Shadows of Christ

One morning each week, some of the men from our church meet for conversation over scripture and prayer for one another. This has proven to be a great way of stretching our thinking and feeling; as grown men it is a really healthy exercise to be uniting with one another with a spiritual focus. This past week is a great example of one of those moments that left me with some fresh insight on a valuable subject. While looking at Hebrews chapter 8, one of the guys, mentioned that we might consider the phrase "a copy and shadow of the heavenly things" (v5). Coming from that discussion were some interesting thoughts that I have decided to share.

To give some background, the major theme of the book of Hebrews is the declaration that Jesus is now the means of being close to God. And that religion has been realigned with Jesus at the centre. The outward forms of worship have become obsolete. The Jewish tradition is rich with symbolic rituals and sacred implements that were required to fulfill the Old Testament Law, and the phrase mentioned above is in reference to these religious forms. The writer of the book is contrasting what Jesus is as opposed to what the traditions were. In this is a wonderfully freeing message for all who are willing to look for deeper, more significant connection with God found only in Jesus Christ.

The first point to be brought up, by Colin Suggett, was especially relevant to the context of Hebrews. This was, in the same way that a shadow is fleeting and temporary, the old outward religious forms of worship have passed away. We cannot grasp the fading shadow of the Law and expect to be left holding right standing with God. The Law is His creation, it was always intended to show people that they need God's mercy.

An excellent piece of insight offered by Craig Danielson, our pastor, was that a shadow requires a light source. There is no shadow which is not caused by light illuminating a form. In many ways that is precisely what the earthly tabernacle was. God's glory shone upon these symbols to cast a shadow representing the Christ who would come. The song "Cast No Shadow" by the rock band Oasis has a line in it "as he faced the sun, he cast no shadow". This affirms the truth that it is only from something of substance that a shadow is formed. Jesus, unlike the man in Oasis' song, is of great character. In actual fact it is Jesus from whom all humans have been given likeness. He is the the image for perfection. And it is from these copies and shadows of heavenly things, the details of ancient worship, that we see pictures of the priestliness, richness, sacredness of Jesus.

Shadows can tell us much about the light and form of a thing, but only if we are in a position to see them. And there is danger that we can fail to notice the good things that we have are shadows. We can be so consumed with questions of how long they will last. Or be looking somewhere else and never realize they are there. God is in the position to see beyond the edge of the shadow to look upon us and He wishes for us to awaken to see the shadows. He is using shadows to draw our eyes back to the defining image of Jesus. Are there shadows around you in your life? Have your eyes rested upon beauty and wealth? Look! All riches and things which are good and valuable are a shadow of the One who is costly beyond measure and has a beauty that will never fade.