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A couple
of months ago we celebrated Yom Kippur. During
our observances, my heart turned to my dear Jewish
people, assembled on that holy day in synagogues
around the world. I grieved for them, knowing
that Modern Judaism has moved away from Biblical
Judaism, and is now centered around rabbis and
synagogues, prayers and fasting, not priest, sacrifice
and Temple that the Torah demands. A Cohen (Priest)
is a mediator between two parties - one party
being a righteous and holy God, and the other
being sinful mankind. We need a mediator to approach
God because, since the Fall, mankind has been
alienated from God. We don't dare approach Him
directly - He is too pure and we are too sinful.
But in the Torah, God made a provision that allowed
the descendants of Aaron to be mediators between
us and Himself, bringing our needs before Him,
and bringing His blessings to us.
The priest
did this by offering up sacrifices - the blood
of unblemished, innocent animals. This provided
us with an "exchange of life," wherein we receive
the innocent life of the sacrifice, and it bears
our sins which lead to death. The animal dies,
and we receive new life. This "exchange of life
principle" through the sacrifice provided cleansing,
atonement, and removal of sin, giving us righteousness,
and reconciling us to the God from whom we were
alienated. There were geographic limitations,
however. The priest could not offer the sacrifice
just anywhere. It could only be done in the Holy
Place - the Mishkan (the Tabernacle or Tent of
Meeting), which was later replace by the Jerusalem
Temple.
This
Biblical way of atonement does not take place
in Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Humanistic,
or Chasidic Judaisms today. These Judaisms
are centered around rabbis and synagogues, prayers
and fasting, not priest, sacrifice and Temple.
But Messianic Judaism does provide genuine atonement,
since Messiah Yeshua is the final Sacrifice, our
great High Priest, and the One who serves in the
True Temple. Only Messianic Judaism is able
to bring us to the goal, bringing us to God, and
bringing the blessings of God to us.
Here are
some excerpts from chapters seven through ten
from the letter written to the Messianic Jews
(the book of Hebrews): The former priests,
on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because
they were prevented by death from continuing,
but Yeshua, on the other hand, because He continues
forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore
He is able also to save forever those who draw
near to God through Him, since He always lives
to make intercession for them. For it was fitting
for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent,
undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted
above the heavens; who does not need daily, like
those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first
for His own sins and then for the sins of the
people, because this He did once for all when
He offered up Himself. For the Torah appoints
men as high priests who are weak, but the word
of the oath, which came after the Torah, appoints
a Son, made perfect forever. We have such a high
priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand
of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a
minister in the holy place and in the true tabernacle,
which the Lord pitched, not man. But when Messiah
appeared as a high priest of the good things to
come, He entered through the greater and more
perfect Tabernacle, not made with hands, that
is to say, not of this creation; and not through
the blood of goats and calves, but through His
own blood, He entered the holy place for all,
having obtained eternal redemption. For if the
blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer
sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify
for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more
will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal
Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve
the living God? For Messiah did not enter a Holy
Place made with hands, a mere copy of the true
one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God for us; nor was it that He
would offer Himself often, as the high priest
enters the Holy Place year by year with blood
that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have
needed to suffer often since the foundation of
the world; but now once at the consummation of
the ages He has been manifested to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself.
Messiah
Offers A Better Sacrifice Because He Is Sinless.
The Levitical high priests were sinful men, and
were required to bring sacrifices to atone for
themselves. But Yeshua was holy, innocent and
undefiled. From the moment He was born He was
sinless and pure. Though He lived in a world of
sin and temptation, He remained undefiled. He
touched lepers, but instead of being defiled,
the lepers were cleansed. He touched a dead
body (which defiles a Jewish priest), but instead
of being defiled, He brought the dead one back
to life! He took a little girl who had just died
by the hand, and she arose. He was tested in all
ways as we are, yet never yielded to sin. For
forty days, weakened by fasting, He faced the
Tempter in the wilderness, and still He overcame.
During His entire life on Earth He demonstrated
only perfect love for His Father, conformity to
His will, and obedience to His commands.
Messiah
Offers A Better Sacrifice Because He Is Eternal.
The Torah allowed priests to serve who were destined
to grow old, weaken, and ultimately die. Their
priesthood was constantly changing - the son following
the father who died. Thus the Levitical priests
were many; but the High Priest of the New Covenant
is one. Because He continues forever, He holds
His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is
able also to save forever those who draw near
to God through Him, since He always lives to make
intercession for them. When Yeshua rose from
the grave, conquered death and atoned for our
sins, He entered into a life which is indestructible;
what power can possibly kill Him now? His life
is now endless. Hence, he exercises His priesthood
forevermore, without interruption, and without
any need for a successor. Our High Priest is able
to eternally apply to us the atonement that comes
from His sacrifice, and the blessings purchased
with His blood. As a result of His endless life,
Messiah can live in us, and therefore our life
can be endless, indestructible, incorruptible
and filled with joy.
