Tag: Jesus’ sacrifice

Once and for all sacrifice

Reflection based on Hebrews 10:1–14.

This chapter starts with a reminder of what a poor, temporary job animal sacrifices did. The first few verses point out that they could never free us from our sin and make us holy – but simply served as a reminder of sin. The old system was, by its very nature, unfinished. The priest had to make sacrifices day after day, and go into the Most Holy Place year after year on the Day of Atonement, but Jesus made a once and for all sacrifice. It does not need to be repeated, as it was perfect. 

The verses in Hebrews 10 talk about how constant sacrifice was the rhythm of a priest’s life, and yet, once Jesus had made His sacrifice, He sat back down next to the Father. He had completely opened the way for God to commune with His people. This does away with any notion that we as humans may be made holy through our own efforts. There is nothing we can do. Yes, when we respond fully to the amazing truth of our salvation, we willingly serve and obey God, but that is not the means of our salvation; Jesus has already provided that through His sacrifice.

Interestingly, verse 10 describes us as having ‘been made holy’, whereas verse 14 talks about us ‘being made holy’. This is the difference between justification (I like the explanation ‘just as if I never sinned’) and sanctification (the process of being made holy). When we accept Jesus, God looks at us and sees us as holy, and yet we are on a journey of discipleship – we still need to grow in our holiness.

Reflection: Think about any times when you have tried to ‘earn’ your salvation through your own efforts, say sorry to Jesus and thank Him for His once and for all sacrifice. 

Jesus’ blood

Reflections based on Hebrews 9:11–28.

It is in Hebrews that we are given the details of how Jesus superseded the Old Testament laws and rituals. When we looked at Leviticus we saw how the sacrifices were a foretaste of what Jesus would do. His sacrifice did far more than they could; while they made people clean or ceremonially acceptable on the outside, Jesus’ shedding of blood went far deeper, transforming our hearts to make us clean on the inside. It freed us from sin’s power – of course we still have to walk in that for ourselves, but it did something that we could never do; put us in right standing before God.

Throughout today’s chapter, the old is set against the new, revealing the imperfections of the old system. For example, the involuntary sacrifice of animals is set against the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus (see vv13–14).

Verse 12 is one that can be a source of great comfort to us: ‘he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, so obtaining eternal redemption’. For under the law, people could never be sure of total forgiveness, but Jesus has secured ‘eternal redemption’ for us. The term redemption is imagery borrowed from slavery. The Greek word, lystrosin, talks about the paying of a price in order to release a slave, which Jesus willing did for each of us. 

Verses 15–17 talk about the legality of Jesus’ actions. Using the term ‘will’ they reveal what Jesus gave us. His love is shown in how He came as a mediator between God and His people – but the benefits could not be experienced until His death. We are unable to meet the demands of our pure and holy God through our own efforts – but Jesus did it for us through His blood.

Prayer: Jesus, it is fascinating to see how Your sacrifice both reflected and superseded those of the Old Testament. Thank You that You willingly died for me. Amen. 

Costly worship

worship-hands

Reflections based on Genesis 22:1–18.

‘Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son,
your only son.’

Imagine what is going on between the lines here for a moment. At the start of this passage we are told that God asks Abraham to take his son and sacrifice him on an altar. In the very next verse we are told Abraham set off the following morning, early, to do just that.

I am curious about what must have been going through his head during the night, but what an incredible act of obedience to get up and prepare to do what God has told him to! He doesn’t know that God is going to step in and provide a different object for the offering – even if he does say in faith when Isaac asks him where the lamb is that God would provide (oh how deeply that question must have cut him).

And how must Isaac have felt when his father then bound him to the altar!? He must have thought he was crazy! And yet he then sees how God steps in in his sovereignty and listens as God makes a promise about Abraham’s descendants. Of course, this episode also gives us a beautiful picture of how God would, in the future, give up his own son to death. While he stepped in and saved Isaac from the altar he had to allow his own son to suffer in order to save humankind.

We may never be asked to pay such a high price as Abraham, or indeed be tested as much as he was, but, when we hear God’s clear direction, it is an act of worship to be obedient – whatever the cost. Interestingly, in 2 Samuel 24:24 David says, ‘I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing’. In a way, worship needs a cost – as it then reveals how much God means to us.

Question: When was the last time that you offered God something that cost you greatly in terms of personal sacrifice?

How praise is made possible

the-cross

Reflections based on Hebrews 13:11–16

‘Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.’

I believe that this passage is a great reminder of our need for a saviour, and the ultimate sacrifice that he had to pay. Before He came, communion with God was only possible through a hugely complicated set of rules and animal sacrifices. Jesus’ death did away with such rituals and opened up the way to the Father.

Let’s ponder Jesus’ sacrifice a little more. Remember the agonising struggle that He had in Gethsemane when he thought about what was about to happen to him? Take a look at Matthew 26:36–46. ‘My soul is overwhelmed’ seems like a very apt description but somewhat inadequate too! Thinking about His humanity, Jesus must have been petrified at this point and yet He was still able to pray: ‘Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Wow. But thank goodness He was able to do that, as it is only through what He suffered and endured, and then fought and conquered through His resurrection, that we are able to have a relationship with God. Today we are able to worship God freely, without needing to go through a priest.

While Jesus paid the sacrifice for our sins in a way we are totally incapable of doing for ourselves, God does still ask us for sacrifice. We are told to take up our cross on a daily basis (Luke 9:23). We are also asked to put others before ourselves (Philippians 2:1–4). But when each of these things is done from an attitude of thankfulness and remembrance of what Jesus has done for us, they don’t seem like so much of a sacrifice do they?

Prayer: Thank you Lord for paying the price that I could not for my salvation. Help me to live in the light of what you’ve done, remembering to take up my own personal cross daily as well as put on an attitude of thankfulness and praise.