The
ancient sacrifices, as well as ceremonies, are “a similitude
of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father” {Moses
5:7] and much can be learned about the atonement of Jesus
Christ by studying the sacrificial rites and ceremony of
the Day of Atonement. This paper is designed to draw parallels
between the actions of the high priest on that solemn day
and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the great High Priest.
Elder
Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “The symbolism and meaning of the
ordinances and ceremonies performed on the Day of Atonement
are set forth by Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews. He
calls the tabernacle-temple ‘a worldly sanctuary,’ wherein
sacrificial ordinances were performed each year by Levitical
priests to atone for the sins of men and prepare them to
enter the Holy of Holies. These ordinances were to remain
‘until the time of reformation,’ when Christ should come
as a high priest of ‘a greater and more perfect tabernacle,’
to prepare himself and all men, by the shedding of his own
blood, to obtain ‘eternal redemption’ in the heavenly tabernacle.
The old covenant was but ‘a shadow of good things to come
… For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins …But this man, after he had
offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the
right hand of God’ [Heb. 9 & 10]. How perfectly the
Mosaic ordinances testify of Him by whom salvation comes
and in whose holy name all men are commanded to worship
the Eternal father forevermore!” [McConkie, The Promised
Messiah, pp. 435-37]
Atonement
means to make “at one” or reconciliation. Through Jesus
Christ’s atoning sacrifice, mankind can be reconciled to
God and be restored to their former state with Him [Hugh
Nibley, “The Meaning of the Atonement”, Approaching Zion,
pp. 554-614]. Because of the Fall, mankind became spiritually
and physically cut off from the presence of God, subject
to the effects of the natural man, death and the influence
of Satan. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can
overcome these effects of the Fall and be brought back into
God’s presence. “O how great the goodness of God, who prepareth
a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster,
yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death
of the body and also the death of the spirit.”[2
Nephi
9:10]
YOM KIPPUR
At
the beginning of the Yom Kippur service, the high priest
bathes and puts on garments of white linen (not his usual,
ornate high priestly vestures) and again washes his hands
and feet. This ritual makes the high priest “clean” before
the Lord, representing Jesus Christ, the sinless one [Heb.
4:15].
The
high priest then enters the temple court and lays his hands
upon a young bull that is destined for the sacrifice that
stands ready between the porch and the altar and recites
the first confessional. The bull, the most expensive of
the sacrificial animals, can also by symbolic of Jesus Christ
who bore the sins of all mankind. In Apocryphal writings,
the Messiah is known as a bull. “And I saw that a white
bull was born, with large horns, and all the beasts of the
field and bird of the air feared him and made petition to
him continually. And I saw till all their kinds were transformed,
and they all became white cattle.” [R. H. Charles, The
Psuedepigrapha of the Old Testament, 1977] “All interpreters
agree that the white bull represents the David Messiah”.
[Religious Studies Monograph Series, Isaiah and the Prophets,
Vol. 10, p. 14, LDS Collectors Library ’97]
The
high priest then moves to the east of the altar to where
two goats stand ready. Both are of equal size, the same
appearance, and cost an equal sum of money. He then casts
lots upon the two goats. One was to be for the Lord as
a sin offering and the other for Azazel, the completely
separate one, the evil spirit regarded as swelling in the
desert, to be sent away live into the wilderness. The reason
for casting lots instead of choosing the goat, was to steer
clear of suggesting that the Priest or the people were offering
an animal to Azazel. [Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16,
p. 1020] The sacrificial goat can be symbolically representative
of the sins of mankind and the Azazel goat, of Satan and
those whom he has overcome.
Returning
to the area where the bull is tethered, once again he places
his hands on the animal and repeats the confessional, except
this time it is in behalf of the sons of Aaron instead of
“for I and my household.” After this second confessional,
the high priest slaughters the bull, gathering the blood
in a basin, which he hands to a waiting priest. It is the
duty of this priest to keep stirring the blood, so that
it does not coagulate.
The
high priest walks up the ramp leading to the altar and fills
a golden fire-pan with burning coals, sprinkles incense
on the coals to create smoke, and prepares to enter the
Holy of Holies. It is important to note that no one besides
the high priest was allowed to be present in the tabernacle
while the acts of atonement were being performed.
In
Isaiah 63:3 we read, “I have trodden the winepress alone”[emphasis
added]. The high priest takes the smoking fire-pan into
the Holy of Holies. The purpose of the smoke cloud is to
shield him from the presence of God.
