HOW MUCH MORE

But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not   part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ who, through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Heb. 9: 11-14).

“How much more” is a rabbinic teaching method. If the lesser is true, then the greater has even more weight than the lesser.

If the earthly high priests went into the Most Holy Place to offer animal blood on the Mercy Seat in the earthly tabernacle which made the worshippers ceremonially clean, but was not able to cleanse the conscience, how much more did the blood of Christ which He offered in the heavenly tabernacle, make the worshipper spiritually pure before God!

The Levitical high priests ministered in a sanctuary which was nothing more than a copy of the true sanctuary in heaven. Everything they did was only a copy of what was done in heaven. From God’s perspective, Jesus was “the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13: 8). Before the earth and its bounty came into being, God’s plan was already in place to redeem mankind through the blood of His Son. Although His death took place at a specific time in history, its effects covers the whole span of time.

The religious leaders were offended with Jesus because He claimed to have the right to forgive sins without a sacrifice. In their book, no sacrifice meant no forgiveness because they did not realise that every sacrifice offered on the altar in the temple was merely a picture of what had taken place before the creation of the world. If they were trusting in the blood of animals for forgiveness, their faith was misplaced. Only Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1: 29). John the Baptist recognised His sacrifice long before He was crucified.

If the blood of animals was able to make the offerers ceremonially clean, how much more then, is the blood of Christ able to make the sinner clean by removing his sin forever. It is not just covered – it is removed, as the Azazel – the scapegoat, was driven into the wilderness after the sins of the nation were symbolically pressed on him. The prophet Isaiah recognised the significance of Jesus’s sacrifice in his vision of the suffering Servant.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53: 6).

Once again, as we gaze on the sacrifice of Jesus, we see the Trinity at work, fully involved in the redemption of mankind. God the Father was there – His plan in action through the Son and through the Spirit whose anointing on Jesus enabled Him to offer Himself without flinching as a perfect sacrifice of atonement to God.

The Holy Spirit was God’s agent through whom Jesus was conceived, anointed for His ministry, ministered the works of God, died, and rose again. He was given to us to live in us as the perfect representative of Jesus, giving us the same power that Jesus had to live in harmony with the Father as His beloved children. How foolish of the readers to think that they could go back to the old system to save themselves from persecution and experience the same benefits they had from the death of Jesus! It would not work for them and it will not work for us.

Even if we are not Jewish and do not fully understand the significance of their priesthood and sacrificial system, the fact remains that it is only through Jesus that we can enjoy the benefits of complete forgiveness, cleansing from our sin, a clear conscience before God and full acceptance with Him through the ministry of our great high priest.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.