I believe that there is an important overlooked significance regarding Yom Kippur in relation to Yeshua, and I will do my best to articulate my thoughts on this. Leviticus 16 gives us the explanation of Yom Kippur (or Day of Atonement) which is the most Holy Holiday in Judaism. We are told that there are two goats to be offered, one for HaShem and one of Azazel. All of the impurities and sins of Israel were transferred onto the goat for Azazel, which in most English translations is referred to as the "scapegoat". This parallels what we know about Yeshua and how the sins of the world was transferred onto him.
"Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel.
And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering,
but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel." - Leviticus 16:7-10
The ancient practice of casting lots would be the same as throwing dice or flipping a coin we commonly use today. In ancient times, they used varying means to cast lots, depending on the place and local customs, such as coins, polished sticks, cards, dice, and so on. The Book of Matthew also speaks of the Roman soldiers casting lots for Yeshua's clothing, which is very reminiscent of Aaron casting lots over the two goats, in Leviticus 16, previously quoted above.
"And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots." - Matthew 27:3
The first goat was sacrificed as an offering to HaShem and the second was set free and released to Azazel (who represents evil, or Satan). Azazel's goat was to be released out in the wilderness, the other goat was to be sacrificed for the sins of the people. Barabbas was set free (or set out in the wilderness) while the sacrifice of Yeshua was to atone for the sins of all mankind.
Barabbas, whose name was actually Yeshua Bar Abba (ישוע בר אבא), which literally means “son of the father”. Most English translations only refer to him only as Barabbas, however if we go back to Mark 27:16, in original Greek, we see his full name is Yeshua (Jesus) Barabbas:
Barabbas is named in all four Gospels, as well as in the Book of The Acts of The Apostles. Even tough their are variations on his crimes, they all agree that Barabbas deserves to be on trial.
Matthew calls him a notorious prisoner:
"And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas." - Matthew 27:16
Mark and Luke both state that he had committed murder in the insurrection:
"And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas." - Mark 15:7
"But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"
a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder." - Luke 23:18-19
John states that Barabbas was a thief:
"They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber." - John 18:40
Peter also refers to him a murderer in one of his first sermons:
"The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." - Acts 3:13-15
The Jewish leaders who chose to release Barabbas and to condemn Yeshua, were literally given a choice to choose between two different “sons of the father”. Barabbas obviously represented the son of the father (the father as the devil) and Yeshua, who was the Son of The Father G*d. We know this as Yeshua had already told them the following:
"I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.
They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” - John 8:37-47
It's all about Yeshua cleansing our sins with his own blood sacrifice. This is also referred to in the Book of Hebrews in the following verses:
"But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant." - Hebrews 9:11-15
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10
As a humble disciple of Yeshua, I personally choose to observe this holiday each year, as I believe that we are instructed to do so. It's a day to repent, fast and pray; to make a small personal sacrifice for HaShem. From the passages below, we see that this is a statute.
“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.
For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins.
It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever." - Leviticus 6:29-31
"And this shall be a statute forever for you, that atonement may be made for the people of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” And Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses." - Leviticus 6:34
I know that observance of Yom Kippur is not standard practice for Christians, but I also know what Yeshua said regarding these OT laws. When my day comes to stand before judgement, I want to be prepared and I want all of my brothers and sisters out there to be prepared as well. Yeshua specifically tells us that he did not come to abolish The Torah, in the following verses:
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill them.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19
Yeshua was the ultimate blood sacrifice and atonement for our sins. I personally feel that's why G*d allowed his temple to be destroyed in 70 A.D., as the ultimate sacrifice had already been made and his people were to no longer make these types of blood sacrifices. The blood of Yeshua washed away our sins, once and for all. The necessity of the blood sacrifice on Yom Kippur was rendered void by Yeshua’s death on the cross. He was as the goat that was to be sacrificed for the sins of the people.
"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." - 1 John 2:2
הרבה אהבה וברכה
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