This might be a cliché but it is the truth. The ministry of Jesus was one that was very quick yet very fruitful. It happened so fast that for many of us believers it seems it never happened, or it did not have an effect. Yet, what Jesus came to do on this earth, he did within the time frame he had set to accomplish his purposes and he did it well. I have been reading Hebrews and Leviticus and in these books there are many parallels with regards to the worship of God. My goal today is simply to draw your attention to the marvelous work of Jesus and truly what he gives us. What exactly did Christ do on the cross? Why is his death so significant for us? Why should we be bothered by Christ anyway? Hopefully, by the end of this post I would have shed some light on these questions and created a stirring in you to draw closer to the Lord Jesus.
Before Jesus came in this world, there were prophets and patriarchs like Moses who showed the way of God to people. The way of God involved approaching Him through His tabernacle via a priest and sacrifices. Priestly duties were performed by a selected few from the tribe of Levites. These men were responsible for maintaining the relationship between God and the people stable. God had set rules and laws that were to be followed in order to approach Him and get into His presence. Coming into the presence of God empty handed was a no go, it was unacceptable. Priests had to perform many sacrifices for their sins and the sins of the people. Which in a sense makes one see how impossible it is for someone to approach God in an impure manner. Approaching God in an impure manner would mean approaching Him on your own terms and however you would like. This mistake was made by the sons of Aaron who decided to offer unlawful sacrifices to the Lord, sacrifices that had not been ordained by God and the consequence was brutal, it led to their death. Or consider Uzzah, an Israelite who carried the Ark of God in David’s time and touched it in an unworthy manner and was directly killed by God for his action (2 Samuel 6:3-9). These two incidences show us that there is a way to approach God and that way is according to God’s terms. This is simply because God is Holy and there is no sin in Him. By default, we were already limited in our ability to enter God’s presence because of our sinful nature. Blood had to be spilled constantly for us to be cleansed before a Holy God. However, God in His wisdom and mercy realized that the situation was not sustainable and so He decided to bring a long-lasting solution to this problem, hence comes Jesus. The passage in Hebrews taken from the Psalms that says “sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased” (Hebrews 10:5-6) means that God was not pleased by the continuous sacrifices that were offered but He would be pleased with A sacrifice once and for all. For that to happen He needed the willingness and the obedience of His Son Jesus. That is exactly what we got in Jesus. You see, Jesus, by offering up his body as a sacrifice for our sins ensured that God was pleased with his sacrifice and us once and for all! Not only that, Jesus, being greater than the priests and high priests because he was sinless, entered a tabernacle that was greater than the earthly tabernacle the priests used to enter. Therefore the relationship he established with God on our behalf is a better and lasting one. Moreover, other sacrifices that were offered by priests could not satisfy nor appease the wrath of God on man nor could it cleanse the priests from their sins or the sins of the people. But, the sacrifice of Jesus, not only does it cleanse us from our sins, it also cleanses our conscience from sin (Hebrews 10:23)! Furthermore, we are purified and can now approach God without sacrifices; we are also given a new status, new authority and the accusations that stood against us are now nullified by the blood of Jesus (Colossians 2:14-15). We are not just redeemed but we are given a new life, a new purpose, a new position. Truly this is a rebirth. It takes continued basking in the ministry of Christ to understand just how grand was his act.
I for one am extremely thankful and grateful that Christ did not get distracted by the things this world had to offer him, I am grateful that he did not get distracted by the worries of this world, or by his own desires. I am thankful that he displayed obedience and willingness to give his body for our sake. The depth of what Christ did and what He makes available to us in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14) should cause us to walk differently, to think differently, and to take back our original mandate of dominion. It should change the way we see ourselves, the way we look at life and the way we approach God. I don’t pretend to fully grasp what Christ has done and how it affects me today but I am learning more and more every day about it. The more I read books like Hebrews, Ephesians and Colossians I am amazed and humbled and I, like Paul simply want to ensure “the life I live in the body that I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me” (Galatians :20). Jesus is King, he is the Name at which every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, he is the one who holds the keys of death and hades, he is the Lord who is seating at the right hand of God waiting for the Father to make his enemies a footstool for his feet (Psalm110:1). Let us not forget his pre-eminence!
A Word Aptly Spoken 