11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
13:11
For
The word “for” indicates the basis for verse 10 about the meaning of the “altar.” Verse 11 alludes to Leviticus 16:27, dealing with the Day of Atonement protocol.
the bodies of those animals,
“Those animals” in this verse refer to offerings that priests could not eat.
whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin,
Some blood had to be sprinkled before God and placed on the horns of the incense altar inside the tabernacle (Le 4:5–7). The priests could not eat these offerings because they were a higher level of sanctity. Only the high priest could bring sacrificial blood into the “sanctuary” or the Holy of Holies.
are burned outside the camp.
Instead of these animals being eaten, they had to be burned outside the confines of the camp of Israel (Le 6:30).
13:12
Therefore Jesus also,
Jesus, as the Antitype, would do what the type could not do. Old Testament sacrifices never paid for sins; it took the death of Christ to do that.
that He might sanctify the people with His own blood,
Jesus cleansed people from their sin by shedding His blood. The blood of animals could not do this.
suffered outside the gate [outside Jerusalem].
Crucifixion was the death of a criminal. Jesus suffered as a criminal in view of the world. Romans took criminals outside the city to Golgotha for execution.
13:13
Therefore let us go forth to Him,
The “therefore” shows what Jesus did by dying outside the camp of Israel. We are to identify with Jesus’ reproach; Christians should willingly suffer reproach for their faith as well.
outside the camp,
Jesus experienced the same death as that of a criminal (He 12:2). Romans took criminals outside the city to be put to death. The “camp” in this case is the city of Jerusalem where religion prevails, not genuine Christianity. In the city there were rituals and ceremonies. Outside the city was a place of reproach.
bearing His reproach [disgrace].
Christians should not be ashamed to share in the shame Jesus bore on the cross (He 12:2). The Hebrew Christians of this epistle needed to identify with Christ’s shame rather than Judaism.
PRINCIPLE:
Loyalty to Christ involves separation from the world.
APPLICATION:
God appeals to us to identify wholly with Christ. This involves a break with any belief without Him. It consists of the offense of the cross. Holding to salvation exclusively through Christ’s death on the cross will separate us from the world system, not from people in the world system.
Loyalty to Christ sometimes means loss of friends, business, or even reputation (He 12:22; Php 3:20). Acceptance of reproach or shame for Christ is a test of faith for Christians.
However, this separation must not project self-righteousness, priggishness, or isolationism from non-Christians. The believer constantly holds a tension between the compromise of convictions and proper relationship to others. Neither does it mean that we must endorse anything that violates biblical truth (Ro 12:2; Jas 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15).
