Jesus - the better sacrifice

Jesus came to Jerusalem one last time before suffering, where the people with palm branches made a solemn entrance for him. He was ready to give his life as a sacrifice for our sins. Let us look more closely at this amazing truth by addressing the letter to the Hebrews, who shows that the high priesthood of Jesus is superior to the Aaronic priesthood.

1. Jesus' sacrifice takes away sin

By nature, we humans are sinners, and our actions prove it. What is the solution? The sacrifices of the Old Covenant served to expose sin and point to the only solution, to the perfect and final sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus is the better sacrifice in three ways:

The need for the sacrifice of Jesus

“For the law has only a shadow of the goods to come, not the essence of the goods themselves. Therefore, it cannot forever make those who sacrifice perfect, since the same sacrifices must be made year after year. Wouldn't the sacrifices have stopped if those doing the worship had been cleansed once and for all and had no more conscience about their sins? Rather, it is just a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Heb. 10,1-4, LUT).

The divinely ordained laws governing the sacrifices of the old covenant were in effect for centuries. How can the victims be considered inferior? The answer is, the law of Moses had only "a shadow of the goods to come" and not the essence of the goods themselves. The sacrificial system of the law of Moses (the Old Covenant) was a type of the sacrifice that Jesus would offer for us. The system of the old covenant was temporary, it did not produce anything permanent and it was not designed to do so.The repetition of the sacrifices day after day and the Day of Atonement year after year show the inherent weakness of the whole system.

Animal sacrifices could never completely take away human guilt. Although God promised forgiveness to the believing sacrifices under the Old Covenant, this was only a passing cover of sin and not the removal of guilt from the hearts of men. If that had happened, the victims would not have had to make any additional sacrifices that served only as a reminder of sin. The sacrifices made on the Atonement Day covered the sins of the nation; but these sins were not "washed away", and the people received from God no inner witness of forgiveness and acceptance. There was a need for a better sacrifice than the blood of bulls and goats, which could not take away the sins. Only the better sacrifice of Jesus can do that.

The readiness of Jesus to sacrifice himself

“Therefore he says when he comes into the world: You did not want sacrifices and gifts; but you have prepared a body for me. You do not like burnt offerings and sin offerings. And I said, Behold, I come (it is written of me in the book) to do thy will, O God. First he had said: "You did not want sacrifices and gifts, burnt offerings and sin offerings, and you do not like them," which are offered according to the law. But then he said: "Behold, I come to do your will". So he takes up the first to set up the second” (Hebrews 10,5-9).

It was God, not just any human being who made the necessary sacrifice. The quote makes it clear that Jesus himself is the fulfillment of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant. When animals were sacrificed, they were called sacrifices, while sacrifices of the fruits of the field are called food and drink offerings. They all symbolize the sacrifice of Jesus and reveal some aspects of his work for our salvation.

The phrase "a body you have prepared for me" refers to Psalm 40,7 and is rendered as: "You have opened my ears". The phrase "open ears" represents a willingness to hear and obey God's will God gave His Son a human body so that He could do the Father's will on earth.

Twice God's displeasure with the victims of the Old Covenant is expressed. This does not mean that these sacrifices were wrong or that sincere believers did not benefit. God does not enjoy the sacrifices as such, except for the obedient hearts of the victims. No amount of sacrifice can replace an obedient heart!

Jesus came to fulfill the will of the Father. His will is for the New Covenant to replace the Old Covenant. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, "lifted" the first covenant to use the second. The original Judaeo-Christian readers of this letter understood the meaning of this shocking statement - why go back to a covenant that was taken away?

The effectiveness of the sacrifice of Jesus

"Because Jesus Christ did the will of God and offered up his own body as a sacrifice, we are now sanctified once and for all" (Heb. 10,10 NGÜ).

Believers are "sanctified" (sanctified meaning "set apart for divine use") by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus offered once for all. No victim of the old covenant did that. In the old covenant, sacrificers had to be "sanctified" over and over again from their ceremonial defilement. But the "saints" of the new covenant are finally and completely "set apart"—not because of their merit or works, but because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.

2. Jesus' sacrifice does not need to be repeated

“Every other priest stands at the altar day after day to minister, offering countless times the same sacrifices that are never able to take away sins. Christ, on the other hand, having offered a single sacrifice for sins, has seated himself forever in the place of honor at God's right hand, ever since waiting for his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet. For with this one sacrifice he completely and forever absolved from their guilt all who allow themselves to be sanctified by him. The Holy Spirit also confirms this to us. In Scripture (Jer. 31,33-34) it says first of all: "The future covenant that I will conclude with them will look like this: I will - says the Lord - place my laws in their hearts and will write them in their innermost being". And then it goes on: "I will never think of their sins and their disobedience to my commandments." But where the sins are forgiven, no further sacrifice is needed" (Heb. 10,11-18 NGÜ).

The scribe of Hebrews presents the high priest of the Old Covenant Jesus, the great high priest of the New Covenant. The fact that Jesus chose to become a Father after ascending to heaven is proof that his work was completed. In contrast, the ministry of the Old Covenant ministers never came to fruition, they made the same sacrifices day after day. This repetition was proof that their sacrifices had not really taken away the sins. What tens of thousands of animal sacrifices failed to accomplish, Jesus did for ever and for all with his one perfect sacrifice.

The phrase "[Christ]...is seated" refers to Psalm 110,1: "Sit at my right hand until I have made your enemies a footstool for your feet!" Jesus is now glorified and has taken the place of the victor. When he returns, he will conquer every enemy and the fullness of the kingdom to his father Those who trust in him now need not fear, for they are "made perfect forever" (Heb. 10,14). In fact, believers experience "the fullness in Christ" (Colossians 2,10). Through our union with Jesus we stand before God as perfect.

