For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Hebrews 7:18-19 

Imagine a trapeze artist dazzling the crowd with his amazing skills. On one side of the arena is a pole with a platform in which he stands high above the crowd. On the other side is his intended destination, another pole with an identical platform. Between the two poles are two trapeze bars in which the performer will use to go from one side of the arena to the other.

Now let’s take this analogy and consider what it represents spiritually. The pole where the performer currently stands represents all of us, all of mankind. The pole in the distance represents, heaven, where God resides in all of His holiness, righteousness, and perfection. Our goal is to go from being separated from God to being with Him on the other side.

The trapeze bar closest to us represents the old covenant or the Law. As we grab hold of it we leave the comfort of our platform and begin to swing towards the other side. But this bar is not capable of getting us to the other side. No matter how much momentum we attempt to get, we simply cannot swing far enough to reach the other side. This trapeze bar is insufficient.

But there is another bar. It is close enough to get us to the other side. This bar represents the new covenant in Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus bids us to let go of the first bar and grab hold of Him (the second bar). He tells us that as we do that, He will bring us safely to the other platform, where we can be with Him and enjoy His presence forever. This trapeze bar is completely sufficient to save us, lacking absolutely nothing.

But there is a problem for some. In order to grab hold of the new covenant we must let go of the old. This is subject of today’s passage. In order for us to realize the fullness of the new covenant we must be “setting aside the former commandment.” The Bible describes the former covenant (based on the Law) as weak and useless. So what is wrong with the Law of God? The answer is “absolutely nothing” (Psalm 19:7-11). The problem with the Law is that we cannot keep it. No matter how many times people claim that they do or tell others that they must (usually in an accusatory tone), we simply cannot keep the Law perfectly. In order for us to traverse the space between God and us, we are going to need something beyond ourselves, Someone who is capable of getting us there safely. Paul put it this way:

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

                                                                                                           Galatians 2:21 

So as we set aside the former (the Law), we are “bringing in a better hope”, through which we draw near to God.

I believe that the trapeze analogy represents three kinds of people. First, there are those who grab hold of the first trapeze bar (the Law), the one closest to them and hold on to it, believing (wrongly) that it will somehow get them to the other side. These are the religious people. Those who through good works and being a “good person” really believe that their sin debt will be paid through their own actions.

Secondly, we have Christian authenticity. These are the people who begin with the first trapeze bar but quickly realize that it is insufficient to get them to their destination. They realize it is not the bar that is the problem rather that they are incapable of closing the remaining distance with it. So these people, real, authentic, born again Christians let go of the first bar and grab hold of the second bar, which is Jesus Christ. And because they place all of their trust in Him to get them to that wonderful destination, He does!

But I believe that there is a third type of person. This is the individual that recognizes the gospel of Jesus Christ and grabs hold of that second trapeze bar but they fail to let go of the first. Now if a trapeze artist was to grab hold of the second bar with one hand while holding on to the first bar with the other, he would be in a precarious position. He would be physically stuck. I believe that there are people today who would claim to be believers in Jesus Christ but if we were to dig into what they really believe, they would say that Jesus saves however they must still be under the Law. In other words, they would attempt to combine works of the Law with faith in Jesus as a means by which they arrive safely to their destination. But just as the trapeze artist would be physically stuck, these people are spiritually stuck. Paul put it this way:

…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

                                                                                                                 Galatians 2:16 

In order for us to realize the power of the new covenant to save us, we must let go of the first. Failing to do so will put us in a spiritually precarious situation of frustration, confusion, and defeat. If we do not let go of the first covenant, we cannot reach our intended destination. Our faith must be in the finished work of Christ on the cross and not in ourselves! But the problem is that real faith in Jesus means letting go of what seems reasonable…that we must somehow assist God in our salvation. Letting go of the first bar in order to grab hold of the second means that, in that moment, we will be in mid air, hoping that Jesus really will grab hold of us. This can be quite scary but I can assure you that He will! 

Setting aside the former, weak, and useless commandment in order to usher in a better hope in which we can now draw near to God…have you made that leap?