HOLY WEEK DARK SATURDAY : SCAPEGOAT JESUS
J. Grant Swank, Jr.
". . .they took the body of Jesus. . .as the manner of the Jews is to bury." John 19:40
When Jesus died on the cross, He died as our High Priest. When He breathed His last, the veil in Jerusalem’s temple split in half from top to bottom. From top for it was God’s hand ripping it from heaven’s throne. To bottom for it was God’s hand opening up the Holy of Holies to "whosoever will may come."
The veil was two feet thick. It separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. For that veil to be ripped in two was nothing other than the miraculous power of God’s mighty hand. In that severance of the holy fabric, Jesus’ cry let loose: "It is finished."
His holy mission — He was obedient even unto the death of the cross — was completed. Therefore, the Father could open the Holy of Holies to the dying High Priest and all who would throw themselves upon His mercy seat.
He henceforth would officiate over our repentant souls. He would grant us mercy in heaven’s court. He would intercede on our behalf to the Father. He would minister to our souls’ needs. He, High Priest, would see through all the obligations set forth in the Old Testament, but now in the light of His having fulfilled all the law.
However, Jesus became not only our High Priest when He died upon Calvary. He also became our Scapegoat. On the Day of Atonement in the autumn of each year the Hebraic High Priest entered the temple’s Holy of Holies. He was the only mortal permitted into that precinct reserved for the shekinah glory of Jehovah.
Suspended in space above the Ark of the Covenant was a ball of holy, glory fire — the special residence of deity on Earth.
When the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, walking behind the veil that separated the Holy Place from the thirty-foot cube Holy of Holies, he dipped his thumb in blood, splattering the blood seven times against the Ark of the Covenant’s lid — the Mercy Seat. Seven is the divine number of perfection. The High Priest, the stand in for the twelve tribes of Israel gathered on the hills outside the temple, then implored Jehovah’s mercy to come upon their repentant souls.
As the blood was splattered atop the Mercy Seat, the two carved cherubim looked on from either side of the Ark’s lid, their wings stretched outward toward the side walls of the Holy of Holies. In the Ark were the manna receptacle, Aaron’s rod that budded and the Ten Commandments tablet. The manna represented Jehovah’s care of daily bread for His people. The rod represented Jehovah’s holy control over the people via the Levitical priests. And the commandments represented His moral code for holy living.
Now with Jesus dying on the cross, He entered into heaven’s Holy of Holies as the Holy City’s temple’s veil was rent in two. Whosoever henceforth could enter the holy precincts, could take advantage of the splattering of the seven-fountained Jesus-body slain for sinners. Whosoever could fling his contrite soul upon divine grace, assured of the High Priest Christ’s forgiveness bestowed.
Along with the High Priest’s yearly ritual inside the Holy of Holies was his liturgical act of dealing with the scapegoat outside the temple confines. A goat was brought to him on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest laid his hands upon the goat’s head, signifying the sins of the twelve tribes being laid upon the goat’s head.
Then the goat was led into the wilderness, far from the community so that it could never find its way back to the Hebraic tribes. The goat carried away their sins into oblivion. The goat escaped — hence, scapegoat — into nothingness, carrying the burden of sins upon his head.
As Jesus died upon the cross, He became not only our High Priest, such act splitting the temple’s veil in two. He also became the Scapegoat. Upon His holy head all the sins of the world of all time were placed. He, the One who did no wrong, carried every mortal’s wrong with Him into death. With that, He bowed His head, breathed His last, and gave up the ghost to the Father. "It is finished." Sanctified mission accomplished.
As His body was taken from the cross, wrapped for burial and then laid in a borrowed tomb, Jesus carried our madness, our meanness, our evil, our stubborn souls, our disobedience, into the wilderness of the tomb. By carrying our sins away — far away so that they can never return to the repentant heart — they are forgotten by God, they are forgiven by God.
This is salvation through Jesus. This is the gospel — Good News. This is the purpose of Jesus’ coming as God incarnate. This is the crux of it all — from Genesis to Revelation. There is no other prime motive for God becoming flesh-and-blood than to present Himself willingly upon Calvary as High Priest and Scapegoat.
Good Friday reminds us of our High Priest Christ. Dark Saturday reminds us of our Scapegoat Christ.
As we contemplate the Holy One taking our awfulness upon His weary head, we cry out: "Forgive me, Lord. Save my soul. I don’t deserve You. I don’t deserve even approaching You. Yet you invite me to Your side, to Your heavenly abode. Take me then, Jesus, High Priest and Scapegoat. Take all of me, all of me, now and evermore. So be it, Lord. So be it."