Rabbi
Jacob Milgrom, who is the Jewish authority on ancient Israel
sacrifice and ceremony wrote, “The fact that the smoke screen
is to cover the kapporet (mercy seat) … is to shield the
divine presence that rests on the kapporet, between the
cherubim.” [Milgrom, Leviticus 1-16, p. 1031] Stephen
Robinson in his book, Believing Christ, explains,
“In Gethsemane the best among us vicariously became the
worst among us and suffered the very depths of hell. And
as one who was guilty, the Savior experienced for the first
time in his life the loss of the Spirit of God and of communion
with his Father. There was for him no support, no help
— neither from his friends who slept through his agony,
nor from the spirit of God, which departed from him. No
one has ever been as alone as Christ in the Garden. [p.
119]
The
high priest also takes into the Holy of Holies the blood
of the bull, as his own sin offering and sprinkles the blood
upon the mercy seat and then seven times before the seat
as an atonement for the Holy of Holies. The blood of the
bull represents Christ’s offering for sin. “Which suffering
caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble
because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer
both body and spirit …” [Doc. & Cov. 18:18]
Then
the high priest retreats from the Holy of Holies and kills
the sacrificial goat, the congregation’s sin offering, and
takes its blood in to the Holy of Holies and sprinkles its
blood in the same manner. The blood of the goat is symbolic
of the sins of Israel — their disobedience and rebelliousness.
Jesus used goats as a metaphor for sin. [Matt. 25:33, 41]
Alma understood the symbolism of blood being equated with
sin when he said, “…how will any of you feel, if ye shall
stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained
with blood and all manner of filthiness…will they not testify
that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?“ [Alma 5:22-23]
“The
term kipper (as in Yom Kippur) literally means purge,
that is to expunge impurity, then the function of all the
blood manipulations becomes clear: to purge the sanctuary
of its accumulated pollution.” [Milgrom, p. 1033]. It is
the blood of Jesus Christ that purges or cleanses our blood.
Alma wrote “I say unto you…there can no man be saved except
his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be
purified until they are cleansed from all stain, (stained
from the blood of our sins) through the blood of him of
whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come
to redeem his people from their sins” [Alma 5:21, insert
added].
Jacob
Milgrom wrote that the meaning of transgression in Hebrew
is rebellion. “Its usage originates in the political sphere,
where it denotes the rebellion of a vassal against his overlord.
By extension, it is transferred to the divine realm, where
it denotes Israel’s rebellion against its God … it is sin
that generates the impurity that not only attacks the sanctuary,
but penetrates into the adytum (Holy of Holies) and pollutes
the kapporet (the mercy seat), the very seat of the Godhead.”
[p. 1034]
“Why
the urgency to purge the sanctuary? The answer lies in
this postulate: The God of Israel will not abide in a polluted
sanctuary.” [Milgrom, p. 256] Individually, we are sanctuaries
where the Spirit of God dwells, like the Holy of Holies.
Paul stated, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” {l Corinthians
3:14] As man transgresses the laws of God, the spirit of
the Lord withdraws and our inner sanctuary becomes polluted.
“Therefore,
the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy
temples”. [Mosiah 36:37].
Jesus
Christ took our sins (the blood of the goat) and wrought
the perfect atonement with His blood (the blood of the bull)
in order to reconcile us to God so that we can have His
spirit to be with us and pave the way that we might be able
to re-enter into His presence.
Next,
the high priest enters the Holy Place and sprinkles the
blood of the bullock and then the blood of the goat on the
altar of incense, as an atonement for the Holy Place.
Lastly,
he would mix the remaining blood of the bull and the goat
together and apply it to the horns of the altar of sacrifice,
located in the outer courtyard, as an atonement for the
altar. Drawing parallels from the rites of the Day of Atonement,
it seems that in Gethsemane, Jesus Christ atoned for the
sins of mankind in three distinct segments. We know that
he said the same prayer, “O my Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt” [Matt. 26:39-44] three times, and it seems
that the process was getting more difficult because Jesus
asked that the cup be removed each time. It is also recorded
that he took pause and checked on the apostles three times
to see if they were sleeping, also indicating that the Atonement
was probably wrought in three segments. One can’t imagine
that Christ was so concerned that the apostles stay awake
that he would leave the great infinite process of the atonement
to make sure they did not fall asleep.
