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The Living Mercy Seat

by Dr. Mary Healy

Is the God of the Old Testament a harsh and vengeful God, in contrast to the God of the New? On the contrary, in the Old Testament God first reveals the depths of his mercy. It was after Israel committed its most egregious sin, the idolatry of the golden calf, that the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, continuing his steadfast love for a thousand generations (Ex 34:6-7).

Even more, God provided a visible way that his people could continually receive his mercy. He instructed Moses to build the wilderness tabernacle, a movable tent-sanctuary in which God would dwell in the midst of his people as they journeyed toward the Promised Land. Inside the tabernacle was an inner room, the Holy of Holies, and inside the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred vessel on earth. The Ark held three holy objects: a jar of manna, the rod of the high priest Aaron that had miraculously blossomed, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments. These reminded the people of the covenant God made with them and his gracious provision for all their needs.

But the most significant part of the Ark was its cover, a slab of pure gold on which were two golden cherubim, awesome creatures with their wings outspread, overshadowing the Ark. This cover was called the Mercy Seat, because it was here that God manifested his mercy. (Some translations call it the Propitiatory, or place of the wiping away of sins.) Each year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull and goat on the Mercy Seat, making atonement for Israel's sins (Lev 16:14-16) so the Israelites could continue in fellowship with the living God.

Cherubim had special significance because they are first seen in the Garden of Eden after the Fall, barring the way to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:24). These creatures that represented God's just judgment on sin, on paradise lost, are now a sign of God's merciful forgiveness of sin. They gaze down on the Mercy Seat in humble amazement. They testify that God's plan for humanity is a return to paradise!

As wonderful as it was, the Mercy Seat of the Old Covenant was only a foreshadowing of what was to come, For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins (Heb 10:4). God's people were still captive to sin. Access to the all-holy God was still barred, except for the high priest, and even he could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year. The Mercy Seat prepared God's people to understand the infinitely greater mercy that was to come.

The Greek word for the Mercy Seat is hilasterion. In Romans 3:25, Paul reveals the mystery: Jesus himself is the hilasterion, the expiation for our sins. At the moment of his death on the cross, the veil of the Templethe veil that closed off access to the Holy of Holie—was torn in two from top to bottom (Mk 15:38). Christ, torn and crushed by the sins of humanity, has opened the way into the very heart of God. He was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and entered the true, heavenly tabernacle with his own blood, making atonement for all the unfaithfulness, rebellion, and corruption of fallen human beings.

God's people now are invited to confidently enter into God's presence and draw from the inexhaustible fountain of divine mercy (cf. Heb 4:16). The Mercy Seat is Jesus! In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins (1 Jn 4:10).

Dr. Mary Healy

Dr. Mary Healy is associate professor of Sacred Scripture at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

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Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a Christ-centered Catholic community of faith and higher learning committed to forming leaders who will proclaim the good news of Christ to the people of our time. As a leading center of the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart serves the needs of the Archdiocese of Detroit and contributes to the mission of the universal Church.