Jesus, the Living Mercy Seat

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb, crying.
As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white,
seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 
John 20:10-11

When Mary looked into the tomb, Jesus had already risen.  In His place she saw two angels, one at the head and one at the foot. Why is this significant?

In the temple in Jerusalem, in the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, was a very precious, very holy box called the “Ark of the Covenant.” It was most holy because the ark contained the two stone tablets on which God Himself had inscribed the Ten Commandments on which His covenant with the Hebrew people was founded. 

The lid for the ark of the covenant was called the “Mercy Seat,” or the “Atonement Cover.” God described it expressly to Moses in Exodus 25:12-21: 

“Make an atonement cover (mercy seat) of pure gold… Make two cherubim out of hammered gold and the ends of the cover, one cherub at one end, and the other at the other end. They are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.”

Here, between the two cherubim, above the Mercy Seat, God would meet with Moses, and, later, in the temple in Jerusalem, the high priest. This was so holy, so sacred, because here God lived. 

Hebrews 9:22 says: “the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Whenever anyone sinned, the blood of a sacrificed animal covered that sin and restored fellowship between the sinner and God. But each sacrifice covered only one person’s sin for one day. Each person who sinned had to offer a blood sacrifice to cover their personal sin, over and over and over again.

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to approach the Mercy Seat of God. On this one special day each year, he offered a sacrifice on behalf of the whole nation of Israel, to blot out the entire nation’s sins for the whole year.

The high priest lit incense so that its smoke hid the Mercy Seat so that he would not be able to see God, and so not die. No one could look on God’s face and live. The high priest then sprinkled blood from sacrificed animals on the front of the Mercy Seat, and in front of the Mercy Seat to make atonement for the sin of all the people. But this was not permanent; sacrifice had to be made repeatedly year after year: sacrifice after sacrifice, every day, every month, every year. No sacrifice could ever be enough to  cover over every sin.

But that all changed with Jesus. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price and provided the final atonement for sin, once for all. Jesus took our sin upon Himself.

When Mary looked into the tomb, she saw two angels where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot, just like the two cherubim at the two ends of the mercy seat over the ark of the covenant. Where was Jesus? He was risen.

Jesus has become our living Mercy Seat, our Atonement Cover. With His blood, He paid the penalty for all sin, everyone’s sin, for all time. When He was nailed to the cross, our sins were nailed there with Him, once for all time. There is no longer any need for constant blood sacrifice to try to cover over all our sin.

Romans 5:9 says: “Since, therefore, we have been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God”. 

Imagine you are sitting at the defendant’s table in a court of law, your lawyer beside you. The Judge is God Himself. The prosecuting counsel is Satan. God calls on the prosecution: “Who is there to condemn him (her)?” Satan rises, and begins to list every single sin you have ever committed, from stealing 5 cents from your mother’s purse, to back-mouthing your Dad when you were 10 years old, and on to other, perhaps greater, sins. Before this, you thought you were a good person, not much of a sinner, but as Satan continues his diatribe, you shrink, ashamed, further and further, finally realizing that all those “little things” you brushed off were really sin. You’re not as “good” as you thought you were.

Finally, after what seems like hours, Satan has listed every single sin you have ever committed. He pauses and says, “I rest my case.” 

You feel terrible, guilty, worthy of condemnation.

Then the Judge, God, says, “Who is there to speak on his (her) behalf?”

Your lawyer stands up. Finally you see Who it is. That’s right; it’s Jesus.

He speaks very simply: “Everything My adversary said is true. However, the penalty is paid in full. I took all his (her) sin upon me, and I died in his (her) place.”

God placed His judgment: “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. “(John 8:36)

Satan raged–and fled, defeated.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”(Revelation 12:10)

Then God said, “Who is there to condemn you?”

You look around, and see Satan has gone. “No one”.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” declares the Lord. “Go and sin no more.” 

On Resurrection Sunday this year, we celebrate the victory that Jesus won for us. We no longer need the blood of bulls and goats sprinkled repeatedly upon a Mercy Seat made of gold; we have a living Mercy Seat, a living Saviour, a living Atonement Cover Who is able to present us spotless before our God. As Jesus said about Himself to Nicodemus: “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) May this be your hope as you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. 

Sermon: The Triumph of Jesus’ Resurrection

If you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, or if you are in need of prayer, please reach out to our Prayer Team at [email protected].

May the peace and blessings of the risen Lord be with you and your family. Happy Resurrection Sunday!

The Team@
Action4Canada