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Easter is about faith, because by His resurrection Jesus has been installed as the mediator, the firmament boundary between God and man.
In the Old Testament, priests served as mediators, who stood in the middle between God and man. Organized in a ring around Yahweh's tent, the priests served as a protective barrier between the Holy God and His people. When priests ascended the altar or entered the tent to minister, they did so on behalf of the people.
Jesus is a mediator in both of these senses. He took flesh to stand with His people, and because His people sinned, He offered Himself in their place. And so Paul confesses His new covenant Shema: "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," who became mediator when He "gave Himself as a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Jesus mediates a better covenant, Hebrews tells us, because by His death He redeemed from transgressions committed under the first covenant.
But Jesus' work as mediating priest did not end with His death. He has been raised, and because He is raised, He lives to make intercession for us. He is not only the ransom sacrifice; He is the broker of reconciliation between God and man, the umpire, the advocate.
Under the Old Covenant, not even the high priest could enter the presence of God when he pleased; but because of Jesus the Risen Mediator, we can approach His throne in bold faith. Easter faith means trusting that Christ the Risen High Priest has entered the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. Easter faith means trusting that, because of Him, we too can draw near.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, April 30, 2006 at 08:02 AM
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