How do we know that we have this standing before God? Old covenant sacrificers could not say that they "needed no more conscience about their sins." But new covenant believers can say that because of what Jesus did, God no longer wants to remember their sins and misdeeds. So "there is no more sacrifice for sin". Why? Because there is no more need for sacrifice "where sins are forgiven".

As we begin to trust Jesus, we experience the truth that all our sins are forgiven in and through Him. This spiritual awakening, which is a gift from the Spirit to us, takes away all guilt. By faith we know that the issue of sin is forever settled and we are free to live accordingly. In this way we are "sanctified".

3. Jesus' sacrifice opens the way to God

Under the old covenant, no believer would have been brave enough to enter the holy of holies in the tabernacle or temple. Even the high priest only entered this room once a year. The thick curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy served as a barrier between man and God. Only the death of Christ could tear this curtain from top to bottom5,38) and open the way to the heavenly sanctuary where God dwells. With these truths in mind, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews now sends the following cordial invitation:

“So now, dear brothers and sisters, we have free and unimpeded access to God's sanctuary; Jesus opened it to us through his blood. Through the curtain - that means concretely: through the sacrifice of his body - he has paved a way that no one has walked before, a way that leads to life. And we have a high priest in charge of all the house of God. That is why we want to approach God with undivided devotion and full of trust and confidence. After all, we are sprinkled inwardly with the blood of Jesus and thereby freed from our guilty conscience; we are – figuratively speaking – washed all over with pure water. Further, let us hold unswervingly to the hope to which we profess; for God is faithful and keeps what he has promised. And because we are also responsible for one another, let us encourage one another to show love and do good to one another. It is therefore important that we do not remain absent from our meetings, as some have taken to doing, but that we encourage one another, and all the more so as, as you can see for yourselves, the day draws near when the Lord will come again" (Heb . 10,19-25 NGÜ).

Our confidence that we are allowed to enter the Most Holy Place, to come into the presence of God, is based on the finished work of Jesus, our great High Priest. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest of the Old Covenant could only enter the Holy of Holies in the temple if he offered the blood of the sacrifice (Heb. 9,7). But we do not owe our entry into the presence of God to the blood of an animal, but to the shed blood of Jesus. This free entry into the presence of God is new and not part of the Old Covenant, which is said to be "obsolete and obsolete" and will "soon" disappear altogether, suggesting that Hebrews was written before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. The new way of the new covenant is also called "the way that leads to life" (Heb. 10,22) because Jesus "lives forever and will never cease to stand up for us" (Heb. 7,25). Jesus himself is the new and living way! He is the New Covenant in person.

We come freely and confidently to God through Jesus, our High Priest over the "House of God". "That house is us, provided we hold firm in the hope which God has given us, which fills us with joy and pride" (Heb. 3,6 NGÜ). As his body was martyred on the cross and his life was sacrificed, God tore the curtain in the temple, symbolizing the new and living way that opens to all who trust in Jesus. We express this trust by responding in three ways, as outlined by the writer of Hebrews as a three-part invitation:

Let us join

Under the Old Covenant, priests could only approach the presence of God in the temple after undergoing various ritual ablutions. Under the New Covenant, we all have free access to God through Jesus because of the cleansing of the interior (heart) wrought for mankind through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. In Jesus we are "sprinkled inwardly with the blood of Jesus" and our "bodies are washed with pure water". As a result, we have full communion with God; and so we are invited to "close" - to access, who is ours in Christ, so let us be bold, courageous, and full of faith!

Let us hold on unerringly

The original Judeo-Christian readers of Hebrews were tempted to abandon their commitment to Jesus in order to return to the Old Testament order of worship of the Jewish believer. The challenge to them to "hold fast" is not to hold fast to their salvation, which is certain in Christ, but to "keep steadfast in the hope" to which they "profess". You can do this with confidence and perseverance because God, who has promised that the help we need will come at the right time (Heb. 4,16), is "faithful" and keeps what he promised. If believers keep their hope in Christ and trust in the faithfulness of God, they will not waver. Let's look forward in hope and trust in Christ!

Let us not leave our meetings

Our trust as believers in Christ to enter into the presence of God is expressed not only personally, but also together. It is possible that the Jewish Christians gathered with other Jews on the Sabbath in the synagogue and then met in the Christian community on Sunday. They were tempted to withdraw from the Christian community. The writer of Hebrews declares that they should not do so and urges them to encourage each other to continue attending the gatherings.

Our fellowship with God should never be self-centered. We are called to fellowship with other believers in local churches (like ours). The emphasis here in the Letter to the Hebrews is not on what a believer gets by attending church, but on what he contributes with consideration for others. Continuous attendance at the meetings encourages and spurs our brothers and sisters in Christ to "love one another and do good". A strong motive for this persistence is the coming of Jesus Christ. There is only one second passage that uses the Greek word for "meeting" in the New Testament, and that is in 2. Thessalonians 2,1, where it is translated "gathered together (NGU)" or "gathering (LUT)" and refers to the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age.

Concluding Remarks

We have every reason to have complete confidence to progress in faith and perseverance. Why? Because the Lord we serve is our highest sacrifice - His sacrifice for us is enough for everything we ever need. Our perfect and almighty High Priest will bring us to the goal - he will always be with us and lead us to perfection.

from Ted Johnson

Jesus - the better sacrifice