Every fall, Jewish people around the world observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is considered the most holy day on the biblical calendar, a day set apart for repentance, prayer, fasting, and seeking God.
But Yom Kippur isn’t only significant to understanding Jewish tradition. For Christians, it offers a powerful picture of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.
God established the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 and commanded Israel to observe it on the tenth day of the seventh month. Once a year, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies with sacrificial blood to make atonement for the sins of the people. One goat was sacrificed, while another—the “scapegoat”—symbolically carried Israel’s sins away.
Year after year, the ceremony was repeated. Then came Jesus.
Hebrews reveals the incredible connection: Jesus became our perfect High Priest and offered not the blood of animals, but His own blood. Unlike the sacrifices offered repeatedly under the Old Covenant, His sacrifice was made once for all, securing eternal redemption.
Yom Kippur pointed forward to a day when our sin would not simply be covered, it would be dealt with through the finished work of Christ.
Scriptures to Read on Yom Kippur
- Leviticus 16:29–34 — God establishes the Day of Atonement.
- Isaiah 53:4–6 — The Messiah bears our sin.
- Hebrews 9:11–14 — Jesus enters the Most Holy Place with His own blood.
- Hebrews 10:10–14 — Christ's sacrifice is sufficient once for all.
- 1 John 1:9 — God promises forgiveness and cleansing when we confess.
As Christians, we don’t need to repeat the sacrifices of Yom Kippur because Jesus fulfilled what those sacrifices pointed toward. But we can still set apart this biblical holy day to remember and worship.
Consider spending time in prayer and fasting, allowing the Lord to search your heart. Confess areas of sin, forgive those who have wronged you, read the Scriptures above, and thank Jesus specifically for the price He paid for your redemption. You might also spend time praying for Israel and the Jewish people, that they would encounter their Messiah.
Yom Kippur reminds us both of the seriousness of sin and the overwhelming goodness of God's mercy.
The price has been paid. The sacrifice has been made. And because of Jesus, we can boldly enter the presence of God fully forgiven and forever redeemed. Thank You, Jesus!
