"Why, Soitenly!"

Many years ago I worked for State Mental Health in Alabama … one of those "it-takes-one-to-know-one" jobs where I worked with retarded adults. Each year our clients were required to have a TB skin test and any shots needed.

One particular client, Steve, was terrified of needles. I drew the short straw and had to take Steve to the mental health office for his TB skin test … just a very slight, painless prick of a needle under the skin.

Not a sound from Steve. The test was done about 1:00 that afternoon and Steve didn’t go home until 3:00. The bus route was a 90-minute trip, Steve being the last client to be dropped off. I was driving the bus that day so about 4:30 I let Steve off at his house. Knowing his mother (they attended church where I preached), I stopped to talk with her a few minutes. Meanwhile, Steve gets off the bus, goes into the house, walks out the back door to the back porch and lets out the most blood curdling scream I’ve ever heard!

"What’s wrong with Steve?!" I asked.

"He had his TB test today, right? That’s how he deals with shots. He waits until he gets home and then he responds to the pain."

In a sense, that was Atonement. You could ignore your sins for a while … but you knew come the second week of Tishri, you were going to have to face the pain and embarrassment and humiliation of the 10th day of the 7th month.

But then comes Jeremiah and God speaks through the prophet: I will make a new covenant. Not like Sinai … I will be your God and you will be my people. I will remember your sins no more…!

No more humiliation! No more embarrassment! No more Atonement! No more goats! (Tough on the people of Judah, being the "southern" tribes! But hey, you can’t have everything in life, can you?) No more high priests! Take a few minutes and read Hebrews 10:10 – 22.

Now go with me back to the upper room discussion about the "many rooms" in the Father’s house (John 14). Jesus promised he was going to prepare a place so that where he was, there his disciples could be.

Under the old system in which Jesus lived, there was only one room and room for only one in the "Father’s house" (temple), and that one person was the high priest. And only one day out of the year. And with very much fear. But in Jesus? There are many rooms! And we are invited in!

All of the sacrifices of Atonement could never remove sin. Not permanently. But after Christ offered the one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God … his one sacrifice making us perfect forever! The priest under the old law could never sit down in the Most Holy Place. The only seat in there was the mercy seat and it was God’s throne, not man’s. To sit down meant the work was done. It was an act of rest. The work of the high priest was never done. Only our high priest, Jesus of Nazareth, ever sat down.

Jesus is at rest with our salvation. His work is done. His atonement complete and perfect. His offering was worthy to not only cover our sins, but to remove them completely! And if Jesus is at rest with our salvation, then we can certainly relax in what he’s done and rest as well.

Doesn’t mean we get lazy, but it does mean we stop striving to do enough and be good enough and relax in what God has done, which by the way, pleases Him completely! And in our relaxation, we will work harder for the kingdom than we ever would under a legalistic system of rules and requirements because our respond is out of gratitude. Paul tells us by grace, we work even harder! (Look it up … 2 Corinthians, I think, but I forget just where.)

Since we have such a great high priest …. Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess…. Let us then approach the throne of greace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need! Heb.4:14, 16.

Is this good stuff or what?!?! Next Feast (when I get around to it): Tabernacles