Jesus Christ the High Priest - Lev 16:29-31, Heb 5:5-6, Jn 20:16-17

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/222297236619

 

"And it shall be a statute to you for ever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves, and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you; for on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord. It is a sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute for ever. (Lev 16:29-31)"

 

​"So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, >>Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee<<; as he says also in another place, >>Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek.<< (Heb 5:5-6)"

 

​"Jesus said to her, >>Mary.<< She turned and said to him in Hebrew, >>Rab-boni<< (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, >>Do not hold me for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.<< (Jn 20:16-17)"

 

In the Old Testament, Israelites were cleansed from all their sins on one day a year, the Day of Atonement. On this day, the high priest entered the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place, to burn incense and sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices in order that the sins of Israel might be forgiven by God. A sinful man can't come to the holy God, so the high priest first offered sin offerings for his and Israel's sins to God, and went to God, that is, entered the sanctuary, to administer the ritual of atonement before God. In the sanctuary, there were the ark (the Ark of the Covenant) and two cherubs (angels of God) over the ark. Here the ark was thought to be the throne of God. God came upon the ark. And the high priest who had offered sin offerings came to the front of the ark and sprinkled the blood of animals as the ritual of the redemption of sins of Israel.

 

The author of Hebrews says that the tabernacle produced in the days of Moses was an imitation of the prototype in heaven. Actually, God showed Moses the shape of the tabernacle and the sacred utensils that Israel should manufacture, and made Moses manufacture them as told. The book Hebrews says that Jesus is the High Priest, however not after the order of Aaron but of Melchizedek. The words of Hebrews explain well how Jesus performed the office of priest. Jesus needed not offer sin offering for himself because he had no sins. Nevertheless he had to offer sin offering, because he bore all sins of human beings, and because of the sins of humans themselves. Jesus offered sin offering not with the blood of animals but that of himself. Thus, he was qualified to enter the Most Holy Place and to come to God, God the Father, in order to perform the ordinances of the atonement of the sins of mankind. However, the sanctuary Jesus entered is not a model sanctuary in this world but the orignal heavenly sanctuary, that is, the place where there is the throne of God the Father, specifically, the right hand of God the Father, where he ministers as the mediator for us.

 

Then we can guess that there is actually a sanctuary as an archetype in heaven, that God the Father is seated on the throne in the form of father there, that God the Son is seated on the right side of the Father.

 

If a high priest in this world has offered sin offerings for himself and the whole Israel before the entering of the Holy of Holies on the atonement day, he has become holiest, so that he can go before God. Now it is not appropriate for a person to approach and touch the high priest who is in such holiness.

 

When Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, he appeared to Mary, but didn't allow her to hold him. He had offered sin offering to God by the death of crucifixion, so now he was about to ascend to the Father as a holy high priest. It could not be allowed for a person to hold (or touch) Jesus who was in the middle of such an important sacred ministry.

 

After a few days, Jesus appeared to Thomas and other disciples. He told Thomas to see and touch his injured hands and his injured side. Maybe he allowed Thomas to touch him then because he had already met God the Father.

 

Jesus never discriminated between Mary and Thomas. And his ministry of the High Priest was concrete and became an eternal reality for us.