Jesus: The more excellent ministry Jesus was, as our first reading (Heb 9:11-14) tells us, the high priest of the New Testament. Far from opposing Jewish worship, Jesus came to fulfill Jewish worship and liturgy. The high priest of the old covenant went into the Holy of Holies once every year on Yom Kippur and sprinkled blood to offer atonement for sins. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies in heaven offering his own blood and this sacrifice was effective for all time. The high priest of the old covenant offered an animal without blemish, he could not offer himself because he was a sinner. However, when Jesus as high priest of the new covenant entered the Holy of Holies in heaven he did so as both priest and victim, he was “unblemished†and could offer himself. In the old covenant, the animal offered in sacrifice was transformed by fire during the sacrifice. When Jesus offered himself in sacrifice, because he did not offer something external to himself but his whole self, he was transformed, and now reigns in heaven and is the means of our salvation. Sacrifices 'It is important to note that the sacrifices offered on the Day of Atonement brought a threefold cleansing: 1) to the high priest and his family (Lev. 16:6, 17), 2) to the people of Israel (v. 17), and 3) to the tabernacle (v. 16, 20, 33). It is interesting to note that the holy sanctuary would be defiled and need cleansing, but it is stated in Scripture. Levitical High Priest According to Numbers 16:5 the Levitical priests were commissioned by God, separated unto God, and were allowed to approach God. "Then he said to Korah and all his followers: 'in the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him." The Levitical priesthood began with the tribe of Levi and proceeded through the sons of the family of Aaron, according to Numbers 18:1,8 and Exodus 28:1, which says, "Have Aaron you brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests." However, physical blemishes disqualified any male descendant of Aaron, according to Leviticus 21:17-23, from which 21:17 is presented: "The Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come non of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God.'" The duties of the Levitical priesthood included: the teaching of the Law, Leviticus 10:11; offering the sacrifices, Leviticus chapter 9; maintaining the Tabernacle and the Temple, Numbers 18:3; officiating in the Holy Place, Exodus 30:7-10; inspecting ceremonially unclean persons, Leviticus chapters 13 and 14; they adjudicated disputes, Deuteronomy 17:8-13; they functioned as tax collectors, Numbers 18:21,26; Hebrews 7:5. Forty Years in the Desert On their way out of Egypt, the Hebrews spent 40 years wandering in the desert of Sinai. During this time all who left Egypt died, including Moses himself who saw the "promised" land but did not live long enough to enter it. Consequently, the Hebrews arrived in Canaan/Phoenicia uncivilized nomads with very little skills or knowledge, which civilized people of the area, had. By the time they captured Jerusalem c. 1000 BC they have had very little newly acquired capabilities other than fighting wars with the Canaanites/Phoenicians, the Philistines, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Aramaeans, the Ammonites, the Amalekites and the Edomites. Temple needed The Hebrews never had enough opportunity to master the art and science of building in Egypt. They were hardened in the desert and in battle but lacked the knowledge to build palaces worthy of kings or a Temple worthy of God, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tablets of the Law and the Pentateuch of Moses. These important items of the Hebrew religion were treasured in a tabernacle (tent) up until this point in time. David and Solomon's contributions When David was chosen king and, thereafter, Solomon; they were in need of artisans, architects, craftsmen, builders and building material especially wood and precious metals to build a temple and palace. The best-known and most gifted people to fulfill the kings' needs were the Phoenicians. Hence, both kings sought and received Phoenician expertise and materials. Solomon built a great temple for God. However, the Jews were victims are several captivities. The great temple was destroyed. This lead to the development of the Synagogue, this provided a place of worship in any land. Jews could set up these houses of worship in any land they found themselves. All they needed were ten adult males to make it legal. Functions of a Synagogue At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah, a house of prayer. It is the place where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere; however, there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men), and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone. The sanctity of the synagogue for this purpose is second only to The Temple. In fact, in rabbinical literature, the synagogue is sometimes referred to as the "little Temple." A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash, a house of study. Contrary to popular belief, Jewish education does not end at the age of bar mitzvah. For the observant Jew, the study of sacred texts is a life-long task. Thus, a synagogue normally has a well-stocked library of sacred Jewish texts for members of the community to study. It is the place where children receive their basic religious education. Most synagogues also have a social hall for religious and non-religious activities. The synagogue often functions as a sort of town hall where matters of importance to the community can be discussed. In addition, the synagogue functions as a social welfare agency, collecting and dispensing good to the community. It could be considered the storehouse,' History of the Jewish People. Conclusion It is important to remember that if one is to see the Lord and live eternally, one must approach Him as He describes. The moment Jesus died on the cross concluded the old priest hood .He became our High Priest at that time. We all come to the Father through faith in His Son and through His shed blood at the cross. There is no other way! Jesus reminded us that anyone who tries to come to the Father any other way is a “thief and robber.†(John 10:1) Have a happy and save Christmas! Esco Yancey, Jr., Ed.D.(ACSI)
