When we learn about Jesus dying on the cross, we learn about how his sacrifice replaces our own payment for guilt and sin. We learn about how his blood washes us clean of all our iniquity. We learn about how we are made new and are placed in good standing with God the Father. Then when we turn to the Old Testament, we find several different types of sacrifices offered. We could be left with the conclusion that the only one that really matters to us in the New Covenant is the sacrifice of atonement. The once a year sacrifice for the people of God. However, Jesus fulfills all the sacrifices. Today we will look at four Old Covenant sacrifices that Jesus fulfilled with his own.
- Sacrifice of Atonement/Purification Offering: Once a year the high priest would sacrifice an animal and sprinkle the blood on elements of the tabernacle: the Ark, the Altars, the Candlesticks. The purpose was to purify the holy items (God’s space) from the sin that came from his people. The sacrifice allowed people to continue to dwell in God’s presence and allowed God to continue in the people’s presence. Jesus fulfilled the Sin offering sacrifice in order to make it possible for us to be in God’s presence and not face judgment. Holy God + Unholy Items = Judgment. Everything that comes under Jesus’ blood is made holy and able to be in the Father’s presence. Often we think of this in terms of humanity. Jesus’ blood makes it possible for “me” to be in God’s presence. However, it is far more reaching than that. The Sin Offering didn’t just purify the people, it purified the people’s dwelling place–the camp. When Jesus took this sacrifice on himself, he no only purified people so he could be in their presence, he purified the material world (trees, grass, oceans, sky, etc.). The Gospel of John says “The Word dwelt among us.” In the future, when Jesus shows up in his full glory and holiness, everything that is not covered by his blood will be judged. In order for him to reign on earth, earth needs to be purified from the sin that was brought into it by man, just like the camp had to be purified from the sin brought into it by Israel. Jesus’ offering himself for the Sin Offering purifies the cosmos, not just mankind. As Romans 8 says “For all of creation is yearning for the redemption of the sons of God so that it may also receive its redemption.”
2. The second offering Jesus fulfilled was that of the Peace Offering. The Peace Offering was to be made by Israelites to express their continued, peaceful relationship with God. The animal was sacrificed and part of it was cooked and eaten by the person making the sacrifice. It was a meal, indicating that God and man could dine together as a gesture of peace. Jesus’s sacrifice fulfills the peace offering, as we now have peace with God. We are not at enmity with Him. Jesus also instructs his followers to enact a peace-offering type meal with the observance of Holy Communion. The communion expresses that we are at peace with God. That is why Paul exhorts us to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper.
3. The third offering is the Burnt Offering. This is the offering that fully restores relationship between God and Man. This is the one we tend to have in mind when we say Jesus died for our sins. His sacrifice is the connect point between us and God. The Israelites didn’t get to eat part of this offering because it was a total sacrifice to restore right relationship.
4. The fourth Offering is the Reparation/Guilt Offering. The Guilt Offering is given to repay what was due to God, namely our righteous living and right relationship with Him. Jesus fulfills this offering by rightly setting our human nature back to its unfallen state. We are then empowered to offer God was is due him, a good standing relationship with him. We place him at the center of our hearts and worship, where he rightly belongs. We were unable to do this on our own. We had to have an offering to set things right.
In all, Jesus’ one sacrifice fulfilled the obligations of all the sacrifices done yearly in the Old Covenant. There is a long-standing meaning behind our communion, his sacrifice, and how we have peace with God. Jesus’ work also does more than redeem mankind, he redeems the material world. Everything that we have corrupted with our sin is being redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice and blood.