the priest has died

Great reminder of a simple and wonderful foreshadowing by Doug Wilson:

In the older covenant, when a man had the misfortune of killing another man by accident, the law made a provision for him to help him evade the avenger of blood. He could flee to one of the designated cities of refuge. In order to remain safe, he had to remain in that city until the death of the high priest. When the high priest died, he was at liberty to go, and the blood avenger could not touch him.

This is an odd picture. A man is bound to a particular city, and for him, the death of the high priest—ordinarily a time of grief and lamentation—would have been unmitigated good news. The high priest has died . . . you are free to go.

We are in that same position. Our high priest has died, and the fact that He rose again did not alter the fact that He died. Because the high priest died, we are free to go. The accuser has nothing to say to us, for we may simply reply that “the high priest has died.” The blood avenger might want to do us harm, but we are secure—the high priest has died. This is a plea for which there is no answer, no comeback.

We commemorate this reality every week. This is His body, broken for you. This is His blood, shed for you. This Table is located in the heavenly places, set up in great sanctuary there, and we know that the Father looks on what we are doing with pleasure. We are free to go anywhere, including there, because the High Priest has died.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.