We may not like to think about it, but the bible is full of blood and violence. If you’ve seen
The Passion of the Christ, you know what Christ’s physical suffering was like. Guest speaker Reinier reminded us Tuesday that no matter how strong the movie might look, though the physical suffering was unimaginable, it only scratches the surface of Christ’s real suffering.
On the cross, Jesus was separated from His Father- His personality, His Oneness was broken. Jesus was carrying the incredible burden of the sin of every man and woman, throughout the history of mankind. Billions of people, with all their pettiness, hatred, perversion, and pride taken on Himself. He was the only person who has ever lived without sin, yet he suffered that harsh death, that incredible injustice. And the whole time, He had every bit of power to correct the injustice. With one word He could have changed His fate.
So we see Jesus suffered much. But many have suffered and died. What was so extraordinary about Christ’s suffering? How does His blood affect the whole world?
In Hebrews 9:1-28 we see that God had made a way, thousands of years ago, for His people to meet with Him. It required much blood. God gave precise instructions concerning daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and special occasion sacrifices (e.g. Lev. 1-7, 2 Chron 7).
Hebrews 9:7 “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”
Then Hebrews 9:12 says when Jesus came, “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, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Reinier said, “Within daily practice of offerings in Jewish culture, with lots of bloodshed, the yearly highlight was the high priest entering the inner room of the tabernacle or temple, not without blood, to get atonement for first his own sins and later the sins of the people. The high priest is a symbol of Christ. First to be blameless himself, then to bring an offering for the people. But this offering was imperfect, not lasting.”
The difference between the high priest and Jesus Christ was, first, that Jesus was blameless, perfect, able to bring the perfect offering… “but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.”
And, second, Jesus was the only possible mediator and “testator” of the new covenant. God had written a new covenant with man, a new testament, a new will. And the only way to make a will legal is for the writer himself to die.
This quote is from commentary by
John Gill.
The covenant of grace, is properly a covenant to Christ, and a testament or will to His people. It is His and their Father’s will, concerning giving them both grace and glory. It consists of many gifts and legacies; in it Christ is made heir of all things, and His people are made joint heirs with Him. They are given to Him as His portion, and they have all things pertaining to life and godliness passed on the them, even all spiritual blessings.
The witnesses of it are Father, Son, and Spirit, and the seals of it are the blood of Christ and the grace of the Spirit. And this is registered in the Scriptures by holy men as notaries; and is unalterable and immutable.
And this being made, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator, who is Christ. He has various parts in this will or testament. He is the surety and Mediator of it, and He is the executor of it.
