If you’ve spent much time around the zoo in a major city, you’ve likely noticed the numerous warning signs around the property. Such signs are intended to provide visitors with adequate knowledge of the danger of approaching the animals beyond the boundaries established for the general public.
Several years ago when I was in seminary, my wife and I were on a very tight budget and we had to be creative in our approach to date nights. One week, my wife informed me that she had a surprise for me for a date night on Friday evening. She told me how to dress and we also had to pack an overnight bag to take with us. As the weekend approached, I was really wondering what my wife had signed us up for and soon I would find out.
Over dinner at a restaurant, she provided me with the details for our evening. She had seen an advertisement for people to “camp out” for a night in the zoo in Louisville, Kentucky. She had managed to get our camping gear and was fully prepared for an amazing date night. It was an organized event with special behind the scenes opportunities with the animals. After arriving, the staff checked us in and provided us with our evening itinerary. We enjoyed special lessons from biologists and zoologists regarding the animals, their habitat, and dietary needs. Later that evening, as a group, we watched the movie “Ghost in the Darkness” which was fitting for the evening’s venue.
The following morning, we awoke to the calls of African birds and loud peacocks. We were then escorted behind the scenes before the zoo opened to the public to the lion’s habitat. We entered with the staff on the back of the enclosure to watch the staff feed the large male lion. He weighed in at about 450 lbs and had a large dark brown mane that covered the front half of his body. He was in his physical prime. As the staff led us down the hall behind the enclosure the only thing that separated us from the private dwelling place where the lions eat was a hefty chain linked fence. When we entered the hallway, I was at the front of the line in our group and when the male lion saw us—he wasted no time charging the fence. His large paws and teeth hit the fence in full attack mode as he breathed out a loud ear-piercing roar. I was standing no farther than 3 feet from him. It shook my body to the core.
Jesus is the perfect mediator between sinful man and holy God.
Still to this very day, I have a very healthy respect for the boundaries in the zoo. I have no desire to approach the wild animals within their enclosure. However, when it comes to God who is a consuming fire and dwells in unapproachable glory—we have been given access to draw near to him. Unlike the Old Testament Israelites who were not permitted to approach the presence of God in the thick cloud that encompassed the mountain where Moses was to meet with God (Exodus 19), we are called to approach God, but not apart from Jesus Christ who is our Great High Priest. There is no greater proof of this great access than Jesus’ priestly work on behalf of his people. Jesus is the perfect mediator between sinful man and holy God.
The High Priest and His Work
When God delivered his people out of Egypt and demonstrated his sovereign rule over all nations and thrones—including the high throne of Pharoah, he provided clear prescriptions for how his people were to worship him. Any honest reading of Exodus will conclude that God is very much concerned with how his people approach him in worship.
Every detail of the tabernacle and the worship practices of his people were delivered to Moses and then by Moses to the people of Israel. In Exodus 25, we find the specific blueprint of the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat. In speaking about the mercy seat, God said, “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.”1Exodus 25:22 – ESV
When the entire tabernacle was complete and the furnishings installed as God had directed, the book of Exodus concludes by stating that Moses did all that the LORD had commanded and the tabernacle was erected and the glory of God filled the tent. It was also clearly established that Aaron was to engage in the priestly work inside the tabernacle which would be the plan for the temple in the years to follow. God established the priestly line of the Levites who labored in their service to the LORD. We find these details in the book of Leviticus.
At the heart of the worship of God is the necessity of a sacrifice. The five types of sacrifices mentioned in Leviticus serve different purposes within the religious practices of the Israelites. Each offering has its distinct significance and meaning, playing a crucial role in their relationship with God and the atonement for sin.
The burnt offering was a sacrifice made to seek forgiveness for general sins and to demonstrate complete surrender and dedication to God. It involved offering an entire animal, which was burned on the altar. The act of burning symbolized the complete devotion of the worshiper, acknowledging God’s authority and seeking purification.
The grain offering was a sacrifice made to express gratitude to God for His blessings, particularly related to the harvest. A portion of the grain was burned on the altar as an offering to God, signifying acknowledgment of His provision. The remaining part was given to the priests, emphasizing the importance of supporting the religious leaders and the community.
The fellowship offering, also known as the peace offering, had a dual purpose. It involved sacrificing an animal, and part of it was offered to God, while the rest was shared among the worshipers as a communal meal. This offering symbolized reconciliation with God, celebrating the restored relationship between the worshiper and God after atonement for sin. It highlighted the concept of fellowship, unity, and joy within the community.
The sin offering was specifically designated to make atonement for sins committed by individuals or the entire nation. It involved sacrificing an animal, and the blood of the animal was used to cleanse and purify the altar. This offering emphasized the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness. It provided a means to restore the broken relationship with God and his people. According to Leviticus 16:11, the high priest was to offer a sacrifice for himself and then another sin offering for the people (Lev 16:15).
Lastly, the guilt offering had a similar purpose to the sin offering, focusing on the atonement for specific sins. It involved the sacrifice of an animal, but it also required the worshiper to make restitution for their wrongdoing, compensating the injured party with additional offerings. This offering emphasized personal responsibility for one’s actions and aimed to restore not only the relationship with God but also the affected individuals or the community.
