Leviticus: Jesus is Our High Priest
Preaching Christ Through the Bible |
LEVITICUS – JESUS IS OUR HIGH PRIEST
Leviticus 8:1-12 (ESV)
1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.
3 And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.”
4 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done.”
6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
7 And he put the coat on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band.
8 And he placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim.
9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy crown, as the LORD commanded Moses. 10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.
12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
God wants us to seek Him passionately. Take note, God Himself said, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). We should not miss from this verse the phrase, “all your heart.” It counteracts our tendency towards complacency. The truth is that in a world where we are easily distracted, seeking after God will always be a bigger challenge.
Take, for example, our Bible reading. Even though it is our primary source of direct revelations of who God is, we often take it for granted, and we come up with all kinds of excuses to justify our lack of consistency. But we are the ones who are really missing out because, as Jesus reminded us in Matthew 4:4 (ESV):
4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Base on these words of Jesus Christ, we should not take God’s Word for granted because it helps us to really live. Allow me to explain the emphasis here. In Greek, there are two distinct words for life – “Bios” and “Zoe.” “Bios” is the biological life possessed by human beings. However, “Zoe,” which is the Greek word used in this verse, means a full and meaningful life that comes only from God. The same Greek word is used in John 10:10 (ESV):
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Therefore, if a believer wants to experience daily a life filled with meaning and joy that only comes from God, this life will not come from the food we eat for our bodies; it will come from the food we feed our souls.
Well, this reminder is essential when it comes to the book we are studying this morning. Many Christians would skip this book because it is the hardest to read. Let me ask you, “How many of you would pick Leviticus as your favorite book of the Bible?” Many Christians would start the Bible reading in Genesis and go through Exodus without any problem. But once they reach Leviticus, they lose interest and drop reading the Bible. I get it; this is a difficult book to read. However, please know that 20 out of the 27 chapters of the book and about thirty-five other paragraphs start with the phrase, “And the Lord spoke to Moses saying . . . ” In other words, a significant portion of this book came directly from the mouth of God. So, this book is really substantial! I believe, if we don’t lose sight of the fact that we can learn more about Jesus Christ through this book, we would be more motivated.
Last week, we covered the book of Exodus with Pastor Jeru and saw Jesus Christ as the Passover Lamb. In the book of Leviticus, we find how God’s people should live their lives because God has delivered them from death and a life of slavery. The title “Leviticus” literally means “concerning the Levites.”
Meaning, this book is directly handed to the tribe of Levi, whose members were serving as priests under the leadership of Aaron, God’s anointed High Priest. The last chapter of Exodus focuses on the dedication of the Tabernacle in Mount Sinai. Leviticus is a sequel providing instructions on how the priests should facilitate the worship of God’s people. Here, the most significant portrayal of Jesus Christ will come through Aaron as The Great High Priest. Let’s dive into this representation by looking at three essential elements of this doctrine:
I THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOLINESS:
The central theme of the book of Leviticus is Holiness. It was given to the priests (Levites) to provide instructions to the Israelites regarding practical “holy living.” These instructions were meant to help instill to the people the overarching characteristic of God, which is His holiness. These words would be a typical statement that God would repeat through the book:
Leviticus 11:44-45 (ESV)
44 For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground.
45 For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
In other words, as God’s people learn the rules and regulations on how they ought to worship, how they ought to offer animal sacrifices, and how they ought to fulfill their washings and rituals, the Israelites can live out the holy character of God on a daily basis. However, is it even possible to follow all of these laws? The fear is that since no one would be able to comply with these burdensome rules and regulations, people would only be resentful and rebel. Of course, this response is possible. But the book drives a healthy balance by providing instructions concerning the atonement of sins through animal sacrifices and offerings. The first seven chapters of the book focused on detailed instructions on how the people, through the priest's assistance, should carry out these offerings.
Therefore, God, in a way, conveys an unmistakable message of grace amid possible failures and sins through the atonement by blood. The book of Hebrews refers to this truth:
Hebrews 9:22 (ESV)
22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
As stated here, the standard set by the Old Testament Law was – “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Now, fast-forward to the New Testament, Jesus Christ ultimately satisfied this law when He went to the cross and shed His blood for the sins of the world. The apostle Peter acknowledged this truth when he said in 1 Peter 1:18-19 (ESV):
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Going back to the book of Leviticus, God has never failed to emphasize to all His people the need to purify themselves and separate from sin. This quality of life results in a more intimate fellowship with God and a more dynamic representation of His person to the world before us. Here are the words of Peter about this truth - 1 Peter 2:11-12 (ESV):
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
II THE INSTALLATION OF THE HIGH PRIEST:
Now, we come to the most significant representation of Jesus Christ in the book of Leviticus. From the instructions of sacrifices (Chapters 1-7), our primary text begins with Aaron and his sons' installation. To give you a little background, initially, God intended to make the whole nation of Israel as priests. We read this truth in Exodus 19:5-6 (ESV)
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;
6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
However, after Israelites worshipped the golden calf in Exodus 32, only the tribe of Levi was given this privilege because they were the only tribe that did not worship the idol (Ex. 32:26-28).
