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The Day of Atonement, as we looked at this Sunday, reveals that we need a mediator to go before us; our hearts and world need to be purified, and the sins we carry need to be removed. This gift of the Day of Atonement was given to the people of God in Leviticus as a means to maintain and continue a relationship with God. God longed to dwell with His people and desired that they would long to dwell with Him. To do so, this act of sacrifice was required.
We see in Jesus the perfection of this gift of atonement. Through the atoning work of the cross, we have our mediator, our purifier, and the one who takes away the sins of the world. Thanks be to God!
In Levitical law, following the sacrifices, while the blood was placed on the atonement lid, the mercy seat, of the ark the bodies would be carried out and disregarded outside the camp of the community. Recall that when the goat was sent away, he was sent out of the camp away from the people, to be cut off. In the same way, this death and decay would be removed and taken away. This practice continues throughout the Old Testament and even into the New Testament. Outside the camp, it became a place of death and decay and soon became a place where the outcasts would find themselves. Whether they were sent out due to illness such as leprosy, sent out because of crimes, or were marginalized by society, what we know is this was a place of suffering and pain. Hebrews 13 tells us that this is where Jesus went.
“11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:11-14 NIV)
This is where Jesus went. He was sent outside of the city, where his body would be disregarded and crucified. He was sent out as a common criminal, though he committed no crime. He embraced this journey of suffering and pain; in doing so, his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins, and on himself, he bore the sins of the world, taking them to the grave.
What we see in this imagery is the beauty of Jesus. He came to identify with the broken, the outcast, the needy, and the suffering. Before you question who that is, know it is you. All of us were left broken, cast out, and suffering because of the ramifications and consequences of sin in our lives and around us. Yet even then, Jesus came for us. He sought us out. He purchased us with his blood and is making us new.
I love how the verse continues with a call to action. “Let us go to him outside the camp.” What is the writer revealing to us? That Jesus is still there ministering, seeking, and saving those who are lost, those who are distant, and those who are far off. Let us join in the effort to bring the good news to those who need it. Let us not enjoy the comforts we have found because we know our true comfort and home is coming.
Will you join Jesus outside the camp? Will you join in the mission to bring the Gospel to the world?