Last year our trusty, 30-year-old chest freezer finally gave up the ghost. We bought a smaller upright freezer—which came in a large cardboard box. Instead of tossing the box, we decided to rest it on its side and see if our grandson might enjoy playing in it. Sure enough, it was a big hit! At first it seemed cavernous and a bit scary to him. But after he saw “Pa” go inside, he mustered up the courage to venture in as well. We tossed in small balls that bounced off the walls, and he threw them back out, laughing the whole time. That box brought him hours of delight!
In reality, we purchased the new freezer to store our food, but our grandson had no interest in the appliance. He focused instead on the box. Young children often do the same when receiving gifts. The shiny bows, colorful wrapping paper, and packaging materials hold more interest than the actual toy. They don’t understand that the outer wrappings are a mere formality. Likewise, Christians can get similarly distracted by symbols in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 10:1 teaches, Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year (HCSB). And Colossians 2:16-17 refers to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day— things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
Just as gift wrap indicates the size and shape of a gift, shadows provide a glimpse of what something looks like without completely revealing its identity. We wouldn’t confuse the shadow of a train or a friend with the actual object because shadows have no substance. They are not reality. Likewise, in Colossians 2:17, Jesus is the substance and in Hebrews 10:1, He is the reality.
The New Testament reveals many Old Testament shadows of Jesus. For example, John 3:14 compares Him with the bronze serpent, picturing Christ one day saving us from sin. In John 6:32-33 Jesus describes Himself as manna, “the bread of God . . . which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” He is our perfect sin offering: For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed (I Corinthians 5:7). Hebrews 6:18 likens Jesus to the cities of refuge, so that, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. And Hebrews 10:20 depicts Jesus’ crucified body as the torn veil of the temple, providing access to the Father by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.
Let’s not confuse the gift wrap with the gift. We don’t need to offer sacrifices, observe Jewish feasts, or keep Old Testament laws. Jesus already paid our debt, washed away our sin, and fulfilled the Law on our behalf. Those rituals and traditions are shadows, not substance. Jesus came as the perfect gift, the only way to the Father, the fulfillment and reality we long for.
