Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises (Hebrews 8:3-6 NIV).
Note how the author of Hebrews states in the present tense that priests are serving at the sanctuary on earth. Thus Hebrews was obviously written before 70 A.D.!
Why is the ministry of Jesus superior to the ministry of the high priests who were of the lineage of Aaron and who served in the temple in Jerusalem? And why is covenant of which Jesus is the mediator superior to the old covenant of which Moses what the mediator? Let us briefly look at some of the things priests did as their duty under the Mosaic Law. YHWH, the Hebrew sacred name for God, which in most English Bibles is translated as "the LORD," gave Moses on Mt. Sinai, among other laws, regulations which required sacrifices. These sacrifices involved giving over animals and grain to Hebrew priests, who would in turn kill the animals. The required sacrifices included the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering, and the fellowship offering (Leviticus 7:37-38).
Most often, the offering had to be a male animal without defect. The fellowship offering was the most unique in that it could be male or female, and apparently with defect. This seems to have been an offering to provide some food for the priests, yet even it started as an offering to God with all fat parts and the kidneys burned on the altar “to the LORD.” Speaking of food for priests, they got a portion of the grain offering, and they could eat the hide of the guilt offering and certain sin offerings, yet never the fat (Leviticus 7:1-10).
Most of these offerings, not the grain offering obviously, would involve the animal being killed, and then blood was sprinkled on all sides of the altar, or in front of the curtain in the case of the sin offering. After the sprinkling of the blood, the fat portion at least was burned on the altar as a sacrifice to the LORD.
In 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah had the temple cleansed and restored by the Levites, and then the sacrifices by priests resumed. While burnt offerings were sacrificed, some Levites sang, and some Levites played trumpets. Then after the sacrificing, Psalms of David and “Asaph the seer” were sung, and people worshiped God praising Him, which is told about in 2 Chronicles 29:27-30. Killing these animals was a festive occasion for them.
Why did such a slaughter of animals, with blood being sprinkled on an altar or poured out result in atonement for sins? Why all this death of animals?! The death of the animals was the substitute for the death which people deserved. The tragic death of those animals was the purpose of God to bring forgiveness of sins for the Israelites. Israelites could be grateful to God for allowing the animal sacrifice to be accepted by God as atonement for their sins. Yet it was only temporary atonement. God revealed in Genesis that only people were made in the image of God, having a spiritual nature, thus animals could only be a temporary atonement for people.
This animal sacrificing was to foreshadow and prepare the Israelites, and really the world, for the Messiah who was coming to be the Eternal Sacrifice, once for all people. The Messiah made the offer of the permanent forgiveness of sins for any person who believes in Him. And this answers the two questions. The sacrifice of the priests in the temple in Jerusalem resulted in temporary atonement only, whereas the sacrifice of Jesus resulted in permanent atonement, thus the ministry of Jesus is superior to the ministry done by the Israelite priests in the temple. And the Mosaic Covenant required Israelites to obey the Law, yet they were never able to perfectly do so. We learn from the Hebrew Scriptures that often the animal sacrifices were being neglected! Yet Jesus did live a perfect life, and He did fulfill the Law, which included dying as the permanent sacrifice for sins. Thus for any person who believes in Jesus, he or she is forgiven of sins, united with God in Spirit, and enabled by the Holy Spirit to live a life pleasing to God. That is why the New Covenant is superior.
Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone. If a person believes in Jesus, the One who was the perfect substitute for the wages of sin, which is spiritual death, then she or he has eternal life!
Hunter Irvine
