God asked the Old Testament folks to keep many practices such as dietary laws, religious festivals, and Sabbaths were mere shadows pointing to Christ is directly supported by the Bible itself. These practices were temporary symbols meant to foreshadow the realities fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Here’s a detailed explanation, supported by Scripture:
The Nature of Shadows vs. Substance
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Col 2:17
In this verse, Paul explicitly states that the Old Testament laws and practices (dietary laws, festivals, Sabbaths) were shadows, while Christ is the substance or reality they pointed to. Shadows are temporary, insubstantial, and dependent on the presence of light to exist. They serve as outlines or previews of the true substance. These shadows had a significant purpose, and that was to point us to the substance, Christ. However, even after the substance of Christ, and his mysteries were revealed. there has been a lot of leaders who have tried to emphasize these traditions, dietary laws and practices saying that every believer should be following it.
Dietary Laws: A Shadow of Spiritual Purity
Dietary laws in Leviticus 11 distinguished between clean and unclean foods to set Israel apart as a holy nation. But the fulfilment was in Christ, when Jesus said “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? … Thus He declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:18-19). Even the disciples even after Jesus had said this, they tried to follow the dietary law. For instance, when the he saw a vision of the Lord1, and unclean animals were presented, and he was given a commandment, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat”, but strangely, he didn’t obey. It amuses me to think that the Lord would say something contrary to His Word. Even today, there are people who keep pushing for these dietary laws and say that they are the right way to eat for spiritual purity. The dietary laws foreshadowed the spiritual purity believers have in Christ, achieved not through external rituals but through faith:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
Religious Festivals: Shadows of Redemption
The Israelites were commanded to observe festivals like Passover, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 23).
Fulfillment in Christ:
Passover: Each festival pointed to aspects of Christ’s redemptive work. For example Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Paul explicitly connects Christ to Passover:
“For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Pentecost: Fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers (Acts 2:1-4).
Day of Atonement: Jesus’ sacrifice once for all fulfilled the need for atonement:
“He entered once for all into the holy places… by means of His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).
These festivals were temporary and symbolic, pointing to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and the outpouring of the Spirit.
New Moons: Shadows of Worship in the New Covenant: Monthly offerings were commanded in connection with the new moon (Numbers 28:11-15). The new moon observances symbolized the ongoing worship of God, which in Christ becomes internal and spiritual:
“The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (John 4:23).
In the New Covenant, worship is no longer tied to specific times or rituals but is constant and spiritual.
Sabbaths: A Shadow of Rest in Christ: The Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11) was a day of rest, commemorating God’s rest after creation and symbolizing the covenant between God and Israel (Exodus 31:16-17). The Sabbath was a foreshadowing of the ultimate rest found in Jesus:
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:9-10).
The Sabbath rest points to the spiritual rest believers have in Christ, no longer striving for salvation through works but resting in His finished work.
The Law Itself as a Shadow: As mentioned in Heb 10:1,
“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.”
The entire Mosaic Law, including sacrifices, rituals, and ordinances, was a shadow pointing to the reality found in Christ. Animal sacrifices, for example, could not remove sin but foreshadowed Christ’s ultimate sacrifice:
“But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4).
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
Praise God, that we do not have to keep the law.
Paul’s Teaching on Shadows vs. Reality
Paul repeatedly emphasizes that the external practices of the law are shadows, whereas Christ is the reality:
“Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).
“For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:15).
Conclusion
The dietary laws, festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths were shadows that symbolized deeper spiritual truths fulfilled in Jesus Christ. These practices pointed forward to the reality of Christ’s redemptive work, His spiritual rest, and the believer’s relationship with God through Him. As shadows, they were temporary and preparatory, meant to lead people to the substance—Christ Himself (Galatians 3:24-25). Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled these symbols, making them no longer necessary for worship or salvation in the New Covenant.
- The text doesn’t explicitly say it was the Lord, but one thing is certain, Peter thought it was the Lord. ↩︎
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