". . .they took the body of Jesus. . .as the manner of the Jews is to bury." John 19:40
When Jesus died on the cross, He died as our High Priest. When He breathed His last, the veil in Jerusalem’s temple split in half from top to bottom. From top for it was God’s hand ripping it from heaven’s throne. To bottom for it was God’s hand opening up the Holy of Holies to "whosoever will may come."
The veil was two feet thick. It separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. For that veil to be ripped in two was nothing other than the miraculous power of God’s mighty hand. In that severance of the holy fabric, Jesus’ cry let loose: "It is finished."
His holy mission — He was obedient even unto the death of the cross — was completed. Therefore, the Father could open the Holy of Holies to the dying High Priest and all who would throw themselves upon His mercy seat.
He henceforth would officiate over our repentant souls. He would grant us mercy in heaven’s court. He would intercede on our behalf to the Father. He would minister to our souls’ needs. He, High Priest, would see through all the obligations set forth in the Old Testament, but now in the light of His having fulfilled all the law.
However, Jesus became not only our High Priest when He died upon Calvary. He also became our Scapegoat. On the Day of Atonement in the autumn of each year the Hebraic High Priest entered the temple’s Holy of Holies. He was the only mortal permitted into that precinct reserved for the shekinah glory of Jehovah.
Suspended in space above the Ark of the Covenant was a ball of holy, glory fire — the special residence of deity on Earth.
When the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, walking behind the veil that separated the Holy Place from the thirty-foot cube Holy of Holies, he dipped his thumb in blood, splattering the blood seven times against the Ark of the Covenant’s lid — the Mercy Seat. Seven is the divine number of perfection. The High Priest, the stand in for the twelve tribes of Israel gathered on the hills outside the temple, then implored Jehovah’s mercy to come upon their repentant souls.
As the blood was splattered atop the Mercy Seat, the two carved cherubim looked on from either side of the Ark’s lid, their wings stretched outward toward the side walls of the Holy of Holies. In the Ark were the manna receptacle, Aaron’s rod that budded and the Ten Commandments tablet. The manna represented Jehovah’s care of daily bread for His people. The rod represented Jehovah’s holy control over the people via the Levitical priests. And the commandments represented His moral code for holy living.
Now with Jesus dying on the cross, He entered into heaven’s Holy of Holies as the Holy City’s temple’s veil was rent in two. Whosoever henceforth could enter the holy precincts, could take advantage of the splattering of the seven-fountained Jesus-body slain for sinners. Whosoever could fling his contrite soul upon divine grace, assured of the High Priest Christ’s forgiveness bestowed.
Along with the High Priest’s yearly ritual inside the Holy of Holies was his liturgical act of dealing with the scapegoat outside the temple confines. A goat was brought to him on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest laid his hands upon the goat’s head, signifying the sins of the twelve tribes being laid upon the goat’s head.
Then the goat was led into the wilderness, far from the community so that it could never find its way back to the Hebraic tribes. The goat carried away their sins into oblivion. The goat escaped — hence, scapegoat — into nothingness, carrying the burden of sins upon his head.
As Jesus died upon the cross, He became not only our High Priest, such act splitting the temple’s veil in two. He also became the Scapegoat. Upon His holy head all the sins of the world of all time were placed. He, the One who did no wrong, carried every mortal’s wrong with Him into death. With that, He bowed His head, breathed His last, and gave up the ghost to the Father. "It is finished." Sanctified mission accomplished.
As His body was taken from the cross, wrapped for burial and then laid in a borrowed tomb, Jesus carried our madness, our meanness, our evil, our stubborn souls, our disobedience, into the wilderness of the tomb. By carrying our sins away — far away so that they can never return to the repentant heart — they are forgotten by God, they are forgiven by God.
This is salvation through Jesus. This is the gospel — Good News. This is the purpose of Jesus’ coming as God incarnate. This is the crux of it all — from Genesis to Revelation. There is no other prime motive for God becoming flesh-and-blood than to present Himself willingly upon Calvary as High Priest and Scapegoat.
Good Friday reminds us of our High Priest Christ. Dark Saturday reminds us of our Scapegoat Christ.
As we contemplate the Holy One taking our awfulness upon His weary head, we cry out: "Forgive me, Lord. Save my soul. I don’t deserve You. I don’t deserve even approaching You. Yet you invite me to Your side, to Your heavenly abode. Take me then, Jesus, High Priest and Scapegoat. Take all of me, all of me, now and evermore. So be it, Lord. So be it."
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