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. (Hebrews 9:13,14 ESV)
Ashes
To understand this verse, we have to remember that the Hebrew religion taught that God forgives sin through that sinner bringing a sacrifice to pay for sin. Usually in the form of a beautiful and valuable domesticated animal being burnt up. When the sacrifice was finished, all that was left was ashes.
It seemed like an economic and precise way to buy forgiveness. But it was never enough. Both because we sin too often, and too deeply. But God graciously accepted those sacrifices. But the world waited for something better, something more complete, something more absolute.
And then came Jesus.
If ashes were ‘good enough,’ how much better would be the living blood of Christ?
Christ’s crucifixion took the place of the inadequate ashes.
And the fullness of that work changes everything in our relationship with God!
When we try to fix our own sin, all we end up with is ashes. When we try to balance our sin with better deeds, it might appear to work, but all we end up with is ashes. When we try to ignore, ritualize, or pass off our sin onto someone else, all we end up with is ashes.
But we have Christ Jesus.
We are peculiar, we have more than ashes.