11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He 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, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The 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. 14 How 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! (Hebrews 9:11-14)
Health officials encourage us to wash our hands frequently in order to reduce the spread of disease. Our hands tend to collect all kinds of undesirable things, like germs, viruses, and bacteria. While hand sanitizing lotions and wipes have become common and popular, washing your hands with soap and water remains the best way to protect yourself and others. However, no matter how well you wash your hands you are certain to have to wash them again. There is no washing that will remove dirt, germs, viruses, and bacteria from our hands once and for all.
What's true of our outward uncleanness was certainly true of the spiritual uncleanness of God's people under the sacrificial system of the old covenant. The blood that was taken from the animals slain on the altar effectively washed away the sins of the people bringing those sacrifices, but it was a process that had to be repeated over and over again. Even more quickly than our hands pick up new germs, the people washed by the blood of the sacrifices were made unclean by their sinful thoughts, words, and actions. There was no once and for all sacrifice for them. But that changed when "Christ came as high priest."
God established all of the ceremonial things that were before Jesus (i.e., "the good things that are already here") in order to point us to Him. The elaborate tabernacle and its far more spectacular replacement in the temple were man-made models of the heavenly tabernacle through which Jesus went. The high priests went through the earthly models with the blood of animals to secure the forgiveness of sins for themselves and God's people. In the "more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made" Jesus presented a blood sacrifice that was unlike any that had been offered previously. Not only did His blood provide a washing that makes people inwardly clean, it filled all of the blood of goats and calves and bulls that had previously been offered with the power of forgiveness. Apart from His blood, these blood sacrifices had been powerless . But they were never pointless.
As God's people waited, watched, and longed for the promised "Crusher" they lived their lives in service to the living God. Mindful of their sins, they knew that they could not serve Him rightly. Desiring His fellowship and wanting to be acceptable in His sight, they faithfully made use of the sacrificial system that God had put in place for the washing away of their sins through blood. Without these sacrifices they could not serve God. Every time they failed to serve Him in purity of heart and mind they had to repeat the sacrifices. Each time these sacrifices were repeated they were restored — and they looked forward all the more to the day when the Messiah would deliver them from their sins fully and finally so that nothing would stand in the way of their serving the Lord. But, like us imagining a hand wash that would make our hands clean for the rest of our lives, they could not have imagined that God would shed His own blood to make them forever inwardly clean.
When Jesus offered up His life on the Cross of Calvary He passed through the perfect, heavenly tabernacle with the only offering that could satisfy the justice of God the Father and forever appease His wrath. The washing of His blood makes us clean fully and forever. Even though we may (and do) sin daily and much, we remain clean. We have been washed by His blood and set free to serve the God who has saved us. He has given us clean and clear consciences that enable us to come into His presence. Nothing — no sinful thought, word, or action, no accusation, no shortcoming or failure — hinders us from serving the living God.
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