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Anglican Church of Noosa
JESUS – Greater Than – The Blood of Christ
Hebrews 9:11-28
Rev’d Chris Johnson – October 24, 2021
There is a popular idea out there that the Old Testament is full of blood and guts whereas the New
Testament is all about love and peace.
We encounter something of the blood and guts of the Old Testament in our Hebrews reading today
because there are so many references to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant.
Did you pick up
how many times the word blood kept coming up in this passage - it is there 11 times and mostly
referring to the animal sacrifices which were instituted by Moses in Exodus and Leviticus.
v.12 talks about the blood of goats and calves
v.13 talks about the blood of goats and bulls
v.19 says that Moses took the blood of calves and
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sprinkled the scroll containing the law,
sprinkled the people with the words, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has
commanded you to keep.”
He then sprinkles the blood around the Tabernacle and on everything used in its ceremonies.
This is serious religion.
This is so far away from our culture and what people find acceptable today.
So, do we just write this off as ancient religion from which we have evolved into a much higher form
of religion today because of Jesus.
We could make it so simple, but of course it's not.
These Jewish scriptures and the faith they
espouse were endorsed by Jesus and in fact Jesus said he was fulfilling them.
The sacrifice of Jesus
on the cross stands in direct line with the sacrificial system of Moses and derives its meaning from it.
Yes, Jesus’ death does replace the sacrifices of the Torah, but it has its foundations in the Torah and
this is what gives the cross its depth and power.
So, what do you think about the blood?
In both secular and religious thinking blood is hugely
significant.
Blood is essential for life and when it is spilled, life drains away.
To shed one's blood is to
make the ultimate sacrifice, to give up one's life for some greater good.
Blood is about life and death - the life and death of an animal; the life and death of a human being.
The first thought for me about blood is that this is something serious.
Maybe the first thing we can
say about the sacrificial systems of both the Old and the New Covenants is that we are dealing here
with something serious.
What the blood is pointing to is the seriousness of sin.
The sacrificial system of Moses was instituted
to keep reminding the people of how serious sin was and likewise cross of Christ and his sacrifice is a
reminder to us of how serious sin is.
Our natural disposition is to simply take forgiveness for granted
rather than be staggered that it is possible at all.
We have very little appreciation of the holiness of
God.
We put God under the microscope and think it is our right to question him; rather than let him
put us under the microscope and question us.
There is a place to question God, but only if we have
an attitude of submission where we have let him question us first.
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Our appreciation of the awesome purity and perfection of God is very clouded.
People talk about
God simply as “the big fella upstairs”, or “me mate who fixes things for me”.
Really we should be talking about God in hushed tones; not just because he is the Almighty Creator
of the whole universe; but because he is Holy, Holy, Holy!
So the first thing we can say about blood sacrifice is that it highlights for us the
• seriousness of sin
• the holiness of God
• and that we have a problem - sin cuts us off from God.
But the blood shed on the cross takes us beyond the problem to the solution.
Through the sacrifice
of Christ on the cross we are forgiven.
We do not need to be afraid to take sin seriously because we
know that at the cross there is forgiveness.
I love that line in Amazing Grace which says, “Tis grace
that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.”
The cross should make us terribly afraid if
that is the consequence of sin; but it should also fill us with gratitude and joy that we have a God
who would do that for us.
The cross makes a difference in our relationship with God.
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Where previously, before this holy God we were guilty, now we are justified.
Where previously we were on the path to hell, now we are on the road to heaven.
Where previously we were enemies of God, now we are turned into friends.
Christ's shed blood changes our status before God.
We should stand in awe and it should move us to
our bootstraps.
I think only an element as strong as blood has the power to do that.
Let's look more closely now at the passage itself.
Our author is concerned to draw a sharp contrast
between the sacrifices of the Old Covenant and the sacrifice of Christ in the New Covenant.
The
deficiencies of the Old Covenant sacrifices are highlighted, and the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice is
championed.
Jesus is greater.
V11 The people under the Old Covenant had the Tabernacle built by Moses.
It was an earthly vehicle
for imperfect people to bring sacrifice and know they could be forgiven.
So in v11 Jesus enters the
perfect Tabernacle which of course is heaven itself.
There is no need for cleansing here.
We have the
imperfect Tabernacle and the perfect Tabernacle.
V12 In the earthly Tabernacle it was the blood of involuntary animals that was used to remind the
people of their sin and need for forgiveness.
In the New Covenant it is Christ who enters voluntarily
into the Most Holy Place to make sacrifice with his own blood and by that obtain our eternal
redemption.
V13,14 Under the Old Covenant it was only an outward cleansing but the blood of Christ brings an
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