Christ and the Day of Atonement

Leviticus, when rightly read, is a book of vivid images. It was God's intent that it should lead to a 'sensory-rich' worship. The Old Testament believer would experience the day of atonement over and over again - seeing, hearing and smelling the events as the day unfolded.

This day had deep meaning to the Jew, pointing them towards God's provision for forgiving their sins and continuing in fellowship with his chosen people. But the deepest and truest meaning of the day of Atonement only finds its fulfilment when God's own Son divests himself of his glory and takes human form to atone for the sins of the world.

In the last chapter of Luke, we find the resurrected Lord Jesus drawing alongside two mourning followers and interpreting the Old Testament to them so that they could see all that Christ had to suffer in order to enter his glory. I expect that this chapter received special treatment as he opened their eyes to see the true meaning of the High Priest appearing without his resplendent robes to carry sacrificial blood into the holiest place; and as they looked upon one goat slain to atone for sin, and another driven out with the sins of the nation upon him to be abandoned and left alone in the wilderness; and then finally to see the High Priest emerge at the end of the ceremony - resplendent again in glorious robes to make intercession for the nation.

Indeed, with this Old Testament chapter, the Holy Spirit secures the foundation of substitutionary atonement as God's plan to deal with the sins of his people.