When the High Priest Dies

This morning, for some reason, I was contemplating the concept of "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life." While many interpret this as meaning that the Old Testament law kills, but the New Testament writings give life, I beg to differ.

One of the reasons I differ is because of something I saw a few years ago, written in the book of Numbers. I nearly fell over when I read it, because under their system, it makes no sense. There can really be no question at all that it was written for us, under our “system.”

When the Israelites reached their land of promise, they were to establish cities of refuge. The idea here was that if a person accidentally killed another person, he was to go to the city of refuge. There would then be a trial, and afterward, he would go back to the city of refuge, if it was determined that yes, indeed, he had not intentionally killed the other person.

In our modern times, we can make the intentional/unintentional killing distinction pretty easily. Intentional killing would be taking a semi-automatic into a shopping center and letting lose, or taking a knife and killing someone while they’re lying asleep in bed. Unintentional killing would include even stupidity, like driving drunk, losing control of the car, and hitting another car and killing the driver. Not at all something we’d recommend, but if there was no malice involved, it was not, under their law, considered “murder.”

Not a bad system, I suppose, but it’s what happens next that seems to have meaning only to us.

The unintentional killer was required to stay in the city of refuge—never leaving its gates—until the death of the high priest. When the high priest died, he could leave, and the rest of the world—particularly the avenger of blood—had to treat him as though he had never killed anyone.

We know who our high priest is. He has died already. Which means that every one of us is free to leave our cell of guilt at any time. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captive. Hey, you’re a free man. You don’t need to stay here anymore, because the high priest has died.

Most of us know this—in theory, at least. But what happens when you sin? When, without having intended to do so, you say or do something that tears someone else apart? I know what I do, and it isn’t pretty. Sit around and moan and groan and feel guilty and depressed and hopeless. Definitely not taking life by the horns, and doing pretty good to even get to the city of refuge.

What are we supposed to do? Tell God we sinned. Now, is that about the simplest thing you ever heard? Just tell Him you sinned. Something anyone can do! And His job is to forgive, and to cleanse you of it.

And that, folks, is God’s idea of justice.

Cool, hey?

Thank you!

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