Lesson 7 - Sacrifice and Sanctification

• How can the priest be his own sacrifice?
• So the death of Jesus was different?
• You mean God planned the death of His Son?
• OK, draw me a picture!
• So Jesus was both High Priest and Sacrifice?
• Think about this

Consider how an outsider might understand the statement that “Jesus died for your sins.” Hmmmm . . . Jesus is human, he dies for others. Hey, isn’t this human sacrifice? So let’s look at the cross from this viewpoint and ask,

How can the priest be his own sacrifice?

Ever looked at the sacrifice of Jesus as human sacrifice? Probably not - because the Bible doesn’t Here in Chapter 10 the writer simply states what the Old Testament had predicted. The Messiah would be his own sacrifice! And this sacrifice was acceptable, effective, and sufficient. Let's see how this plays out.

Animal sacrifices has been around since at least the time of Noah who sacrificed some of the “clean” animals when he got off the ark (Genesis 8:20). This story implies that the distinction between “clean” and “unclean” had been around long before Noah and that “clean” animals were reguarly sacrificed in worshipping the true God.

The rituals of the Mosaic Covenant continued this concept by giving specific rules regarding ritual sacrifices. Only animals are sacrificed, and human sacrifice is specifically rejected, especially the sacrifice of children (for example, Deuteronomy 18:9). This makes sense, for the sacrifices are to cover sins, that is, cover the moral “break” between God and the sinner. Sacrificing sinful humans to cover human sin doesn't make any sense.

So the death of Jesus was different?

The death of Jesus the Messiah was decidedly different. Scoot back to the end of Chapter 4, for example, and you’ll see the writer makes the point that Jesus was without sin. Aha! Now you see why he made that point. Jesus was truly human, so he could truly experience human existence. Jesus was also sinless, so his sacrifice had a completely different moral value. He was perfect, so he could offer a perfect sacrifice. A perfect priest and a perfect sacrifice!

Yes, the death, the sacrifice of Jesus was completely different from anything that had taken place before. Clearly animal sacrifices could never resolve the sin problem once and for all. Human sacrifice made no sense, for it was human sin that the sacrifice was covering. The final resolution of the sin problem required a unique sacrifice, completely different than anything else.

That's the writer's point in Chapter 10. For 1500 years animal sacrifices had been offered in obedience to the Old Covenant's regulations, demonstrating their complete inability to resolve the sin issue once and for all. Then, “in the fullness of time,” God sends Jesus, His Son, to accomplish this by offering the final sacrifice - himself.

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You mean God planned the death of His Son?

Exactly. Nothing about the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus caught God by surprise. Isaiah 53:10 - “It was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer... .” In Chapter 10 our writer quotes the words of Psalm 40 as though the Messiah had directly spoken them - “Behold, I have come to do thy will, O God.”

Christmas and Easter have always been on God’s calendar. I have no magical insight as to the Father's reaction to His Son's death, but I do know he wasn’t suprised. I do know the Son’s reaction to his sacrifice - in the garden of Gethsamene he tried with all his might to avoid it, but left the garden at peace, completely committed to carry out the Father’s will.

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OK - draw me a picture

Sure - let’s go back to the Old Testament, to the first Day of Atonement. On this day Aaron, the first High Priest, takes a bath and puts on his special clothes. He has one purpose this day - offer the required sacrifices, the bull for his sins, the goat for the nation's sins.

Virtually the entire nation has assembled around the Tabernacle. The crowd is silent, all eyes on the priest as he sacrifices the bull, filling a bowl with its warm blood. Taking the bowl, a censer of glowing coals from the altar, and some incense he approaches the inner sanctuary, the Holy Place.

Without a word he pushes through the curtain and enters the priest-only area. In the light of the holy lampstand he steps toward the inner veil, the one that separates the Holy Place from the Holiest Place - the Holy of Holies where God makes His presence visible above the cover of the Ark of the Covenant (= “Mercy Seat”) between the cherubim.

He places the coals on the altar of incense and piles the incense on them. Thick smoke fills the room, covering the altar and the Ark. Guided by the cheribum lit by the very glory of God the priest sprinkles the bull's blood on the cover of the Ark, at the very “feet” of God. Once, twice - seven times he dips his finger into the blood and flicks it toward the unseen Mercy Seat.

Bowing low, he retraces his steps, emerging into the bright daylight. The crowd sighs as one - he’s alive, so the sacrifice was accepted!

Once more he enters - this time with the blood of the goat on behalf of the nation. Once more he returns, and once again the fact that he's alive proves that the sacrifice was accepted.

Now, let’s run through this again, but this time the High Priest doesn’t come out. No sound, no fury, but no High Priest. One hour, two hours - the people wait. Finally it’s obvious that he’s not coming out. They push into the courtyard of the Tabernacle and look at the curtain in front of the Holy Place. Nothing.

Several priests step forward and slowly step toward the curtain. Carefully they start to pull it aside but suddenly drop it when a bright light bursts through. People and priests alike jump back when a hearty laugh rings out and a familiar voice cries out, “Come on in!”. When the priests take hold of the curtain again it falls to the ground and bright light shines over the entire multitude.

The entire crowd falls to the ground and again the voice cries, “Come in!”. Finally several priests stand up and look in. The veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place is gone! The thick incense smoke has vanished. Look! There, sitting next to the Ark, next to the very presence of God, is the High Priest! Again he laughs and waves them in. “Come on in.” he says. “I've offered the final sacrifice. The way to God is now open to you and to anyone who wishes to enter His presence. Come - come to me.”

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So Jesus was High Priest and Sacrifice

That’s it! Actually, it’s even more dramatic than above. Remember, every time the High Priest returned from the Holy of Holies his very existence proved that God had accepted his sacrifice.

When Jesus sacrificed himself he, of course, died. Somehow, and I have no idea how, during the time between Good Friday and Easter Jesus “presented” his sacrifice to God as the Melchizedek High Priest. Then, on resurrection Sunday, he returns and for the next forty days lives among his followers. His resurrection, his life shows that God had accepted his sacrifice!

His ascension shows that he is, indeed, in heaven where he sits at God's right hand interceeding for us as a “merciful and faithful High Priest.”

Think about this

So far, so good. Now comes my question to you - So what? What does all of this mean to you today?

That's where we're going in the next lesson.

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