In the verses that we read earlier, we will find Aaron and his sons' official installation to the office of the priesthood. Aaron was consecrated as the High Priest, who was designated as the chief religious leader for the nation of Israel. The elaborate ceremony of their consecration was all done according to God’s instructions. If you notice in verse 1, it says clearly, “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying.” Within the installation program, we should not fail to see their clothing and their anointing because they all have tremendous spiritual implications. Allow me to explain:
A. His Clothing
The ones specified in our text as part of the High Priest’s garment are the sash, the robe, the ephod, the band of ephod, the breastplate, the Urim and Thummin, the turban, and the holy crown.
Bible scholars believe that these clothes carried the richness and beauty that surpassed the royal robes of the surrounding empires' mightiest kings. The garments may seem elaborate and probably odd today, but the High Priest was required to wear them whenever they served in Tabernacle (Ex. 28:43). All these garments were symbolic of being set apart for God and His work. And for the Lord Jesus Christ, the high priest's clothing certainly portrays Him as most beautiful because of His holiness and perfection.
B. His Anointing
After the High Priest was given his clothes, he received his anointing with oil. If you examine verses 10-12, the Tabernacle's anointing and its furniture were done through sprinkling, while the anointing of Aaron was pouring. The distinction is essential because the pouring of the oil in the Old Testament was a symbol of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for someone who has been set aside for God’s work. Jesus Himself has declared this anointing by reading the Scriptures in the temple - Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Aaron and his sons' installation into the priesthood signaled the beginning of the intermediary work for the people of Israel. Through their ministry, the Israelites were able to approach the holy presence and receive forgiveness by offering their sacrifices. This function of being mediators of the people was finally fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul said:
1 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
If you notice, Paul presents Jesus Christ as the only one who fulfills a mediator's work between God and human beings. Why? It is because He alone is truly God and truly human. Therefore, He is the only one who can adequately represent both parties. On this truth, John Calvin commented:
“As God, Christ brings divine justice and mercy to bear on our relationship to our Creator, and as man, Christ brings the perfect human obedience we need to be reconciled to God.”
III THE INTERCESSION OF THE HIGH PRIEST
Today, the work of Jesus Christ as our High Priest is vital because it extends into two fundamental needs. Here are they:
A. We Are Still Sinning
The Bible is quite clear that while we are alive here on earth awaiting our resurrection, we will still struggle with sin. To protect us from condemnation, Jesus acts as our advocate to the Father, interceding for our complete salvation. There are two Biblical passages that we need to see to support this truth:
1 John 2:1 (ESV)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Here, the apostle John explains that whenever we sin, we have the assurance of having an “advocate” with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. An advocate is like a lawyer who pleads to the Father on behalf of the believer based on His work on the cross (1 John 2:2). Hebrews 7:24-25 (ESV)
24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
He lives forever, and His priesthood is permanent. He will always and will never fail to intercede for the believers. He never stops pleading on our behalf at the right hand of God.
B. We Are Always In Need
Next, one primary reason why we need our High Priest interceding for us is that we always find ourselves having needs. The author of Hebrews expounded this truth by saying:
Hebrews 4:14-16 (ESV)
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
To appreciate this passage, we need to see the three reasons why we can always be confident that Christ’s intercessory work will be effective:
1. He is “passed through the heavens” – In other words, He is right there where the Father is. He can closely communicate with the Father.
2. He has been “tempted as we are” – The emphasis is Christ’s ability to sympathize with us because He has gone through whatever we are going through.
3. He is in the “throne of grace” – Meaning, He is willing to bestow favors even to those who do not deserve them.
Undoubtedly, to have Jesus as our High Priest today brings so much assurance and hope. He only did not ensure that He offered a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of all our sins; He also continues to help us by pleading on our behalf before the Father. His effective ministry should give us the confidence to face all our life’s challenges without fear. As we navigate through all the difficulties of life, we are never alone. Jesus Christ is prepared to assist us whenever we need Him. We need to go to Him and avail His help. Remember, He forever lives as our Great High Priest!
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepsana