Love goes both ways Pt 11: Christ is your High Priest
Hebrews 9:11-15 11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
High priest and perfect tabernacle
During the days of the sacrificial system, there were about 200 chief priests who rotated through the office of High Priest for the period of one year. There were many subordinate priests and Levites whose jobs were to see to the proper functioning of the temple. The chief priests were in charge of the daily and weekly temple services, the temple treasury, and maintenance of the sacred vessels. The ordinary priests kept the altar fires lit, attended to the various offerings, and were responsible for the actual killing of the sacrificial animals. The Levites served one week at a time as guards, policemen, doorkeepers, singers, musicians, and keepers of the temple.
This passage is describing a reorientation of the Levitical system away from a somewhat busy, chaotic, and messy sacrificial system to a simpler, cleaner, and eternal system of worship. Unlike the earthly priests who served in a man-made tabernacle, Christ is exalted in his unique priestly role and also signals a radical reorientation from the temporal to the eternal.
The sacrificial system was instituted by God soon after the fall of man for a variety of reasons. One was to show his people that sin was a serious issue which needed to be addressed continually. Another was to show that any human attempt to deal with sin would always be ineffectual. But the most important reason, related to the second, was to point the way to the coming of Yeshua the Messiah who would be the full and efficacious Redeemer and Savior of mankind1. The perfect tabernacle mentioned in these verses is not a physical building but a spiritual dimension of God’s presence. The implication is profound: Jesus does not merely continue or improve upon the old covenant priesthood—He inaugurates a superior one that operates in a higher sphere.
The notion of a "greater and more perfect tabernacle" also addresses the inadequacy of the old covenant system to deal with sin in a final way. The physical tabernacle, while divinely ordained, was ultimately insufficient. Its limitations underscore the necessity of a priest who could mediate not just ceremonial cleanliness, but spiritual transformation.
Outwardly clean…inwardly blemished
The Levitical sacrifices, performed annually on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), were able to sanctify "for the cleansing of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13), but not the conscience. This distinction is critical: the old system could render a person ritually clean, yet it could not penetrate the inner being to purge guilt or transform character. The repetition of sacrifices was a constant reminder of sin, not its removal. The inner blemish—the corruption of the human heart—remained untouched. The “blood of goats and bulls” could not “make perfect those who draw near” (Heb. 10:1).
By contrast, the cleansing Christ offers is inward and spiritual: “how much more will the blood of Christ...cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:14). The conscience here represents the moral and spiritual core of the person. While outward ritual can impose discipline and community identity, only an inward cleansing can restore true fellowship with God.
The interior work of Christ's blood makes it possible to serve God not in fear, but in freedom. This inward transformation is the hallmark of the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.” The core truth here is that God desires not mere ritual compliance but a transformation of the inner life—a point echoed by Jesus in Matthew 23:25–28, where He condemns outward cleanliness coupled with inward corruption.
Unblemished blood which cleanses
The old system required that every sacrifice animal be less than 1 year old and without spot or blemish. The idea was that all sacrifices honored God in purity and symbolized the holiness He demanded. Jesus' moral and spiritual perfection fulfills this criterion in the ultimate sense. He is the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), fulfilling the typology of the Passover lamb and the atonement goat. His sinlessness is attested throughout the New Testament (cf. 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 3:5), establishing His unique qualification as both priest and sacrifice.
The cleansing power of this blood, then, is not magical but covenantal and moral. It transforms the worshiper’s condition before God and enables authentic service. The phrase “to serve the living God” (Heb. 9:14) signals a restoration of purpose: the redeemed are no longer enslaved to dead works (i.e., sin or ineffective rituals), but are liberated to fulfill their vocation in worship, obedience, and mission.
Mediator of a new Covenant
Christ’s as mediator is necessary because the old covenant, while divinely instituted, could not fully reconcile humanity to God. The Mosaic covenant provided types and shadows, but not substance (Heb. 10:1). Christ, by contrast, mediates a new covenant that brings about real redemption. His death is both retrospective and prospective—it covers the sins of those under the old covenant and secures the eternal inheritance for those under the new.
This covenant was anticipated in the Old Testament, especially in Jeremiah 31:31–34, which promised a new covenant in which God's laws would be written on human hearts and sins remembered no more. Hebrews identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise, establishing a better covenant "enacted on better promises" (Heb. 8:6).
As mediator, Jesus not only inaugurates but also sustains the covenantal relationship. He intercedes continually for believers (Heb. 7:25), ensuring the permanence of their reconciliation with God. As the apostle Paul affirms, "There is one God, and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). His role is not static but dynamic—He is both the historical agent of redemption and the ongoing guarantor of divine-human communion. This new covenant transforms not only religious practice but existential reality. It replaces fear with confidence, alienation with intimacy, and law with grace. As believers, we are no longer under condemnation but under mercy—a radical redefinition of our identity and destiny.
What about me?
Believer, do you sometimes have the feeling that nothing ever changes? And do you think you will always be stuck in your sins and that they are so bad nobody could ever love you? I expect that every person feels that way once in a while, but it is not true. Right now, this very second, Jesus is in the throne room of his Father interceding for you. He is saying, “Joe is a good man, Father. Yes, he struggles with sin, but I’m helping him! He will be OK,”
You can relax. Don’t become complacent though. You should still tell God you are sorry for this thing or that; you should still repent. But it is 100% guaranteed that God will forgive you because you love his Son. Because Jesus is your personal High Priest, and because he absolutely loves you, you are guaranteed eternal life. One day, you will walk in the Eternal City with your hand in Jesus’ hand and you will be laughing and crying all at the same time! In the meantime he will help you with your struggles. Remember, you can trust that forgiveness is real and access to God is open.
1. Lawrence
, N. (2016). What was the purpose of the Sacrificial System? Retrieved from What Was the Purpose of the Sacrificial System? | Hoshana Rabbah BlogHoshana Rabbah Blog