How was Jesus’ sacrifice better than the Levitical sacrifices?

Answer

The entire book of Hebrews discusses how the New Covenant in Christ surpasses the Old Covenant and the Law given by Moses. Certain points from Hebrews can help demonstrate why Jesus’ sacrifice is superior to the Levitical sacrifices.

The Levitical priests became priests solely due to their lineage—they were born into the priestly line. In contrast, Jesus was selected by God to be a priest based on His personal qualifications (Hebrews 7:11-22).

There were numerous Levitical priests because they kept dying and needed to be replaced. However, Jesus lives eternally and will forever serve as a priest without replacement (Hebrews 7:23-25).

The Levitical priests had to first offer sacrifices for their own sins and then for the sins of the people. Jesus, on the other hand, was sinless and did not need to offer a sacrifice for Himself (Hebrews 7:26-27).

The Levitical priests served in an earthly setting, while Jesus ministers in a heavenly setting (Hebrews 8:1-5).

The Levitical priests ministered under the Old Covenant, whereas Jesus ministers under a New Covenant. The replacement of the Old with the New by God indicates the superiority of the New Covenant and suggests that the Old Covenant had shortcomings (Hebrews 8:6-13).

The Levitical priests entered the earthly Most Holy Place only once a year with the blood of an animal sacrifice. In contrast, Jesus entered the heavenly Most Holy Place with the sacrifice of His own blood and continues to intercede on our behalf there (Hebrews 9:11-24).

The Levitical priests had to make sacrifices repeatedly, demonstrating the inherent weakness of their sacrifices. Jesus made one sacrifice for all sins, for all people, for all time. The Levitical sacrifices were merely imperfect pointers to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. If they had been adequate in themselves, they would not have been repeated. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to truly take away sin (Hebrews 9:25—10:4).

In summary, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:11-14).

Even after the Levitical priests had made the sacrifice, the way into the Most Holy Place was still barred. The high priest could only go in once per year, and other priests and the people at large could never enter. However, because of the sacrifice of Christ, “we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:19-20). The gospels record that at the death of Jesus, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom «And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; », (Matthew 27:51), signifying that people could have direct access to God.

InIn short, Jesus’ sacrifice surpasses the Levitical sacrifices as it achieved what they could never do—enabling forgiveness of sins once and for all, through a sacrifice that will never be repeated.