The
three levels of the Tabernacle/Temple — the Holy of Holies,
the Holy Place and the Outer Courtyard parallel the three
degrees of heaven, namely the Celestial, Terrestrial and
Telestial Kingdoms. The High Priest first atoned for the
Holy of Holies, then the Holy Place and lastly, the altar
located in the Outer Courtyard. It is possible that Jesus
Christ atoned for the mankind’s sins in that order and that
is why the atonement got progressively more difficult.
The
symbolism of the mixed blood of the goat and the bull for
the altar of sacrifice, located in the outer courtyard,
could represent the suffering that Christ went through for
those of the Telestial Kingdom and the pains they
must also suffer. We know that those who will inherit the
Telestial Kingdom do not inherit that kingdom of glory until
after they have suffered for their sins. Jesus said, “For
behold, I, God have suffered these things for all, that
they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they
would not repent they must suffer even as I” [Doc.
& Cov. 19:16-17, emphasis added].
Gethsemane
means “oil press.” Gat (geth) in Hebrew means “press”
and shemen means “oil.” The weight of all mankind’s
sins pressed heavily upon Jesus Christ insomuch that he
bled from every pore, like an olive that was being pressed.
Olives, when pressed produces a composite, bitter juice,
usually dark red in color.
It
is interesting to note that there are three general pressings
of olive oil, which correlate with the three pressings of
Christ in Gethsemane. The first pressing is called Extra
Virgin and Virgin Olive Oil and has the highest quality
of flavor. Second pressings produce a lower quality of
oil and are often blended with refined oils such as soybean
oil to make it palatable. Olive oil that comes from final
pressings is inedible and requires tremendous forces, in
which the fruit finally becomes a dry pulp, in order to
get every bit of marketable moisture out of the olives.
These last pressings produce extremely bitter, concentrated
acidic liquid. This oil, called olive residue, is used in
cosmetics, detergents, soap, and textiles. [The Repertoire
— A Culinary Workstation, “On the Olive & its Oils”,
1998 p. 1-7, World Book Encyclopedia, Olives, 1990
Edition]
During
the intervals of Gethsemane, Christ came to the disciples
and found them asleep and said, “What, could ye not watch
with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh
is weak.” [Matt. 26: 40-41] Surely, He was not so concerned
about them watching with Him for support but more out of
His concern for them, in reference to the fact that He was
not going to be with them anymore. He was admonishing them
to keep “awake” because He was soon to be leaving them,
and as He told His disciples as recorded in Mark 13:32-37,
“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when
the time is.
For
the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left
his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every
man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch
ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house
cometh, at eve, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or
in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” [emphasis
added]
After
performing the sprinklings of blood, the high priest takes
off his bloodstained linen garments, bathes, and puts on
his official garments. These bloody linen garments are
left in the Holy of Holies. “The garments are endowed with
greater sanctity because the high priest entered the adytum
(Holy of Holies). Thus they must remain in a place of comparable
sanctity, inside the ‘most sacred’ tent and not in the courtyard.”
[Milgrom, p. 1048]. Perhaps these garments are representative
of the garments Christ wore in the garden. If the symbolism
is literal, it would appear that Christ’s garments did not
leave the garden with him. This possibility is supported
by the fact that there is no mention of Christ’s bloodstained
garments in the scriptures during the arrest and trial.
Certainly these garments are sacred, stained with his blood
that was pressed from every pore to satisfy the demands
of justice for each of our sins. It is hard to believe
that these garments were left to the discretion of the Roman
soldiers.
Milgrom
states that this is the only time that bathing after offering
sacrifices is mentioned. [p. 1048] It is certainly possible
that Christ could have removed his bloodstained garments
and washed with water and changed into the official high
priest garment that the Romans soldiers cast lots over.
[John 19:23] We know that an angel was with him [Luke 22:43]
and water could have been provided for him, or he could
have taken some with him or perhaps there was water already
in Gethsemane.