Overall, these five offerings in Leviticus provided a comprehensive system for the Israelites to seek forgiveness, express gratitude, reconcile with God, and restore relationships among their people. They formed an integral part of their religious practices, reflecting the importance of repentance, devotion, thanksgiving, and communal unity in their worship.
In the tabernacle and the temple to follow, we find a number of pieces of furniture including water basins for cleansing and lampstands for light, but we never find a resting place for the priests. The reason for this is based on the fact that their work is never complete. There is a mercy seat, but that’s for the offering of blood to be presented to God—not for a priest to sit upon and rest.
Jesus as the Great High Priest
The office of the high priest held great significance in the Old Testament, as the high priest acted as a mediator between God and the people, ministering sacrifices and interceding for their sins. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament provides a profound understanding of Jesus Christ as the Great High Priest who fulfills the office in a way that no other priestly figure under the old covenant was capable.
Unlike the earthly high priests who served temporarily, Jesus holds an eternal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, as stated in Hebrews 7:17.
Unlike the earthly high priests who served temporarily, Jesus holds an eternal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, as stated in Hebrews 7:17. Jesus, being without sin, was uniquely qualified to represent humanity before God. His sinless state of perfection enables him to empathize with human weaknesses and offer perfect intercession.
The work of Jesus as the Great High Priest goes beyond priestly work. It involved offering a better sacrifice than any other High Priest could offer in their service to God. In the old covenant, the high priest offered animal sacrifices repeatedly for the atonement of sins. Jesus, as the Lamb of God, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of God’s people, providing eternal redemption. While the earthly high priests operated within the confines of the tabernacle or temple, Jesus entered the true heavenly sanctuary to intercede for His people. His sacrificial work is not confined to earthly limitations but extends to the eternal realm.
Jesus’ priestly work involved offering up a proper sacrifice of himself to God while at the very same time taking away the sin of his people (John 1:29). R.C. Sproul writes the following:
On the Day of Atonement, two animals were involved in the liturgical ceremonies, a lamb and a scapegoat. The priest sacrificed the lamb on the altar for the sins of the people. The priest also took the scapegoat and placed his hands on it, symbolizing the transfer of the sins of the nation to the back of the goat. Immediately the scapegoat was driven outside the camp into the wilderness, that barren place of remote desolation—to the outer darkness away from any proximity to the presence of God. The scapegoat received the curse. He was cut off from the land of the living, cut off from the presence of God.2R. C. Sproul, Who Is Jesus?, vol. 1, The Crucial Questions Series (Lake Mary, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2009), 83–84.
As Jesus died on the cross, he served as both High Priest and the sacrificial lamb. He offered up a better sacrifice to God and took away sins—fulfilling the priestly duties with perfection and fulfilling the sacrificial system under the old covenant in every way possible in order to please God.
Jesus’ final words on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), signify the completion of His work of redemption. His sacrificial death and resurrection accomplished salvation for all who have faith in God through Jesus Christ. The work of Jesus as the Great High Priest is superior to the old covenant priesthood. His sacrifice is perfect and once-for-all, surpassing the temporary atonement provided by animal sacrifices. Through Him, believers have direct access to God’s presence.
As Jesus died on the cross, he served as both High Priest and the sacrificial lamb. He offered up a better sacrifice to God and took away sins—fulfilling the priestly duties with perfection and fulfilling the sacrificial system under the old covenant in every way possible in order to please God.
When God designed the mercy seat and the ark of the covenant, it was to reside within a tent structure. The people of Israel were pilgrims who followed the presence and direction of God. They constructed their tents around the main tent structure of the tabernacle where God met with his people in covenant worship. This has great significance as we come to the early part of John’s Gospel and see that Jesus came unto his people and “dwelt” among them (John 1:14). The Greek term “σκηνόω” translated “dwelt” in English literally means “to live, settle, take up residence.” It carries the idea of pitching a tent. John is not describing a camping adventure of the Son of God, but what he is communicating is of enormous importance. In the incarnation, when Jesus took upon himself human flesh, it was connected to the scene at the end of Exodus when the glory of God descended among God’s people in a tent.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.3John 1:14 – ESV
This is a theme that’s interwoven through the pages of Scripture from the old covenant to the new covenant. Ultimately, the hope of God’s people is that we will one day dwell with God and God will dwell with us for all of eternity. This very same term used about Jesus “dwelling” among his people is repeated again in Revelation 21 when God’s people are united with God in the new heavens and the new earth.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.4Revelation 21:3 – ESV
Because of Jesus’ completed work, believers now have bold access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We can approach God confidently, knowing that Jesus intercedes for us.
Because of Jesus’ completed work, believers now have bold access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We can approach God confidently, knowing that Jesus intercedes for us. Jesus’ priestly work involves a once-for-all sacrifice for sin, but carries on as the one true Mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). The author of Hebrews describes Jesus’ work as the Great High Priest by writing:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.5Hebrews 9:11-15 – ESV
As Prophet, Jesus represents God to us by preaching the law and delivering the good news of hope to guilty sinners. As Priest, Jesus represents us to God by covering our sin with his blood and offering up a satisfactory sacrifice that is well pleasing to God.
Have you listened to the message of Jesus? Have you come to him to receive the benefits of his righteous offering? Perhaps today you need to call upon the Lord who saves sinners.
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