Neither
things present, nor things to come; neither this
present earthly existence nor the death of our
bodies, which may be before us; neither powers,
nor principalities, nor angels; neither height,
nor depth, nor any creature, can separate us from
the love of God which is found in Messiah Yeshua;
for our High Priest lives, and He serves us with
the power of an indestructible life.
Messiah
Offers A Better Sacrifice Because He Was Willing
To Die. Yeshua's sacrifice is superior to
the sacrifices ordained in the Torah, because
the sacrificial animals had no choice - they were
unwilling victims. But the death of the Son of
God was voluntary. God willed to send the Messiah
to die for us. The Messiah accepted God's will,
and came. He said: "Behold, I come to do Your
will." "For this reason the Father loves
Me" Yeshua said, "because I lay down My
life that I may take it again. No one has taken
it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative."
By His own free will, in obedience to the Father,
and out of love for us, Yeshua gave His life
as a ransom for us. He who needed no sacrifice
for Himself, willingly exchanged His sinless life
for our sins, that we might live.
Messiah
Offers A Better Sacrifice Because He Is Of Infinite
Value. In the Torah, the death of bulls, goats,
sheep and doves provided a temporary covering
for sin, but never provided final atonement. We
know this is true because the high priest repeated
the same sacrifices, year after year, century
after long century. Had they completely atoned
for the sins of the Jewish people, they would
have ceased, because they would have done the
job. Yet from the time of Moses until 70 AD,
when the sacrifices stopped, there was a continual
shedding of the blood of tens of millions of bulls,
goats and lambs; day after day, year after year,
rivers of blood flowed, none of which permanently
took away sins, but only covered them over until
the final Sacrifice was offered. By contrast,
Messiah Yeshua is the Son of God and the Lord
of glory, eternal, uncreated, holy, greater than
everything that exists, and of infinite value.
Therefore the sacrifice He brought was of infinite
value, limitless, perfect, and unceasingly effective.
Therefore it accomplished eternal redemption and
perfect atonement.
Messiah's
Priestly Service Is Better Because He Sat Down
At The Right Hand Of God. Can you image the
High Priest of Israel, on Yom Kippur, sitting
down in the Kodesh HaKodashim (the Most Holy Place),
near the Ark of the Covenant, perhaps putting
his feet up somewhere and relaxing? Of course
not! In the Temple there was a table, a lamp,
an altar, an ark, but there was no chair.
While they were serving God the priests could
never sit down and take it easy. There was always
something else to do, another sacrifice to offer,
because their ministry could never be complete.
But our High Priest, after offering His sacrifice,
did what no son of Aaron ever could. He sat
down at the right hand of God, proving that He
accomplished His work. The atonement He provided
is complete. That's why Yeshua could say, "It
is finished!" Fulfilled are the imperfect symbols
and shadows, the types that needed constant repetition,
which never brought final atonement. Yeshua took
care of the sin problem once for all. He
came once, at one point in time, completely removing
our sins by His one sacrifice for all sin, one
sacrifice for all men, one sacrifice for all time.
After the one sacrifice which Yeshua accomplished,
no repetition of an offering for sin is needed.
In fact, any attempt to repeat His completely
sufficient payment is an affront to it. To speak
of a repetition of the sacrifice, in any shape
or form, is to deny its sufficiency and is blasphemy.
Messiah
Serves In A Better Temple. The descendants
of Aaron served in the beautiful Temple in Jerusalem.
It was one of the most magnificent structures
in the ancient world. But that Temple was destroyed
in 70 AD. Now only the Kotel, part of the outer
retaining wall of the western end of the Temple
complex, is left. By contrast, the holy place
where our High Priest serves is in heaven itself.
He serves in the true holy place, the one not
made by human hands. There, above the heavens,
above the angels, principalities and powers, Yeshua
is in the true Sanctuary. The same one who said:
"Behold I come" is back where He started,
seated on the throne of God. From that Most Holy
Place in heaven He blesses us with all spiritual
blessings.
Our
High Priest Supplies Better Access To God.
Under the Torah, mankind could not come directly
into the presence of God on Earth. He is so holy,
pure and powerful, and we are so unholy, impure
and weak that we would instantly die in the unveiled
presence of God. The veil in the Temple, which
separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place,
kept all men away from God's dwelling presence
on Earth, except for the High Priest of Israel.
