Thoughts for the Day

But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Our Lectionary for Monday in Holy week offers us a reading from Hebrews, so let's unpack it! We need to look at the high priest in the Hebrew scriptures to remind us about the role of Jesus in the New Testament. The high priest was the chief spiritual leader of Israel, responsible for mediating between God and the people through sacrifices and intercessions, particularly on the Day of Atonement when on this one day of the year he entered the Holy of Holies to bear the sins of all the people on his heart, and to restore their relationship with God.

God had drawn up a number of agreements with His people (covenants) over the centuries, and he had given Moses the Law, but the people couldn't manage to obey it. Jesus was to initiate a New Covenant that we might receive eternal life because through His death he paid the price for our sin. John says in his Gospel that he is "The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1.19).

Jesus is the ultimate High Priest and our Saviour (the name 'Jesus' in Hebrew means 'the Lord saves'), whose sacrifice of himself allows us direct access to God, making the old sacrificial system unnecessary. Through Jesus believers have access to God's presence and we are freed from the sin we commit when we confess it. We receive this forgiveness through His grace, not because of our actions but because of our faith.

Lord Jesus Christ,
Saviour of the world,
and our High Priest,
may we never take for granted
Your actions in freeing us from sin,
but always make a full confession
of our frailties,
and our deliberate mistakes.
May we also never take for granted
Your forgiveness,
but accept Your grace with gratitude,
determined to change our lives.
Amen.