Page 267 - Through New Eyes

268 THROUGH NEW EYES

The Lampstand comes next. Jesus presents Himself as the
light of the world in John 8. In John 9, Jesus heals a blind man.
In John 10, Jesus presents Himself as the Good Shepherd. The
connection of this to the Lampstand lies in the fact that David
was the Good Shepherd of the Old Covenant, and the Bible re-
peatedly speaks of David as a lamp (2 Samuel 21:17; 1 Kings
11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19; 2 Chronicles 21:7). There is a con-
ceptual parallel between a lamp shining in a dark place and the
voice of the shepherd heard by the sheep. In John 11, Jesus raises
Lazarus, explaining that it is a matter of awakening him from
darkness and sleep to light and day (VV. 9-11). In John 12, Jesus
comments that those who had not believed in him were blind, but
that those who did believe would become sons of light (w. 35-41).
Starting in John 13, we move through these items of furni-
ture a second time. Jesus washes the disciples’ feet in 13:1-20. He
breaks bread with them in 13:21-30. Then He moves into a dis-
cussion of the Holy Spirit, the ultimate archetype of the seven
lamps in the Tabernacle (John 14-16). After this, Jesus prays His
high priestly prayer at the altar of incense (John 17).
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus involved a double mo-
tion, in terms of the Tabernacle. The sacrifice was made outside
the Tabernacle in the courtyard on the altar. Then, on the day of
atonement the High Priest took the blood into the Most Holy
and presented it before the Throne of God (Leviticus 16:15). Just
so, we see the Lamb of God sacrificed outside the gate, and then
He presents His Death before the Father’s throne (Hebrews 9:7,
23-26). Under the law, when the High Priest came back out
from the Most Holy, still alive, it was a sign that God had ac-
cepted the sacrifice. The Resurrection of Jesus fulfills that type.
Also, when the High Priest offered the sacrifice on the Day of
Atonement, he put aside his garments of glory and beauty and
wore a simple linen garment. Agreeably, when Peter entered the
tomb, “he beheld the linen wrappings lying there” (John 20:6),
because Jesus had put back on His garments of glory and beauty
(Leviticus 16:4, 23-24).
When Mary Magdalene looked into the tomb, “she beheld
two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had been lying” (John 20:12). Arthur
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