Hebrews 9:11-14

Hebrews 9:11-14 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  How much more...
  Every once in a while, I'll cook a pretty good dinner.  Most of the time, I'll sit down to eat something that I've cooked and think that if I had more time or more fresh herbs or more knowledge cooking, then it would taste better.  How much better would this be if an expert chef cooked it?  How much more would I enjoy the meal if it was served to me by a master chef while sitting on the beach?  While I can cook decently, someone else could make the same meal much better.
  In the same way, we tried for centuries to atone for our own sins through sacrifices, but we just couldn't do it properly -- our sin gets in the way.  So Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, perfect in every way, comes along and offers himself as a sacrifice for sins.  How much more effective is his sacrifice?  It purifies us in a way we could never purify ourselves.  His sacrifice, his perfect love, is able to do more than we could do on our own.  Thanks be to God!