If anyone else dared go into the Most Holy Place,
into the presence of God, he would die. Even the
High priest's access to God's dwelling presence
was severely limited. The High Priest could enter
the Most Holy Place only one day each year - on
Yom Kippur. Even then he could only approach the
presence of God with the blood of sacrifices and
clouds of incense covering the Kaporet (the Ark
Cover), hiding the Shechinah (the glorious dwelling
presence of God). Otherwise even he too would
die! But the moment Messiah Yeshua died, all
that changed. The veil that once separated
man from God was divinely torn from top to bottom
-and not just a little hole for us to peek through,
but a huge tear, opening the way for all mankind,
both Jews and Gentiles, to come into the presence
of God! Our High Priest has opened a new and living
way into the Most Holy Place, so that we are invited
to confidently and boldly come before God's throne
of grace. The high priest was required to leave
the Most Holy Place after completing his Yom Kippur
rituals there. But Yeshua is now continually
living in the presence of God. Because He dwells
in the presence of God, and we dwell in Him, we
can live in the presence of God. Our life is hidden
with Messiah in God!
Our
High Priest Supplies Superior Blessings. The
responsibility of a priest was to bring the people
close to God, and bring the blessings of God to
the people. If the descendants of Aaron could
have brought us to the goal, then Messiah's new
priesthood would have been unnecessary. But Yeshua
is the perfect Mediator between God and man -
fully God and perfect Man. His priesthood alone
perfects us. He alone brings us to the goal. At
this very moment our High Priest is continually
and forever presenting us to God and bestowing
on us all the blessings which He has purchased
for us with His precious blood. We have the incredible
privilege of being joined to Him in whom dwells
all the fullness of God! God is in Messiah, we
are in Messiah, and Messiah is in us. All spiritual
blessings in the heavenly places are in Messiah,
and we are in Him!
Yeshua's
priesthood has reversed our fallen, guilty and
alienated condition. His priesthood has made it
possible for God to completely and forever forgive
all of our sins. It has removed the wrath of God,
and taken away the curse for breaking God's laws.
Yeshua's priesthood reversed our state of spiritual
death. His priesthood has provided atonement,
forgiveness, salvation, redemption, reconciliation
and access to our heavenly Father. Because of
Yeshua's priesthood, we are clothed with perfect
righteousness. We have an incorruptible inheritance.
We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Messiah
Yeshua. Joined to Him we are accepted. Joined
to Him we are filled with the Spirit of life.
Joined to Him we are righteous. Although our
sins on Earth may interrupt our communion with
and our enjoyment of God's favor, nothing can
interrupt our position before Him, since it is
based on the position of our High Priest.
Although we may sin, God sees us clothed with
white garments and cleansed with the blood of
Messiah. Weak though we may be, because of our
High Priest, God sees us as firm as Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but which stands forever.
Because of our High Priest, we become a holy temple
in which God may dwell. We are a spiritual house
within which sacrifices and offerings of thanksgiving
and obedience are continually offered up to God.
We are the true worshippers, God's beloved children,
who alone will worship Him in spirit and in truth
throughout eternity. Only Yeshua's priesthood
accomplishes all this.
Orthodox,
Conservative, Reform, Humanistic, or Chasidic
Judaisms are all man-made religions that attempt
to approach God on their terms - not His. They
cannot bring their adherents to the goal. They
cannot accomplish the work of salvation. They
can never in truth say, "It is finished."
May God help us all to understand that the Yom
Kippur ceremonies ordained in the Torah were intended
only to be a temporary "covering over" of the
sins of Israel, until the ultimate atonement provided
by the Messiah. He is the final and perfect Sacrifice,
and our great High Priest, who continually, eternally,
and perfectly saves and serves us from His dwelling
place in the heavenly Temple. Is He your High
Priest? Is He your Sacrifice? Are you part of
that glorious and eternal Temple that He is building,
where God and mankind may dwell together? I certainly
hope so!
I'd like
to conclude this meditation with these words from
the New Testament letter written to the Messianic
Jews: "Therefore brethren, since we have confidence
to enter the Holy Place by the blood of Yeshua,
by a new and living way which He inaugurated for
us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since
we have a great Priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering, for He who promised
is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate
one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking
our own assembling together, as is the habit of
some, but encouraging one another; and all the
more as you see The Day drawing near."
[I'm indebted
to Adolph Saphir's excellent commentary, "Epistle
to the Hebrews," for this message.]
May each
one of you be blessed with the fullness of every
spiritual blessing in heaven, that our High Priest
has made available for us.
Rabbi
Loren
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