flesh,” though it could be understood as saying that the curtain itself symbolized Jesus’ flesh, is probably parallel to “by the blood of Jesus” in verse 19. Thus it refers not so much to the veil itself but rather to the entire sacrificial event that grants access to God. The divine Son assumed our “blood and flesh” so that he could die for us (2:14–18) and thus qualify us to “enter the holy places . . . by the new and living way.”

10:21 The second rationale for our drawing near is that we have a “great priest over the house of God.” In the OT “the great priest” (Hb. hakkohen haggadol; LXX ho hiereus ho megas) was the high priest (Num. 35:25–32). In the exhortation that opened this sermon’s discourse on priesthood, Jesus was called a “great high priest” (Heb. 4:14). Both his death and his never-ending life contribute to the perfection of his priestly mediation. Moreover, an echo of the contrast between Moses and the Son reminds us of his authority “over the house of God” and of our identity as “his house,” the people he rules and among whom he dwells (3:6).

10:22 Having recapped the indicative foundation of Christians’ confidence, our preacher now expresses the imperative implications in three hortatory subjunctives, which include the three lasting virtues of faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13; Col. 1:3–5; 1 Thess. 1:3; 5:8). These three appeared in another order (love, hope, faith) in the book’s earlier reminder of the hearers’ past faithfulness (Heb. 6:10–12).

First, we must “draw near” to God’s throne of grace (cf. 4:16), exercising the priestly privilege that under the old covenant had been restricted to a few (7:19, 25; 10:1; cf. 11:6). We can approach God “in full assurance of faith,” just as we must persevere in “full assurance of hope until the end” (6:11). Our confident assurance comes from the fact that our hearts have been “sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.” Under the old covenant, ceremonially defiled persons were sprinkled with water containing the ashes of a heifer for ritual cleansing (9:13). Now our consciousness of defilement from sins has been removed through the “sprinkling” of Christ’s blood (12:23–24; cf. 1 Pet. 1:2). This cleansing of conscience is received through faith and is visibly signified and sealed in baptism: “our bodies washed with pure water.”

10:23 Second, we must “hold fast the confession of our hope.” Hebrews has called its hearers to “hold fast” to our confidence and to our boasting in hope (3:6; cf. 6:18), to the reality that we grasped in the beginning (3:14), and to our confession of faith (4:14). Perseverance is essential because the present situation of Christians is like Israel’s in the wilderness, undergoing testing en route to God’s promised rest (3:7–4:13). The complete salvation for which we wait will arrive when Jesus reappears from heaven (9:28). In the meantime our hope is sustained by the assurance that God, who promised us rescue and rest, “is faithful.” He has sealed his promises by two unchangeable things in which he cannot lie: his promise to Abraham and his oath sworn to Christ as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (6:12–18). Therefore we, like ancient believers such as Sarah (11:11), can rely on his faithfulness.

10:24–25 Finally, believers must “consider” one another for the purpose of stirring up, or “provoking,” each other to love and good works. The noun rendered “stir up” (paroxysmos) also appears with reference to Paul and Barnabas’s “sharp disagreement” over John Mark (Acts 15:39). The cognate verb describes Paul’s outrage over idolatry (Acts 17:16). Our preacher’s choice of this term, expressing stimulus to the point of discomfort, is itself provocative! As in its other appearance in Hebrews (3:1), “consider” (katanoeō) has a personal object: we must direct our attention to fellow believers, who need encouragement in showing love through good deeds. Previously the hearers had demonstrated love in serving others’ needs (6:10). Such compassionate care in action is the sort of sacrificial offering that all believers, as priests consecrated by Christ’s blood, must offer for the pleasure of God (13:16).

The urgency of their responsibility toward one another is heightened by the pressures threatening to draw believers away from Christ and his gathered church. Some had already fallen into the habit of “neglecting to meet together,” perhaps because being known as Jesus’ followers entailed “reproach and affliction” from their own family and the wider Jewish community (10:33; 11:26; 13:11–13). Our preacher urges his hearers to “exhort [parakaleō] one another every day,” strengthening the weak and the wavering (3:12–13; 12:12–15). This is the purpose of his “word of exhortation” (13:22).

A final motivation supports the call to mutual accountability: “the Day” is drawing near (10:25). The OT prophets announced that “the day of the LORD is near,” often portraying this day as one of judgment to be dreaded (Isa. 13:6–9; cf. Jer. 46:10; Joel 1:15; 2:1; Zeph. 1:14–15). NT authors also predict the coming of “the Day” of the Lord, now identified as the “day of Jesus Christ,” when he will reappear from heaven (Phil. 1:6; cf. 1 Cor. 1:8; Phil. 1:10; 2:16; Heb. 9:28). This day will bring both judgment and salvation (1 Cor. 3:13; 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:12; 4:8). Therefore, its approach simultaneously sustains hope in suffering believers (Heb. 10:34; 11:35–38) and issues a terrifying warning to those tempted to abandon Christ and his congregation (10:26–31).