Read

Hebrews 9:16-23

¹⁶Now when someone dies and leaves a will, no one gets anything until it is proved that the person who wrote the will is dead. ¹⁷The will goes into effect only after the death of the person who wrote it. While the person is still alive, no one can use the will to get any of the things promised to them.

¹⁸That is why blood was required under the first covenant as a proof of death. ¹⁹For after Moses had given the people all of God’s laws, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s laws and all the people, using branches of hyssop bushes and scarlet wool. ²⁰Then he said, “This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.” ²¹And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the sacred tent and on everything used for worship. ²²In fact, we can say that according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified by sprinkling with blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

²³That is why the earthly tent 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.

Reflect

As we get older, we often make plans on what will happen to our things after we die. The common story is we all dream of a rich uncle that leaves us a large inheritance. Since a testament (as in “last will and testament”) only takes effect when a person making the testament dies, Jesus also had to die for the testament - the covenant - to take effect. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. There is no perfect forgiveness without a perfect sacrifice.

Respond

What is the inheritance we are guaranteed by Jesus’ death on the cross?

Why wasn’t the spilled blood of the old covenant good enough to forgive sin permanently?

Why is Jesus’ sacrifice superior to those offered by the High Priests of Israel?

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