Advent Character Monologue #1: Manahem the Priest

          For our Advent candle lightings this year, our church is having actors/actresses from our drama ministry are performing historic-fiction monologues of first-century individuals who are processing the words of Christ from a certain angle and then celebrating his birth. I wrote two of the monologues, and a theological and creative volunteer in our program, Summar, wrote the other two. Below is the first. Enjoy! We'll have one each subsequent Monday.

          Shalom. My name is Manahem, son of Jaron. I am a Levite, born and raised in Galilee. I was appointed and have been a priest for 34 years. There’s a lot to that general job description, but it seems what I do the most is sacrifice. 

          I’ve helped to put all kinds of crops and animals on the altar, and for all kinds of reasons. Some people are really sad to see good crops or cute and healthy animals go because of something they did. Others just don’t care. It would depress you to know the hypocrisy I see in our political leaders and how they take atonement, the idea of being right with their Creator God, for granted.

          Atonement is something I take very seriously. It’s my job to help toward it. I know I’m a bit biased, but I’m proud of the sacrifice ritual and God that I’ve served. Most our neighboring pagan nations and their gods either have borrowed from our holy book or sacrifice things, sometimes even humans, just to feed and manipulate impersonal and angry gods. But our God is holy. He will not be manipulated, and He very much desires our atonement with Him.

          Still, my job sometimes depresses me because, sometimes, I see people basically buy and self-justify their wrongdoing with their sacrifices. And I sometimes wonder . . . if I was God, would these sacrifices really be enough to cover all the injustice and evil that I know these people do?

          So, it piqued my interest when I saw these large crowds gathering to hear this commoner speak. His name was Jesus, son of Joseph, a carpenter. For a commoner, this Jesus knew a lot about the Levitical Law that I had spent so many years studying. He didn’t take it for granted like King Saul did. 

Jesus said he wasn’t going to abolish the Law, but fulfill it. Wasn’t exactly sure what He meant by that at first.

          He also said that to enter the kingdom of Heaven, we must be more righteous than the Pharisees and teachers of the law. I was somewhat intrigued by this. I know a few Pharisees. They’re good about ritual and sacrifice, but I know they have a few skeletons in their closet.

          But what I didn’t understand until later, though, even as a priest that specializes in altar sacrifice, is that He was becoming the perfect sacrifice to atone for people who had violated the Law. Jesus wasn’t sacrificing crops or animals. He was sacrificing himself has someone born under the law . . . and as someone who never violated it. Now, no more animals and crops are necessary to atone with God. 

          So, as I light this candle, I think of Jesus, the son of God the Father, coming to earth as a perfect embodiment. Not only is he the perfect sacrifice, but He is the perfect temple, as people come to Him to approach God the Father. Jesus is also the perfect priest as He is someone who, more so than me, takes atonement with God very seriously. Amen.