On Friday, Nisan 14, in a.d. 30 or 33, a High Priest and his priestly guard lost all their jobs. Even though you might know the events well, you may not realize that these events rendered many priests jobless and the great Temple Mount useless. In order to appreciate this thought, let’s take a look at the order of rituals that took place in the temple at the Passover.
After their daily Tamid sacrifice, which was finished about 3 o’clock, the Passover sacrifices would begin and the priestly guard would make ready for the Passover. The sacrificial killings took place in the court of the Temple and the blood had to be caught by a priest. From there, rows of priests with gold or silver cups in their hands stood in line from the Temple court to the altar; where the blood was sprinkled. These cups were rounded on the bottom, so that they could not be set down; for in that case the blood might coagulate. The priest who caught the blood as it dropped from the victim then handed the cup to the priest next to him, receiving from him an empty one, and the full cup was passed along the line until it reached the last priest, who sprinkled its contents on the altar. The lamb was then hung upon special hooks or sticks and skinned. The abdomen was then cut open, and the fatty portions intended for the altar were taken out, placed in a vessel, salted, and offered by the priest on the altar, while the remaining entrails likewise were taken out and cleansed. The family or society offering the Passover Lamb would retire back to a home and consume the meal by the end of the day which would be the dawning of the next morning.
Now let’s look at what Scripture says about what took place during the crucifixion. Mark 15:33-39, “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” It is interesting to note that the exact time the Passover sacrifices began was the exact time the darkness that God created ended (ninth hour = 3:00pm). This is not a coincidence. God knew exactly what He was doing to communicate to the entire world what the Centurion came to know; “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
In studying this, I couldn’t help but think of the priests. Try to imagine this scene from their standpoint. After a strange period of darkness and an earthquake, the Passover killings began. There is no doubt that the rituals must continue. Here they are standing in a line passing bloody cups back and forth to the altar. Something they had done many times. Their lives were dedicated to keeping this ritual not only for the people, but for themselves as well. I imagined being the last priest who was near the altar sprinkling the sacrificial blood. I thought about how close he was to the curtain of the temple when it tore in two from top to bottom. Though it is not a funny reality, I had to laugh. “What next?” I thought to myself as I imagined being that last priest. Should I peer through the curtain to catch a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant or do I cover my eyes in fear of death? I wondered if the other priests all just froze where they were with a look of bewilderment on their faces as the magnitude of the situation resonated in their minds. Could the people outside the Temple walls hear the clanging of gold or silver cups smashing down on the Temple floors? I wonder if they just simply continued to “perform” their duties as if nothing happened.
The reason I say the priest are now jobless is that their role is now null and void. The sacrifices are of no effect, the rituals became just going through the motions and the beauty of the temple paled in comparison to the beauty of Christ. The only acceptable sacrifice for our sin had just been offered up and, to the pleasure of God, had been fully accepted. These priests with a lifetime of obedience now had a decision to make. Do they continue in vain or do they bow before the One and Only Son of God? I wonder what took place after all this. Well actually, I can imagine what took place next based on things I see today; they continued. People, churches, organizations, ministries and associates steeped in tradition still hold on to them as if they are not null and void. The traditions are held on to as if they are some sort of validation that we are saved despite the countless teachings in Scripture that validate that it is by grace alone. Salvation is through Christ alone and access to God is through Christ alone. The responsibility of man to God lies not in the hand, but rather in the inner man. The conduct of well-intentioned people will never equal the power contained in Christ’s sacrifice; which is the power that is able to save.
After their daily Tamid sacrifice, which was finished about 3 o’clock, the Passover sacrifices would begin and the priestly guard would make ready for the Passover. The sacrificial killings took place in the court of the Temple and the blood had to be caught by a priest. From there, rows of priests with gold or silver cups in their hands stood in line from the Temple court to the altar; where the blood was sprinkled. These cups were rounded on the bottom, so that they could not be set down; for in that case the blood might coagulate. The priest who caught the blood as it dropped from the victim then handed the cup to the priest next to him, receiving from him an empty one, and the full cup was passed along the line until it reached the last priest, who sprinkled its contents on the altar. The lamb was then hung upon special hooks or sticks and skinned. The abdomen was then cut open, and the fatty portions intended for the altar were taken out, placed in a vessel, salted, and offered by the priest on the altar, while the remaining entrails likewise were taken out and cleansed. The family or society offering the Passover Lamb would retire back to a home and consume the meal by the end of the day which would be the dawning of the next morning.
Now let’s look at what Scripture says about what took place during the crucifixion. Mark 15:33-39, “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” It is interesting to note that the exact time the Passover sacrifices began was the exact time the darkness that God created ended (ninth hour = 3:00pm). This is not a coincidence. God knew exactly what He was doing to communicate to the entire world what the Centurion came to know; “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
In studying this, I couldn’t help but think of the priests. Try to imagine this scene from their standpoint. After a strange period of darkness and an earthquake, the Passover killings began. There is no doubt that the rituals must continue. Here they are standing in a line passing bloody cups back and forth to the altar. Something they had done many times. Their lives were dedicated to keeping this ritual not only for the people, but for themselves as well. I imagined being the last priest who was near the altar sprinkling the sacrificial blood. I thought about how close he was to the curtain of the temple when it tore in two from top to bottom. Though it is not a funny reality, I had to laugh. “What next?” I thought to myself as I imagined being that last priest. Should I peer through the curtain to catch a glimpse of the Ark of the Covenant or do I cover my eyes in fear of death? I wondered if the other priests all just froze where they were with a look of bewilderment on their faces as the magnitude of the situation resonated in their minds. Could the people outside the Temple walls hear the clanging of gold or silver cups smashing down on the Temple floors? I wonder if they just simply continued to “perform” their duties as if nothing happened.
The reason I say the priest are now jobless is that their role is now null and void. The sacrifices are of no effect, the rituals became just going through the motions and the beauty of the temple paled in comparison to the beauty of Christ. The only acceptable sacrifice for our sin had just been offered up and, to the pleasure of God, had been fully accepted. These priests with a lifetime of obedience now had a decision to make. Do they continue in vain or do they bow before the One and Only Son of God? I wonder what took place after all this. Well actually, I can imagine what took place next based on things I see today; they continued. People, churches, organizations, ministries and associates steeped in tradition still hold on to them as if they are not null and void. The traditions are held on to as if they are some sort of validation that we are saved despite the countless teachings in Scripture that validate that it is by grace alone. Salvation is through Christ alone and access to God is through Christ alone. The responsibility of man to God lies not in the hand, but rather in the inner man. The conduct of well-intentioned people will never equal the power contained in Christ’s sacrifice; which is the power that is able to save.
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