In Leviticus 16, God established the Day of Atonement, which in Hebrew is Yom Kippur (“yom” means “day”, “kippur” means “atonement”, literally: “covering of sin”).
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance” (Leviticus 16:29–32).
Animal blood atonement could not truly address the root of the human dilemma: the separation between humans and God. Therefore, he could not take away sin (Heb. 9:9-10).
For that reason, God commanded that sacrifices be performed repeatedly as an atonement for sin, no matter how much the people of Israel grieve. All of these shortcomings related to Yom Kippur foreshadowed a day when they would be perfected through the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus perfected the imperfections of Yom Kippur.
This is an implicit message in the pages of the New Testament. However, the Bible explicitly says in Hebrews 7:26-27 that Jesus is the culmination of the sacrificial system:
“For such a High Priest who is befitting for us, holy, undisposed to harm, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, who needeth not, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice daily first for His own sins and then for the people’s; for this He did once when He offered up Himself.” Hebrews 7:26
Jesus is the perfect high priest
Jesus, through his divine character, is set apart for the service of God the Father. As the passage in Hebrews 7:26-27 says, Jesus is “holy”, “innocent”, and “spotless”. Jesus is perfectly free from the character defects and imperfections that all previous high priests struggled with, as a result of his sin. Jesus is “separated from sinners.” Jesus is completely disconnected from the sinful nature. For who he is and what he has done, Jesus is rightfully “exalted beyond the heavens.”
Jesus is the perfect sacrifice
Jesus performs two functions, as we see in Hebrews 7:27:
1) Jesus is the priest. Jesus is the subject of the final sentence (“Jesus did it once for all”). He performed the act of sacrifice. This is what Jesus did on the cross.
2) Jesus is the sacrifice. Jesus is the direct object of the final phrase of Hebrews 7:27 (“when He offered Himself”). He was sacrificed. This is what Jesus did on the cross.
When Christ was on the cross, he exclaimed, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). These words indicate that the ultimate sacrifice had been offered. There was no longer a need for any other priest or sacrifice because Jesus, the perfect priest, offered himself as the perfect sacrifice (Heb. 10:1-4).
The high priest of Leviticus could only offer the blood of animals that never truly removed sin. Our high priest, Jesus, offered himself as a blameless sacrifice on behalf of humanity, suffering an agonizing death, to serve as the impeccable mediator between humanity and God. As a result of his actions, the veil of the temple was rent (Mt. 27:51; Mr. 15:38; Lk. 23:45), giving all who are covered by his blood access to the holy of holies and, thus, into the presence of the Highest God.
This is one of the most important times of the year for the Jewish people, and the atmosphere of joy and expectation is already felt among the population.
However, due to the constant wave of terrorism that our city Sderot faces on the Gaza border added to the COVID pandemic, during these holidays many families feel hopeless because they cannot meet their most basic needs as they struggle economically and mentally.
For that reason our “City Of Life” team is already organizing the large distribution of special food sacks and gifts to bless the most needy in our region, including needy young families, widows, immigrants, single parents and Holocaust survivors, bringing them comfort and encouragement amid their precarious situation.
Our role as the body of the Messiah is to bring hope to this lost world and illuminate in times of darkness creating an impact on society, so our ministry is committed to reaching as many people as possible who suffer, and many of them depend on our commitment and dedication for the work of the Lord.
You too can bless them and be part of this commitment of obedience to the Lord together with us by joining in our goal as there are still many families to reach with the help and together we can achieve it.
You can be part of and impact the lives of more people who need help in our city and together show them the way, the truth, and the life.
We invite you to be part of our ministry so that together we can bring hope to our border town of Sderot.
Our work would not be possible without the help of partners like you, so we ask you to consider in prayer the possibility of a monthly commitment that will allow us to continue with the Lord’s work here in Israel.
Sincerely yours
Pastors
Michael & Dina Beener
and CLM Israel Team
“City of Life”
Messianic congregation and Outreach Center
Sderot, Israel.
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