The Crucified Messiah

In his Letter to the Galatians , Paul claims that the source of his apostleship is the same “ God and Father ” who raised His Son, “ Jesus Christ ,” from the dead. And this same Messiah died to “ deliver us from this evil age .” Paul employs this language because his letter is in response to men from Jerusalem who are operating in the church as if the old era was still in effect. Moreover, they were challenging Paul’s apostolic authority and credentials.

The definitive “ word ” that God now speaks “ in the Son ” surpasses all the past revelations made in “ the prophets ,” including Moses. Jesus went beyond them, “ having achieved the purification of sins .” Consequently, he “ sat down ” at the right hand of God and inherited “ all things .” And among other things, his exaltation signaled the commencement of the promised “ New Covenant .”

The Letter to the Hebrews declares that the “ Son ” in whom God now speaks through his death achieved the “ purification of sins ” for his people, and therefore, he is well-qualified to “ sit down at the right hand of the majesty on high .” In this exalted position as the High Priest, he intercedes for the church. And because he offered his own life as the “ once-for-all ” sacrifice for sin, he has inherited an infinitely “ more excellent name ” than even God’s mightiest angels, namely, “ Son .”

According to  Hebrews , God has spoken His decisive and superior “ word ” in His son. Moreover, He did so “ upon the last of these days .” This clause refers to the end of the period epitomized by the Levitical code with its priesthood and repeated animal sacrifices, a system of worship that was centered in the Tabernacle, and later, in the Temple in Jerusalem. With the exaltation of the Son to the “ right hand of the Majesty on High ,” a new and final era of salvation has commenced.

A key point in the opening paragraph of the  Letter to Hebrews  is the accomplishment of the Son on behalf of his people, and his exalted position at the “ right hand ” of God as their High Priest “ forever after the order of Melchizedek .” He alone secured what none of his predecessors did or could do. Through his sacrificial death, he “ achieved the purification of sins ,” and afterward, he “ sat down ” in the “ true and greater Tabernacle ” in God’s very presence where now he intercedes for his church.

When Jesus dispatched his disciples to announce the “ Good News ” to the “ lost sheep of Israel ,” he warned that they would find themselves as “ sheep among wolves .” Hostile men would haul them before “ councils and whip them in their synagogues .” His followers would be hated “ by all men for my sake .” That was the harsh reality they discovered, one faced later by many in the early Church. The very men who should have welcomed Israel’s Messiah instead fought what he represented tooth and nail.