Hebrews 9:11-28
New Living Translation
Christ Is the Perfect Sacrifice
11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.[e] He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds[f] so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 15 That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
16 Now when someone leaves a will,[g] it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead.[h] 17 The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.
18 That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. 19 For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats,[i] along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. 20 Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.”[j] 21 And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. 22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
23 That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals.
24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age[k] to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.
27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
My thoughts and observations:
Our High Priest, Jesus Christ, entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
Christ died to set us free from the penalty of the sins we have committed.
Blood confirms the covenant.
Christ will come again to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Teaching Points
But. Here is that all-important word again. Just when things looked the bleakest, Christ appeared. He did almost appear out of nowhere. He didn’t come with a lot of fanfare. He just came and what He did changed the world.
He is the high priest of good things to come. In James 1:17 we learn that every good gift is from above. Jesus is the priest who mediates between us and God and bestows upon us the good gifts of God.
Verses 11-12 talk some about where Jesus entered. It is described as a “greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this creation.” In this case, I’m not sure the author is talking about a real place. The main point is that He is comparing what Jesus did (offer atonement for us with His own blood) to what the Levites did. The focus is on the comparison and on Jesus sacrifice for us as our high priest. So it may not be a real place (and IMO isn’t). But the imagery can help us to understand what Jesus did. The imagery shows Jesus going into the holy place just like the Levite priests did. But instead of offering the blood of animals He offered His own. Imagine a risen Christ entering this place and offering up His own blood that He shed for us. The image is very poignant.
Through His own blood – He sacrificed Himself in the most excruciatingly painful way imaginable.
Once for all – Here is this key phrase once again. Jesus doesn’t need to go into the holy place on a yearly basis. Once was enough. There is a song called “there is power in the blood.” Jesus’ blood sacrifice was so intensely effective that His blood is enough for all time.
Jesus offered Himself – It wasn’t His responsibility. He didn’t have to. He chose to because of His love for us. Do you offer of yourself to others? Do you put others first or yourself? Do you offer yourself to God?
Without blemish – Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God, innocent and unstained by the world.
Steve Holder 