December 14: Aaron
Read Leviticus 8-9
I must admit, reading Leviticus for my Advent devotions never occurred to me. Nor does Advent have me focusing on Jesus as High Priest. I simply anticipate the joy of Christmas morning, reflecting on Jesus’ birth into such humble surroundings. His Advent to Mary and Joseph in the stable, with cattle, goats and sheep close by. I think of the crudeness of the manger – a feed trough for the animals.
Then I read about the ordination of Aaron as High Priest – was intrigued by the attention to detail with the sacrifice of the animals that day, the goat (or lamb) used as a sin offering and the bread as a grain offering and ironically, I was back at the stable. You see Jesus was born in Bethlehem (meaning “House of Bread”) – the very Bread of Life laid atop the grain came to replace the grain offering.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, born in a stable where lambs were raised and offered up at the temple for the daily sin offering, has come to offer himself as our sin offering. Jesus has come to be our High Priest forever. Perhaps his very first priestly action was there in the stable – a humble announcement to the animals themselves that soon their own sacrifice would be unnecessary. This new High Priest would offer the ultimate sacrifice – Himself.
I must admit, reading Leviticus for my Advent devotions never occurred to me. Nor does Advent have me focusing on Jesus as High Priest. I simply anticipate the joy of Christmas morning, reflecting on Jesus’ birth into such humble surroundings. His Advent to Mary and Joseph in the stable, with cattle, goats and sheep close by. I think of the crudeness of the manger – a feed trough for the animals.
Then I read about the ordination of Aaron as High Priest – was intrigued by the attention to detail with the sacrifice of the animals that day, the goat (or lamb) used as a sin offering and the bread as a grain offering and ironically, I was back at the stable. You see Jesus was born in Bethlehem (meaning “House of Bread”) – the very Bread of Life laid atop the grain came to replace the grain offering.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, born in a stable where lambs were raised and offered up at the temple for the daily sin offering, has come to offer himself as our sin offering. Jesus has come to be our High Priest forever. Perhaps his very first priestly action was there in the stable – a humble announcement to the animals themselves that soon their own sacrifice would be unnecessary. This new High Priest would offer the ultimate sacrifice – Himself.
Pastor Sue Gunderson
Immanuel Lutheran – Baileys Harbor
Immanuel Lutheran – Baileys Harbor
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