Better than the blood of bulls and goats

Interestingly enough, where I am in my quiet time through Hebrews today happens to be very relevant with the significance of what we remember today.  A verse in this section that I vividly recall says this:


"... because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." - Hebrews 10:4


Now, in our 21st Century non-Jewish world, this verse may make no sense to us.  But to the Jewish believers that this person was writing this letter to, it was rich with meaning.


You see, ancient Judaism was a religion that was deeply entrenched in a sacrificial system that, in the minds of many worshippers, equated the sacrifice of a bull, goat, lamb, dove, pigeon, etc. for a sin offering (Leviticus 4:1- 6:7) and the yearly sacrifice of a lamb on the alter of the temple on the day of atonement (Leviticus 16) with the covering of sins that they and the nation has committed.  These sacrifices were commanded by God for the people to conduct when they sinned (I left the scripture references above in case you really have an inkling to read Leviticus :) )


Now, as you can imagine with a nation of 3 million plus people when Moses was delivering these command from God; fast-forward to the first century and you can imagine that's quite a lot of hamburger meat, barbeque dove, and lamb chops being produced in the name of "I have get my sins covered."  Can you imagine, every time you sin having to go find a cow from your pasture, walk it up to the temple, go through the ritual of identifying with the animal that is commanded in Leviticus, and then watching the priest kill it and add the meat to the menu of the local Temple Five Guys? (okay - I made that part up, there was probably not a Five Guys in Solomon's Temple, but if Five Guys were around back then it'd be a great racket!)


There's one problem that's inherent in that system (and God apparently baked it in with that problem).  The bulls and goats don't really solve the problem... You sin again, well, there goes another heifer.  Can you imagine a wife talking to her husband saying "You gotta stop cutting corners on your business!  We're running out of good bulls!  Your sin is seriously cutting into our meat supply!  Arrrrggh!"


And people who knew God's heart knew this was true.


For example, David said this:
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
   you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart
   you, God, will not despise." - Psalm 51:16-17


So, if God required that all of this cow slaughter were to take place (no wonder the Chick-Fil-A cows are so passionate!), and they weren't really that effective at taking away someone's root sin, what purpose could they have served?


The writer of Hebrews answers this question:


"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins." - Hebrews 10:1-3


In other words, they were there to remind the Jews of something.  In my reading, two things:

1. When I sin, someone has to die.  
2. When I offer this sacrifice, I am demonstrating that I trust that God in his grace will have someone ELSE die on my behalf so that I don't have to die.  

And depending on how good of a sinner someone was, they could have been reminded of this a LOT, and the local Temple Five Guys would be happy.

Here's the other problem with the animals... they didn't really make you righteous.  You couldn't, unless you were the High Priest, and only once a year with a rope tied to your leg (just in case) could ANYONE in this environment of dealing with a Holy God even approach God.  You just had to keep bringing animals and have faith in God's promises, but don't even think about approaching God because HE is holy and you are not.  

So - onto the scene comes Jesus.  He is God in human flesh, laying down His glory so that we can actually see him and not die.  He comes to be one of us.  He lives the holy life we could not even dream about living.  He lives in perfect unity with God the Father, and on the day that we are remembering today.  

He

Dies

In 

Our 

Place.

No more bulls needed.  It.  Is.  Finished.  

There is a new covenant.  If you accept this sacrifice as the final sin offering (Lev 4-6), the final sacrifice of atonement (Lev 16), then not only are your sins covered... 

He gives us something even better.  Something unimaginable.  Something awesome. 

Righteous standing with God.

Access to approach God and call HIM Father. 

No more condemnation.

The Temple Five Guys can now be closed.  No one needs to sacrifice a bull for sin anymore.  

That is why the writer of Hebrews can say... and for a Jew living in this system this had to blow them away.  

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." - Hebrews 10:19-22

I don't have to fear approaching God?  I can enter the Holy of Holies with... confidence? 

Holy Cow!

Yes.  But better than a cow.  A perfect sacrifice.  A risen savior.

Happy Good Friday!  :-)