Greek Key Terms:
Context: In His high priestly prayer, Jesus declares: "And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." This is Christ's voluntary self-consecration to death for His people's sanctification. Where Aaron was consecrated by another (Moses) through external rituals, Christ consecrates Himself through His own will—dedicating Himself to crucifixion to accomplish what Aaron's consecration symbolized: perfect dedication to God's will, enabling His people's sanctification. His self-consecration accomplishes believers' consecration.
Connections:
Christological Connection: John 17:19 records Jesus' prayer: "for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth"—voluntary self-dedication to death for His people's sanctification. This fulfills what Aaron's consecration foreshadowed. Exodus 29 describes Moses consecrating Aaron through seven-day ritual with washing, robing, anointing, and blood application. Aaron was passive recipient—consecrated by another's actions for ministry he would perform. Christ reverses this: He actively consecrates Himself, combining priest and sacrifice. The phrase "for their sake" shows substitutionary purpose—His consecration accomplishes believers' sanctification. Where Aaron was consecrated to offer sacrifices, Christ consecrates Himself AS the sacrifice. Where Aaron's consecration prepared him for ministry, Christ's consecration IS the ministry—His death on the cross. Hebrews 10:10 declares: "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Aaron's seven-day consecration with repeated offerings demonstrated inadequacy; Christ's single self-offering accomplished eternal sanctification. Hebrews 10:14 states: "by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified"—Christ's self-consecration definitively sanctifies His people. The voluntary nature is crucial—no one took Jesus' life; He laid it down of His own accord (John 10:18). His self-consecration fulfills Psalm 40:6-8: "sacrifice and offering you have not desired... then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.'" Hebrews 10:5-7 applies this to Christ—His incarnation and self-offering replace inadequate animal sacrifices. The purpose—"that they also may be sanctified in truth"—shows Christ's consecration as means of believers' sanctification. Romans 5:19 declares: "by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous"—Christ's perfect consecration (complete dedication to God's will unto death) secures His people's righteousness and sanctification. Hebrews 2:11 explains: "he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers"—Christ shares His holiness with His people through His self-consecration. The trajectory shows: Aaron consecrated by Moses (passive recipient, external ritual, temporary preparation) → Christ consecrates Himself (active agent, real sacrifice, eternal accomplishment) → believers sanctified through Christ (definitively sanctified through His offering, progressively sanctified by Spirit, eschatologically perfected in glory). What was ceremonial becomes substantial; what required seven days is accomplished once-for-all; what prepared one priest for ministry sanctifies all believers eternally through Christ's voluntary self-consecration unto death.
Connection Method(s): Typology (Providential, Backward-Looking); Contrast — Christ's voluntary self-consecration reverses Aaron's passive consecration by Moses, combining priest and sacrifice in one act, with His death accomplishing the actual sanctification that Aaron's ritual could only symbolize.
Trajectory Table: 034 - Consecration of Priests (Set Apart for Service)