‘Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way through the veil, that is to say, his flesh,'
The first consequence of what He has done is that they can now have the boldness to enter into the Holiest of All (here ‘the holy place' signifies the heavenly Holy of Holies), to enter the very heart of the spiritual realm where God is revealed, and to bask in His presence, which they do through the blood of Jesus. There is no longer the veil to separate us from Him and prevent our entry. This is ‘the high and holy place' of Isaiah 57:15, in which dwells the High and Exalted One Whose Name is Holy, with him who is of a contrite spirit, in order to revive his spirit and heart.
So this ‘means of entering' is now made overtly open for us because He dedicated it for us, by dying for us. For those who have been cleansed through the blood of Jesus have no barrier which prevents their approach to God. They are accepted as being in total purity.
It is a ‘new way and a living way', for it is totally different from the old, barred way, and comes to us through the new life that He gives us in Himself. It is a ‘new' way because it is in terms of the new covenant already described, thus opening up a new relationship to God, it is ‘living' because it results from receiving life and being in union with the One Who is ‘the Life' (John 11:25; John 14:6). It is the entrance of those who have received eternal life and have entered into a continual walk in the presence of the Eternal One. But it was provided at great cost. Our entry into His presence should never be glib, for we should ever remember the price that was paid to make that way open.
‘And living way.' The whole emphasis on what Christ has brought is ‘life'. The life that flows from the resurrection is central to our understanding of what He came to bring. He is the ‘living bread that came down from Heaven -- that men might live and not die' (John 6:50-51). He is the resurrection and the life Who provides endless life to men (John 11:25). He came bringing more abundant life (John 10:10). And life eternal is to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom He sent (John 17:3).
The expectancy of such a way in the future is constantly expressed in the Old Testament. It is variously referred to as the "way of life" (Proverbs 10:17), the "way of holiness" (Isaiah 35:8), the "good way" (Jeremiah 6:16). Compare the "way of peace" (Luke 1:79), the "way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). And that way is Jesus Who said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by Me' (John 14:6).
However, because of the price that was paid, and because we are in Him, we can enter boldly and without fear into the very presence of God, not cowering and afraid as Old Testament priests often were. And they did not even enter the Holiest of All.
‘Through the veil.' The veil had ever stood as a bar to the approach to God. It was impassable. It said to even the priests, ‘thus far you may come (and even then with trembling) but no further'. But now there was a way through because of Christ's flesh offered for us, a way of total boldness and confidence.
What a huge difference this makes for us. The message of the holy place in the Old Testament was, ‘you cannot enter'. The message in the New is, ‘The way is open, you have an unhindered way in'. There are now no barriers to our full approach to God, (apart from our own sin until it is properly dealt with).
‘That is to say, His flesh.' Many connect this with the way made open for us, ‘the new and living way -- that is to say, His flesh'. And what has made that way in? It is because He came in the flesh and suffered for us in the flesh. It is because we can now be made one with Him in His flesh (Colossians 1:22). And through His flesh He has abolished that which was our enemy, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, making all who are His one new man (Ephesians 2:15). The way in is made open through His flesh sacrificed for us.
But others would link the words with the veil, assuming it to indicate that His flesh can be identified with the veil symbolically, so that they can now know that the veil is torn away because His body was torn. They argue that had he meant otherwise the writer would have written the order of the words differently, and that the current order of the words (as in the translation) attaches ‘in His flesh' to the veil. And thus, they say, His flesh, broken for us, depicts the removal of the veil, and that the rending of the veil at the time of His crucifixion was a picture of the rending of His flesh as a way now open for us (Mark 15:38).
This idea is equally true in essence, and conveys a vivid picture. But the question must be as to how the veil, which had so long barred the way to God, can be likened to His flesh. He came in the flesh to remove the veil, not to be a veil. His life was a life of self-revelation of Himself, not a hiding of Himself. On the other hand it can be argued that we should never overpress illustrations, and that His very presence as man was in itself a veiling, ‘veiled in flesh the Godhead see', a veil torn away by His death and resurrection.
The answer probably lies in the fact that ‘that is to say His flesh' covers both ideas, without pressing the application too closely. Through the sacrifice of His flesh He has laid open the positive way and removed the barrier which was in the way. Through His flesh he has provided life and access, and through the sacrifice of His flesh He has destroyed the veil.
Whichever way it is the vital point is that through His flesh and His self-offering the way directly into the presence of God has been made ours, the way of constantly open access has been provided. Through His sacrifice of Himself the veil has been torn apart, and entry to God made possible.
‘Brothers.' This way is open to all who are truly ‘brothers and sisters in Christ', and therefore closely related to our Elder Brother (Hebrews 2:11-12).