There
is latter-day revelation that also supports the possibility
that the bloodstained garments were preserved by God, instead
of being left in Roman hands. In Doctrine and Covenants
133:46, 49-51 regarding the second coming of Christ, we
read, “And it shall be said: Who is this that cometh down
from God in heaven with dyed garments … And the Lord shall
be red in his apparel, and his garments like him
that treadeth in the wine vat … And his voice shall
be heard: I have trodden the wine-press alone, and have
brought judgment upon all people, and none were with me
… and their blood have I sprinkled upon my garments, and
stained all my raiment ... ” (emphasis added). Perhaps
the garment that he wears at His Second Coming will be the
original garment stained with His atoning blood. I can’t
imagine that it would be one that simply looked like the
original. From these scriptures, the garment is not a solid
red color, but one that is sprinkled with blood red. If
Christ does wear those sacred garments, what a visual mankind
will witness — the effects of His suffering for our sins,
as well as the nail prints in His hands and feet.
After
removing the blood-spattered linen garments from the blood
manipulations in the tabernacle, the high priest puts on
the official high priest regalia to finish the rites of
Yom Kippur. This change could be symbolic of the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It could also represent
Jesus Christ putting off His first coming to earth in the
role of a suffering servant [Isaiah 53], to that of His
second coming, as the Lord of Lords, King of Kings [Rev.
19:16].
After
performing the rites of atonement and dressed in the high
priestly vestures, the goat for Azazel is brought before
the high priest, who then places both his hands upon its
head and confesses all the sins of the people of Israel.
Milgrom explains that because both hands are placed upon
the goat (instead of the usual one-handed sacrificial rite),
it indicates that this animal is not intended for sacrifice.
“The two-handed ceremonial instead serves as a transference
function: to convey, by confession, the sins of Israel
onto the head of the goat.” [p. 1041]
The
Azazel goat is then sent into the wilderness, signifying
the sending away of the sins of the people now expiated
to the Evil One to convince him that they could no more
be brought up in judgment against the people of God [Bible
Dictionary, LDS Edition, p. 671]. Milgrom states that “The
rite with the Azazel goat, by contrast, focuses not on the
effects of Israel’s wrongs, but exclusively on the wrongs
themselves. [p. 1033]
Regarding
the sending of the goat into the wilderness, Milgrom wrote,
“Exorcism of impurity is not enough, its power must be removed.
An attested method is to banish it to its place of origin
…Thus the scapegoat was sent off to the wilderness, which
was considered inhabited by the satyr-demon Azazel” [p.
1044-5]. “The word wilderness here is rendered as
an inaccessible region, literally a cutoff land, in other
words, from which the goat cannot return. It has been observed
that in Akkadian, the terms for wilderness also connote
the netherworld and that demons who are denizens of the
underworld are prone to take residence in the wilderness.
Thus it is possible that the satyr-demon Azazel is being
driven to its natural home in the wilderness/netherworld”
[p. 1045-1046].
This
rite could be symbolic of the final battle where Satan and
those whom he has overcome will be cast out. In Doc. &
Cov. 88:144 we read, “And then cometh the battle of the
great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away
into their own place, that they shall not have power over
the saints any more at all.” It is interesting to note
that this goat was not sacrificed, but sent away alive into
the wilderness. In Revelations19:20 and 20:10, we read
that the servants of Satan and Satan himself are cast alive
into the lake of fire and brimstone.
The
final high priestly ritual on the Day of Atonement involved
the offering of two rams as burnt offering for himself and
his people. The rams were male and without blemish. Burnt
offerings were symbolic of offering of one’s complete dedication
to the Lord, as the animal was entirely consumed and was
considered as a “sweet savor unto the Lord” [Lev. 1:9] and
were done voluntarily [Milgrom, p. 204]. The two rams for
the burnt offerings at the completion of the Day of Atonement
rites could represent Christ and His work, both of which
were entirely dedicated to the Lord. Jesus said, “My meat
is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his
work” [John 4:34]. In Doc. & Cov. 76:106-107, we read,
“…when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet,
and shall have perfected his work; … he shall deliver up
the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying:
I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone.”
The Jews designate one day a year as the Day of
Atonement. We, as Latter-day Saints have the opportunity
each week to remember the atonement of Jesus Christ through
renewing our covenants as we partake of the emblems of His
sacrifice during the sacrament and remember what great things
the Lord has done for each one of us.
Truly
the Old Testament rites and sacrifices were a type and shadow
of Jesus Christ. Alma explained that “there should be a
great and last sacrifice and then shall there be … a stop
to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be
fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and
tittle … and this is the whole meaning of the law, every
whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that
great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite
and eternal” [Alma 34:13-14].
