5. The Altar of Incense
Key Verses: John 17:1-26, Exodus 30:1-10, Hebrews 10:1-3,10-12,19-21
The Altar of Incense was placed inside the Holy of Holies directly in front of the Veil. The Veil blocked access to the Ark of the Covenant and its mercy seat, where God was said to dwell. The Altar of Incense was a smaller version of the Altar of Sacrifice with its square shape and horns. But, instead of the sacrifice of an animal, only incense was offered.
Incense was to be burned constantly before in the Holy of Holies. The Priest would do this while offering up prayers on behalf of the people. In John 17, Jesus has just departed from his final meal with his disciples. They have gone to the Mount of Olives to pray.
We read of this intimate moment between Jesus and his Father where he prays on behalf of his disciple throughout time. Hebrews would later describe Jesus as our “great High Priest” who “intercedes on our behalf” to the Father.
Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) paint a different picture of this moment. In the other gospels, this moment is full of much anguish and stress as Jesus asked his Father for a way out of suffering and going to the cross. This is understandable of the other Gospels writers because they are more concerned with telling the story of Jesus from the perspective of his humanity. However, John focuses on the divinity of Jesus. He chooses to focus on a different moment from that night in Gethsemane. He focuses on Jesus’ gratefulness for his followers and his hope that they be empowered by the Father and the Spirit, just as he is.
“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11)
In doing so, Jesus sees his disciples as no different from himself. Knowing about the approaching cross, Jesus expresses that his followers will also experience hardship. But instead of asking for the Father to save his followers FROM hardship, he asks that they become one with the Father so they are empowered to FACE hardship as Jesus does.
“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:14-15)
Incense is a very sacred symbol. The Incense that the Priest used in the Tabernacle was made up of four finely-ground ingredients: gum resin, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense (Exodus 30:34). The Incense was also supposed to contain salt. Salt acted as a symbol of the unchanging nature of God and his Covenant with Israel. Just as the wisps of incense smoke arose up into the ether, so did the priests' offering of worship and prayers raise to God. In the same way God’s provision and Covenant flowed downward onto the people. In his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus says,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13)
Jesus sees our role as his followers to be reminders in the world of the nature of God and the consistency of his love and grace. Jesus even emphasizes In his High Priestly prayer in John 17 that we are to function as himself, empowered by the Father in the Spirit, carrying the word of God.
What good is a reminder of God’s never-ending and unchanging love if it’s spiteful and judgmental?
What good is a representative of Jesus that doesn’t practice good theology and instead cherry-picks verses to put other people down?
What good is a recipient of grace that doesn’t extend it to others?
