OK so you will see a lot of these types of pics during this time of year but that’s alright.  I don’t think we look at them quite enough to be honest with you.  During this Easter season I wanted to take a second and talk a little bit what this event means for all men.  Not just the gentiles but for Jews as well.

At Oak Leaf this past week we were discussing about he ugliness of the cross.  It was the marrying of God’s justice and grace.  In that, we talked a little about why this had to happen.  Michael talked about what Hebrews explains in that Jesus was acting as a priest for all people.

I had been actually reading through Hebrews this past week and took some notes about this priesthood and this is what I wanted to share with you.

Since the inception of Judaism when the Hebrews left Egypt there has been a tradition of priests.  Men, from the tribe of Levi, that spoke in behalf of the people to God.  There job was to offer the sacrifices that were brought to them in payment for the sins of the people.

With the coming of Jesus there was a new order put in place by God for the forgiveness of sins.  Here are the differences.

  • The law required blood for the payment of sins.
  • Priests would sprinkle this blood over different areas in the tabernacle to act as a covering.
  • Every year on the Day of Atonement the same sacrifice had to be offered again.  (there were also many other sacrifices that had to be done throughout the year for other reasons)
  • This sacrifice was offered for all the people of Israel.
  • Only the high priest could come before God to ask for the forgiveness.

Bottom line is this was an imperfect offering and was acting as a representation for what was to come.

So, here is how it changed when Jesus shows up on the scene.

  • Because He lives forever he is a permanent priest.  It is always the same mediator between you and God.
  • There is no need for Him to offer daily sacrifices for His own sins.
  • His payment was way more than enough therefore it only has to happen once.
  • Our bodies are made right on the inside because the soul is made right.  It’s not just an external sprinkling like before.
  • He is actually in the presence of God so he is able to speak to God on an ongoing basis.

We could go on and on about how it is better.  The thing is that God no longer recognizes the old way of doing things.  It is now a wasted effort to offer sacrifices for sins.  To try and live by the law and constantly fall short.

Both Jews and Gentiles are guilty of this.  We often think that by trying to live ‘good’ we can get closer to God.  Yet we are behaving then under the old order still.  We think that getting closer to God is based on our behavior.

The Good News about Easter is that there is a New Order.  Jesus is our new High Priest. If we, as the church, still choose to live by the old order we are lost as ever.

Try reading Hebrews and see what it says to you about living in this New Order..