Sermon for 4/3/22: Fifth Sunday in Lent

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High Priest and Sacrifice
Hebrews 9:11-15

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

At the center of the creeds, we confess the saving work of Jesus. And an important part of that article is what we call the threefold office of Christ: that He is, at one and the same time, Prophet, Priest, and King. As Prophet, Jesus reveals Himself by Word and deed to be the Son of God and Savior of the world. As King, our Savior governs all things in heaven and on earth for the sake of His Church. The remaining office is the one to which our text refers: the office of Priest. And, just as the Second Article stands at the center of the Creed, so, too, the Office of Priest stands at the center of the saving work of Christ. It is to this priestly office of Jesus that we direct our attention—which is appropriate in this Lenten season, when we consider the great atoning sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In the Old Testament, the High Priest was God’s representative to men. He spoke for God; he taught God’s Word to the people and urged them to faithfulness; he pronounced the forgiveness of sins and conducted the divinely ordered sacrifices. At the same time, he represented the people before God. He offered sacrifices on their behalf; he brought their prayers to God; he interceded at the mercy seat, seeking for them the pardon and peace of God. In short, the High Priest was the spiritual head of the people of God.

It is against this backdrop that we consider our great High Priest. Compared to Jesus, the Old Testament High Priest fades into insignificance. This is what the Epistle writer is describing when he says: “…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 place, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” After long years of anticipation, the promised Redeemer appeared as the great High Priest who was able to gain for all people and for all time the blessing of everlasting salvation. This he would do by serving as High Priest in that “greater and more perfect tent...” And what that means is that the Son of God came in a most miraculous way, taking on human flesh.

This is the great mystery of the Incarnation. Jesus, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, concealed His deity behind that human nature He received when He was conceived. Without ever separating Himself from His divine nature, He took into that divine nature His human nature, so that He could fulfill all that was required for our salvation. His “tent,” therefore, was perfect. In spite of the fact that Jesus was, in every sense, a true man, there was not the slightest taint of sin in Him. His enemies found nothing for which they could honestly accuse Him. They examined every detail of His life, and yet, He could fearlessly challenge them all, as He did in today’s Gospel: “Which of you convicts me of sin?” Jesus is the great High Priest, the one we need! This same writer to the Hebrews said: “…It was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”

That Day of Atonement, where the High Priest conducted an elaborate sacrifice for himself and the people, is done; Jesus, the only High Priest who could bring a perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for sin, fulfilled it. And now the veil is torn in two, and we are permitted to see the once-for-all holy place, and none are kept from seeing the New Testament holy of holies, the altar of the cross. Not only this, but we are also allowed to witness the sacrificial offering. Our great High Priest offers Himself as the sacrifice. The blood of the Lamb of God flows freely, and as we witness this dreadful, and yet wonderful, scene, we join the ancient prophet in his confession: “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”

While this world continues, and human hearts bleed, and souls cry out for pardon and peace, it will be the same: “It is finished!” Even the Old Testament saints were saved by this great High Priest and His perfect sacrifice. Our redemption needs never be repeated or improved. Ours is the holy blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. What the holy writer said is true: “...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...” Thanks be to God for this gift of boundless grace! In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

           The peace which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.