I invite you to engage in five minutes of contemplation with me today.
God is holy. He is big. He is “unapproachable.” If we see his face we might die. If we approach his mountain we will die. If we are unclean before him we will certainly perish. We must need some kind of protection from such a big, holy, unapproachable God, right? That seems to be the picture we commonly understand from the Old Testament (with some very important nuance). And for good reason! So throughout the old covenant, we have Moses as the mediator, with designated priests able to enter the tabernacle, and the high priest alone able to approach the Holy of Holies.
But what changed?
Compare This… With This
The high priest’s garments must not be torn:
“The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.” — Leviticus 21:10
But the high priest tore his own clothes before Jesus:
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy!” — Matthew 26:63–65
The curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place:
“Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” — Exodus 26:33
But the curtain was torn when Jesus died:
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. — Matthew 27:50–51
God chose a specific place for his temple:
When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace… the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.” — 2 Chronicles 7:12
But Jesus said worship is no longer bound to a place:
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” — John 4:21–24
The tribe of Levi was set apart to minister before the Lord:
At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name. — Deuteronomy 10:8
But now there is one mediator:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 2:5
The priest’s lips should keep knowledge:
“For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.” — Malachi 2:7
But Jesus said: don’t put anyone in that seat:
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.” — Matthew 23:8–12
The Controversial Thought
What institutions and authorities have you put in place between yourself and God?
Here is my controversial thought: any person or institution which grabs at power over your life — what you believe, what you think — and positions themselves between you and God Most High, besides the man Jesus Christ — that person or institution is not in line with Christ. That spirit is not Christ’s spirit. To place someone between you and God seems to me antithetical to the whole thrust of the good news about Jesus the Anointed. He is our mediator, our one supreme high priest:
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” — Hebrews 10:19–25
That said, there’s always two sides to a debate. If you have conflicting thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them. We’re all learning together, after all. The truth has nothing to fear.