A MYSTICAL ANCIENT RITUAL THAT TOOK PLACE BEFORE MESSIAH COULD DIE FOR YOUR SINS AND
ONE THAT YOU YOURSELF NEED TO PERFORM.
WE'RE GONNA OPEN UP A MYSTERY THAT THE TEACHER OPENS UP FOR THE DISCIPLE IN THE BOOK OF MYSTERIES
CALLED THE MYSTERY OF THE SEMIKHAH.
WHAT'S A SEMIKHAH?
THE SEMIKHAH WAS A SACRED ACT THAT HAD TO TAKE
PLACE BEFORE A SACRIFICE COULD BE OFFERED UP
FOR THE SINS OF THE ONE OFFERING IT.
OR BEFORE THE SCAPEGOAT ON YOM KIPPUR COULD TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF THE ENTIRE NATION.
WHAT DID IT INVOLVE?
- TEACHER: IT INVOLVED PHYSICAL CONTACT.
THE PRIEST, THE ONE OFFERING THE SACRIFICE HAD TO MAKE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE
SACRIFICE THAT WAS GONNA DIE.
HE HAD TO TOUCH IT.
SPECIFICALLY, HE HAD TO TAKE THE PALMS OF HIS
HANDS AND PLACE IT ON THE HEAD OF THE SACRIFICE.
- JONATHAN: AS IT WAS WRITTEN, ON YOM KIPPUR AARON THE
PRIEST SHALL LAY BOTH HIS HANDS ON THE HEAD OF THE
LIVE GOAT AND CONFESS OVER IT ALL THE SINS OF THE
CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
ONLY AFTER THIS SEMIKHAH WAS PERFORMED COULD THE
SCAPEGOAT TAKE AWAY THE NATION'S SINS OR THE SACRIFICE BE OFFERED UP.
NOW WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT WHEN YOU PLACED YOUR
HANDS ON THE SACRIFICE THAT DIED FOR YOUR SINS,
YOU WERE IDENTIFYING IT, YOU'RE BECOMING ONE WITH IT.
EVERYTHING THAT IS YOURS, YOUR SINS BECOME THE
SACRIFICE AND SO THEN THE SACRIFICE COULD DIE FOR
YOUR SINS BECAUSE IT BECOMES ONE WITH YOU.
THAT'S WHAT THIS SEMIKHAH IS ALL ABOUT, THE TOUCHING.
WELL HERE'S THE MYSTERY.
MESSIAH IS THE SACRIFICE.
HE'S THE ATONEMENT.
SO IF HE IS THE ATONEMENT, COULD IT BE THAT BEFORE HE CAN DIE FOR SIN,
BEFORE HE DID, THIS SEMIKHAH WAS ACTUALLY PERFORMED ON HIM?
WHO WAS IT THAT OFFERED THE SACRIFICES?
THE PRIESTS.
WHO WAS IT THAT DELIVERED MESSIAH, JESUS, TO HIS DEATH?
THE PRIESTS.
THEREFORE, ACCORDING TO THE MYSTERY, THE PRIEST HAD TO MAKE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE
SACRIFICE WITH THEIR HANDS, SO IT'S RECORDED THAT AFTER CONDEMNING MESSIAH TO DEATH, THE
PRIESTS BEGAN TO STRIKE HIM REPEATEDLY WITH THEIR HANDS.
SEE, FOR THE SEMIKHAH TO BE ACCOMPLISHED, THEY HAD
TO TOUCH THE HEAD OF THE SACRIFICE WITH THEIR HANDS.
SO IT'S RECORDED THE PRIESTS SPECIFICALLY STRUCK HIS FACE, HIS HEAD.
IN THE SEMIKHAH, THE ONE OFFERING THE SACRIFICE HAS TO TOUCH THE SACRIFICE WITH THE PALMS
OF THEIR HANDS.
SO THE ACCOUNT ACTUALLY RECORDS IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK THAT HOW THEY STRUCK HIM, IT WAS WITH
THE PALMS OF THEIR HANDS.
THERE'S EVEN A RABBINICAL WRITING THAT STATES WHEN
MORE THAN ONE PERSON OFFERS THE SACRIFICE, THEY HAVE TO ALL PERFORM THE SEMIKHAH, LIKE
A GROUP SEMIKHAH.
THEY ALL HAVE TO TAKE THEIR PALMS, TOUCH THE HEAD OF THE SACRIFICE.
SO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ANCIENT MYSTERY, IT WAS
ONLY AFTER THEY PERFORMED THIS, THE SEMIKHAH --
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING, THEY HAD NO IDEA.
THEY WERE OFFERING UP MESSIAH FOR BAD REASONS, BUT GOD IS STILL SOVEREIGN.
MESSIAH, ONLY THEN, AFTER THE SEMIKHAH WAS PERFORMED, WAS LED AWAY TO BE SLAIN FOR YOUR
SINS, MY SINS.
AND WHAT HAPPENED IN THE EARTHLY REALM IS A SYMBOL
OF WHAT TOOK PLACE IN THE HEAVENLY REALM.
SEE, IT WAS ULTIMATELY GOD WHO PERFORMED THE SEMIKHAH.
SEE, GOD PLACED YOUR SINS, MY SINS, UPON THE HEAD OF MESSIAH; SPECIFICALLY YOUR SINS,
SPECIFICALLY ON HIS HEAD, SPECIFICALLY THAT IN HIS
DEATH, THOSE WHOSE SINS ARE PUT UPON HIM ARE GONE
NEVER TO COME BACK.
THE ACT OF THE SEMIKHAH.
NOW, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE.
WHAT DOES TV TO DO WITH YOU?
NOT ONLY DOES IT SAVE YOU, BUT HOW DID YOU COME TO MESSIAH?
YOU PERFORMED THE SEMIKHAH YOURSELF.
YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT.
YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN THE WORD SEMIKHAH, BUT YOU DID.
YOU REACHED WITH YOUR LIFE, AND YOU TOUCHED YOUR LIFE, YOU JOINED YOUR LIFE, WITH HIM
2000 YEARS AGO ON THE CROSS.
AND EVERYTHING THAT WAS YOURS, YOUR SINS BECAME HIS.
WHEN YOU DO THE SINNER'S PRAYER, YOU'RE SAYING YOU
DIED FOR MY SINS.
YOU'RE PERFORMING THE SEMIKHAH, AND WE HAVE TO
PERFORM THAT SEMIKHAH EVERY DAY, AND THAT IS
WHATEVER YOU HAVE, WHATEVER YOU BEAR, YOUR SINS, YOUR PROBLEMS, YOU NEED TO TOUCH HIM
WITH IT.
REACH ACROSS AND TOUCH HIM.
HE IS YOUR SACRIFICE.
HE WILL TAKE IT, AND YOU'LL BE FREE.
PERFORM THE SEMIKHAH.
BRING EVERYTHING OF YOURS TO HIM, AND ALL HIS
BLESSINGS WILL BE YOURS.