Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Its themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe an approximate 25 hours of fasting and intensive prayer in response to Mosaic law:
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves [fast] and not do any work—whether native-born or a foreigner residing among you— because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. Leviticus 16:29-31 NIV
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According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into a book, the Book of Life, on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the “Days of Awe” (between the two holidays), Jews try to amend their behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other human beings. The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt. At the end of Yom Kippur, one hopes that they have been forgiven by God.
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But because of Christ’s death and resurrection:
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8: 1-4 (NLT)
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White clothing on Yom Kippur is traditional to symbolize one’s purity on that day. Jesus promises:
