A Drastic Change

There are some events in history that cause drastic changes in how “business as usual” is carried out. The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forever changed how nations viewed military tactics and added “the nuclear option” to our vocabulary. When President Kennedy was assassinated it caused drastic changes in how the Secret Service went about protecting the President of the United States. The September 11th attacks forever changed the protocols for commercial airline safety.

These events forever altered the status quo and had a trickle-down effect into the way we handle everyday life. There is probably no greater example of this kind of event than the crucifixion of Jesus. Because of Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, everything about man’s relationship with God was changed.

Though the crucifixion of Jesus was a great tragedy and a tremendous miscarriage of justice, its effect is the reason we can call the day He was crucified Good Friday. Jesus’ death changed everything, and we would never choose to go back to the way things used to be.

The Old Way

Before we can understand how drastically Jesus changed things, we have to understand how things used to be. In the Old Testament, God had laid out for the Jews how they were to approach Him. This system was designed to drive home an important point: that we are sinful, and our sin must be dealt with. Basically, the people were supposed to offer animal sacrifices as a way of atoning for their sinful actions. They would a perfect, innocent animal to the priest, and he would offer sacrifices on their behalf.

The people did not offer their sacrifices to God directly. They had to act through an intermediary. The temple itself drove home this point. Only priests could enter the temple. The people were only allowed in the outer courtyards. Inside the temple there was yet another room called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. This room represented the very presence of God and only one man was allowed to enter it. And he could only go in once a year! To drive home this point (and to ensure no one entered the room accidentally) there was a thick, woven curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple.

The high priest served as a representative of the people of God, and everything about the way he dressed and prepared was designed to reinforce that point. He wore a garment made of finely woven linen. On his chest he wore a breastpiece with 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. They sat over his heart to remind him and the people that he was their representative before God. He wore two stones on his shoulders, which were engraved with the names of the tribes, once again indicative that he was representing the people before God. On his head, he wore a medallion that was engraved, “Holy to the Lord”.

Before entering the Most Holy Place, the high priest would have to go through a series of sacrifices and rituals to ensure that his sin had been dealt with. He sprinkled blood over nearly everything, including himself. This was to pay for his sin and the sin of the people so He did not come before God in an unworthy manner. If he did, God might punish him by taking his life. The Jews took this very seriously and the Day of Atonement (the day when the priest would enter the Most Holy Place), was a very solemn day. The whole process was intended to remind them that this was a matter of life and death. God’s holiness demanded that sin must be dealt with.

The New Way

It is against this backdrop that we can begin to understand the difference Jesus’ death makes. The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is a new kind of high priest. The old way of doing things is called the Old Covenant. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection initiated a New Covenant, a new way of relating to God.

So let’s contrast the difference between the high priest under the Old Covenant and Jesus, the high priest under the New Covenant. Here’s what the writer of Hebrews said about Jesus’ role in the new Covenant.

19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22, NLT)

We see several things from this. First, Jesus didn’t need to offer a sacrifice for his sin. Under the Old Covenant, the high priest was a sinful human being himself. Jesus, on the other hand was sinless. The priests would sacrifice an innocent animal as a way of paying for their sin. Jesus had no sin, so he could offer himself as a sacrifice. His blood is what purifies us, not the blood of an animal.

Jesus only needed to offer his sacrifice once. Under the Old Covenant, the high priest was to offer sacrifices over and over again. He was to slaughter innocent animals as a way of paying for his sin and the people’s sin. The problem is that these sacrifices weren’t really effective. Rather, they were serving as an image that pointed forward to the one perfect sacrifice that Jesus would offer.

Unlike the blood of animals, the blood of Jesus actually paid for sin once and for all. The writer of Hebrews tells us that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, his work is finished, while the work of the high priest under the Old Covenant was never finished. There was always another sacrifice to offer. Jesus’ sacrifice paid for our sin once and for all.

Jesus opened the pathway to God. Under the Old Covenant, the only way to come to God was through an intermediary, a human priest who served as the go-between between man and God. And once a year, the high priest would enter God’s presence directly, serving as a representative of the people before God.

But remember what happened at the moment of Jesus’ death? There was a great earthquake and the curtain in the temple that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was torn from top to bottom. This was symbolic of the drastic change that Jesus’ death made in our relationship with God. Instead of needing to go through a priest to get to God, Jesus opened the pathway for us to go directly into the presence of God ourselves.

Jesus has made us holy before God by His blood. He has purified us and made it so our relationship with God is forever changed. Though we must still repent of our sin and seek His forgiveness, we are now free to go before the Lord directly because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

Application

The temptation on Good Friday is to spend a few moments remembering the crucifixion of Jesus and His sacrifice, and then leave and act like it never happened. It’s one thing to spend some time reflecting on the difference Jesus makes, it’s another to actually allow it to impact the way we live. The writer of Hebrews points out that Jesus’ sacrifice demands a response from us.

23Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25, NLT)

Here we are given three things that are the proper response to Jesus forever changing our relationship with God. We will look at each in turn.

First, we are to hold tightly to the hope we affirm. Because of Jesus we have hope that is more than just wishful thinking. We can trust in the future Jesus has promised us because He is faithful. This enables us to live our lives boldly, even in the face of difficulty, persecution, and in the times when we feel weak. We can keep going because we know the outcome.

A professor from New York University once asked people what they had to live for. He was shocked that 94% of the respondents were living now hoping for something better in the future. They were enduring the present in the hopes that the future would be better. This is a common mentality in our society. Most people in our society believe that one day things will get better. They believe “everything happens for a reason.”

What I think is a much more interesting follow up question to people is, “Why do you have hope that the future will be better?” I would guess that the average person doesn’t really have a response to that question. They simply believe the future will be better because they want it to be. They have a blind hope for the future—really nothing more than wishful thinking. I can understand that desire. It’s depressing to think that this is as good as it gets. Especially in the difficult times of life we all want to believe that there is something better on the horizon. We want to believe that everything happens for a reason. The question is whether that statement is true. And if we think it is, the question is why can we believe it?

The Christian has hope for the future, but unlike the rest of the world, it is not a blind hope. The Christian does not have hope for a better future simply because it’s what they want—it is not merely wishful thinking. We have hope because Jesus promised us a future and He has proven himself faithful over and over throughout history and throughout our own lives. Jesus promises that one day we will be with Him in paradise. He says we will be set free from the curse of sin, that we will be reunited with those who have gone before, and that our bodies, minds, and whole world will be redeemed to once again function the way they were intended. Jesus promises us that death is not the end of the story, but that there is a much greater inheritance that awaits us in the life that is to come.

But the Christian does not have hope only for the life to come. Jesus gives us hope in this life as well. He has promised that He is with us in all things, until the end of this age (Matthew 28). God has promised that He is ultimately working all things in our lives out for His good purposes (Romans 8:28). He promises us that we will be blessed if we are obedient to Him (Matthew 5). These things are blessings we can experience in the here and now. We don’t have to wait until we die.

That is why the writer of Hebrews tells us to hold tightly, without wavering, to our hope for the future. It enables us to remain faithful even when life gets hard. It lets us keep moving forward even when we can’t see where the road leads. It means we can keep being obedient even when we are afraid that the cost is too great. We can keep going forward because of the hope we have. And our hope is not mere positive thinking. It is anchored to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because of what Jesus did at Calvary, we can have hope for today and for the future.

Second, we are to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Because we have this hope, and because we have been shown a greater love than we can even fathom, that same kind of love should naturally flow out of us into the people around us.

If we’re honest with ourselves, however, it often does not. Many times we get caught up in our own little world. We focus on what we want and what we think we are owed rather than what is right and good and loving. We view each other as competition for the small slice of happiness that is available, so we are always looking out for “number one.” We often think of love as primarily a feeling—that if we don’t feel loving, we can’t be loving. That’s not true. Love is a choice. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we are to encourage one another to live in the way God has called us to—to love others the way He has loved us.

It’s interesting that the word used here is to “spur” one another on to love and good works. Spurs can be used to gently prod a large animal (such as a horse) to go in the direction you want. Similarly, we are called to help one another to stay on course and move closer to living the kind of life God has called us to. We can spur one another on in several different ways.

We can encourage one another through prayer. When we see another believer going through a difficult time or struggling in the faith, we can pray for them or with them. Some of the most emotional (and encouraging) times I have had have come from having other believers pray for me. Hearing their heartfelt pleas to God on my behalf gave me the courage to keep moving in the direction I knew God wanted. When you see a believer going through a difficult time, pray that God would give them strength and direction. Offer to pray with them, let them hear you ask God for His help. There is great power in prayer, if only we will use it.

We can encourage one another through our example. When we do things God’s way it can encourage others to do the same. Our example need not be flashy, nor do we need to attempt to grab the attention of others. Often it is the person who is quietly obedient to the Lord and seeks to be faithful in even the little things of life that has the greatest impact on those around them. When people see you respond kindly to the person who is mean to you, they take notice. When they see you choosing to live simply rather than succumbing to the lie that you always need more, they notice. When they see you turn toward God instead of away from Him when things get tough, it encourages others. Strive to be faithful yourself and you will help others to do the same.

We can encourage one another through God’s Word. God’s Word is incredibly powerful. When we study it deeply, when we commit it to memory, when we seek to put it into practice and then help others to do the same, it can have a transforming effect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Study God’s Word for yourself and share with others what God is teaching you—you may be surprised at how God can use you to encourage those around you.

We can encourage one another by catching others doing things right. Rather than constantly looking for the failures of others, help them do better by looking for ways they are doing things right. Look for the ways people are having success in their walk with the Lord and encourage them. When you see someone step out in faith, let them know you see their faithfulness. When you see someone take a step away from a sin you know they struggle with, encourage them because you see them moving in the right direction. Sometimes people take a step out in faith but feel like it doesn’t make a difference, so they give up. But when we let people know that we see them growing, it can give them the courage to keep going. We should strive to encourage one another to keep moving ever closer to the Lord, so look for ways people are making an effort to follow Him and let them know you notice.

Finally, we should make meeting together a priority. God has not designed us to function on our own. Christians do much better together than we do apart. And that’s by design! Even the strongest Christians (including pastors!) have times of weakness, times of doubt, times when they feel like they just can’t go on. The beauty of the Church is that in the times you are weak, there is always someone else who is strong. And when you are strong, you can help those who are weak.

The writer of Hebrews tells us we must continue to gather with other believers so that we never forget the difference Jesus’ sacrifice has made for us. Unfortunately, there are a great number of people who do not believe that it’s important to make worship with other believers a priority in their lives. I have often heard from people that, “You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian!” And that’s a true statement. It’s possible to go to heaven without ever setting foot inside a church. But I liked the way one commentator responded to this statement:

It is true that a person does not have to go to church to be a Christian. He does not have to go home to be married either. But in both cases if he does not, he will have a very poor relationship.[1]

If we want to have a strong relationship with the Lord, we need to be around other believers. God has designed us this way. And if we neglect the gift He has given to us in His Church, then we are foolish and are asking for trouble.

Conclusion

People often ask what’s good about Good Friday. The death of Jesus seems like a terrible thing to commemorate, let alone to celebrate. In the minds of many, to celebrate Good Friday is morbid. Why would we celebrate Jesus’ suffering and death?

The answer is we celebrate because of what it accomplished. Because of Jesus we no longer live under the Old Covenant. We no longer have to be terrified of God because of our sin. We don’t need to sacrifice animals to ensure that our sin is paid for. We can approach God directly without needing a priest. Jesus’ death changed everything. We now live under a New Covenant. Because of Jesus, the world will never be the same.

As we move into communion this evening, this is what we should remember. As we remember his suffering, we must remember why He was willing to endure it. He saw what it would accomplish. As we take the bread, we remember Jesus sacrificing His body to pay for our sin. And as we drink the cup, we remember that Jesus’ blood changed our relationship with God forever. It’s a bittersweet celebration. We mourn for the suffering that Jesus endured to save us, but we rejoice at the difference His suffering made for us.

And the best response to such a wonderful gift is to live in such a way that the world sees we’re different—and it’s all because of Jesus.

[1] Hughes, R. Kent. Hebrews: An Anchor for the Soul. Vol. 2. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1993.