Hebrews 13:13 says, “Let us therefore go forth unto Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” The gate in verse 12 refers to the city of Jerusalem, which signifies the earthly realm, while the camp in verse 13 refers to the tabernacle, which signifies human organization. Together, the two signify one thing, the Jewish religion with its two aspects, the earthly and the human. Judaism is both earthly and human. Christ was crucified outside the governmental gate, the gate of the city of Jerusalem, but we need to follow Him outside the religious camp, bearing His reproach. This means that we are passing through the process of suffering that He underwent. As suffering ones, we will become the same as He is.
If we would be proper Christians, we must experience Christ in the way of going outside the camp to bear His reproach, following Him in the sanctifying pathway of the cross. We must experience Christ in this particular aspect. If we would experience Him in this aspect, we must enter “within the veil” (6:19-20), that is, into the Holy of Holies, to enjoy Him as our heavenly Sanctifier in His heavenly priesthood (10:19-20).
“Outside the camp” and “within the veil” (13:13; 6:19) are two very striking points in the book of Hebrews. To enter within the veil means to enter into the Holy of Holies, where the Lord is enthroned in glory, and to go outside the camp means to come out of religion, whence the Lord was cast in rejection. This signifies that we must be in our spirit, where experientially the practical Holy of Holies is today, and outside religion, where the practical camp is today. The more we are in our spirit, enjoying the heavenly Christ, the more we will come outside the camp of religion, following the suffering Jesus. Being in our spirit to enjoy the glorified Christ enables us to come outside the camp of religion to follow the rejected Jesus. The more we remain in our spirit to contact the heavenly Christ, who is in glory, the more we will go forth outside the camp of religion unto the lowly Jesus to suffer with Him. By contacting Christ in the heavens and enjoying His glorification, we are energized to take the narrow pathway of the cross on earth and bear the reproach of Jesus.
First, the book of Hebrews gives us a clear vision of the heavenly Christ and the heavenly Holy of Holies, and then it shows us how to walk on the earth in the pathway of the cross, that is, how to go forth unto Jesus outside the camp, outside religion, bearing His reproach. Even Moses, after the children of Israel worshipped the golden calf (Exo. 32), moved to a place outside the camp, where everyone who sought the Lord went to meet with him, for both the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s speaking were there (33:7-11). We must go outside the camp so that we may enjoy the Lord’s presence and hear His speaking. Our spirit must be in the heavens with Christ, and our steps must be with Jesus outside the camp of religion. All these things are necessary for the practical and proper church life.
Christ is our offering, our portion offered to God for us on the altar of the cross. The way to enjoy Him as our portion is twofold. On the one hand, we enjoy the ascended Christ in the heavens in our spirit, and on the other hand, we need to follow His steps outside the camp and bear His reproach. In these two ways we fully enjoy Him as our portion. The way to enjoy Him is by entering the veil and going outside the camp. To enter the veil is to enjoy the heavenly Christ in our spirit, and to go outside the camp is to give up organized religion to follow Jesus. There is no other way to fully enjoy Him. The more we enjoy Him as the heavenly Melchizedek in our spirit, the more we will step outside the camp and give up organized religion.
To bear the Lord’s reproach means that we bear the same reproach He bore; it is to bear His disgrace or shame. Further, to bear His reproach is to bear the cross (Matt. 16:24). The more we are despised, the happier we should be because we are bearing the cross. The reproach He suffered now becomes our reproach. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He suffered reproach from religion. Now as His followers, we must bear His reproach, suffering reproach from religion. This is to be a joint partaker of the tribulation in Jesus (Rev. 1:9). This is the only way for us to follow Him and enjoy Him as our portion. This is the way of faith, the way of the cross, which is the narrow pathway for us to enjoy Christ in a practical way. May the Lord be gracious to us that we may practice this.
On the one hand, we are within the veil; on the other hand, we are outside the city, the camp. On one hand, we are in the Holy of Holies; on the other hand, we are before men. Inwardly, we enjoy the resurrected Christ, and outwardly, we follow Jesus. When we pray in our room in the morning, we contact Christ. This can be likened to the Shulammite and Solomon living and fellowshipping together in the palaces of ivory (Psa. 45:8; S. S. 1:4). We touch the Lord in the inner chamber, in the Holy of Holies, in the secret place. When we testify for the Lord and work for the Lord in our outward living, we can be likened to Abigail, wandering with David in the wilderness (1 Sam. 25:39-42).
Every day we experience these two aspects. On the one hand, we are within the veil as the Shulammite, living in the Holy of Holies and enjoying the resurrected and glorified Christ, the One greater than Solomon (Matt. 12:42). On the other hand, we are outside the camp as Abigail, living in the world and following the lowly Jesus (v. 3). Like the Shulammite, we inwardly remain in the palaces of ivory and fellowship with the Lord, the real Solomon, and like Abigail, we outwardly live and work by following the Lord, the real David, to war and suffering. The One within is the resurrected Christ, whereas the One without is Jesus the Nazarene. Inwardly, we have the enjoyment of the Shulammite in the secret place, and outwardly, we have the public living of Abigail.
We not only enjoy the resurrected Christ within, but we follow the suffering Jesus without. Our colleagues, relatives, neighbors, and friends may persecute and trouble us when we testify for the Lord. At such times, we are outwardly walking on a narrow way similar to that of Jesus the Nazarene. Nevertheless, when people trouble, persecute, oppose, and harass us, we enjoy the resurrected Christ inwardly.
Philippians 3:10 says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” As far as Christ is concerned, He first experienced suffering and then resurrection. As far as we are concerned, we touch resurrection and then experience suffering. He died and then resurrected, but we resurrect and then die. No one can take the way of the cross by himself; neither can he follow the footsteps of Jesus the Nazarene by himself. It is not until a person touches and contacts the resurrected Christ within and the resurrected Christ enters into him that he can say, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). It is the resurrected Christ in us who leads us to follow the suffering Jesus. He has walked the way of the cross and entered into us in resurrection. Now He is leading us to take the way of the cross.
When we enter within the veil by entering into our spirit, we taste the sweetness of the heavenly Christ so that we may be enabled to go outside the camp, forsaking the earth and its love. As we stay within the veil, we also have our spirit filled with the glory of the heavenly Christ so that our heart may be freed from the possession of the earth’s enjoyment outside the camp. Furthermore, within the veil we behold the glorified Christ so that we may be attracted to follow the suffering Jesus outside the camp. Beholding His countenance in heaven enables us to trace His footsteps on earth. As we enter within the veil, we are infused with resurrection power (Phil. 3:10) so that we may be empowered to walk the pathway of the cross outside the camp. We also participate in the ministry of the heavenly Christ so that we may be equipped to minister Him to the thirsty spirits outside the camp. Here we enjoy the Lord’s best so that we may be enriched to meet the needs of people outside the camp.
The Holy of Holies, the pathway of the cross (signified by the going forth unto Jesus outside the camp, bearing His reproach), and the kingdom are three crucial matters set forth in the book of Hebrews. The Holy of Holies with its rich supply enables us to take the narrow, difficult pathway of the cross, and the pathway of the cross ushers us into the kingdom in its manifestation so that we may obtain the reward of glory.