Notes on Hebrews: Chapter 9
In this chapter, Luke contrasts the sanctuaries and ceremonial sacrifices of the Old and New testaments. The Old Testament sanctuary and sacrificial ceremony was a copy of “the heavenly things” and was a precursor of a better sanctuary, a once and for all actual sacrifice, and an eternal priest.
One day out of the year on Yom Kippur or “the day of atonement”, the Jewish High Priest would take a calf and ceremonially sacrifice it, letting its blood run on the holy altar. He would then be given 2 goats, one to be sacrificed and the other to be set free in to the wilderness. Contrary to our modern definition, the “scapegoat” is the one that gets away and is given a 2nd chance at life. Only the sacrificial goat is put to death for its own sins, and the sins of the people represented by the scapegoat. The High Priest would then sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the sanctuary, on himself, and on the people for it is the blood that covers their sins (done in ignorance) for the entire year.
Why does our God require blood sacrifice? The scriptures say, “For it (blood) is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life” (Leviticus 17:14) and also,” but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17). God’s judgment is made congruent with his mercy when blood (life) is shed on the altar. Life for Life, there is no other way.
Consider Jesus, who came as the perfect lamb of God and when the perfect one was presented to the inhabitants of Jerusalem along with Barabbas, the insurrectionist and murderer, the people chose to set free Barabbas. I am Barabbas and you dear reader are Barabbas and not because I am an insurrectionist and you a murderer. Bar (Hebrew for son) Abbas (Hebrew for father). Just as the scapegoat represented the carrier of all the sins of the children of Israel, so to did the “son of the father” (Barabbas) represent every man and woman born from the seed of a man.
Barabbas (you and I) has been set free. It is not because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we are set free, for that would mean that the free will sacrifice of Jesus would be conditional (based upon our acceptance) and the Love of God is unconditional towards the world (1st part of John 3:16). He has set Barabbas free so that if Barabbas, in looking at the open space before him as a free man, decides to turn away from it, and goes back to the Holy city of Zion and offers his life for the salvation of another, then he has become the sacrificial goat and he has earned the right to be called the Son of God (2nd part of John 3:16)
It is the sons of God that will inherit the Kingdom of their Father. The rest will go in to the wilderness where they will die in due time.
Life for Life, there is no other way (Mathew 16:25).
