The One We Denied Became Our Atonement
Tikkun Global
Jerusalem, Israel
Whenever I read Acts 3, my attention usually goes immediately to Peter’s words about the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21). It is such a significant passage, especially when thinking about Israel, the return of Yeshua, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. But reading the chapter again recently, something else caught my attention that I had never really noticed before.
Earlier in his message, Peter is speaking to the people gathered in Jerusalem and says, “You denied the Holy and Righteous One” (Acts 3:14). Reading those words in Hebrew, one word stood out to me: כפרתם — kefartem, “you denied.” The sound of that word immediately brought another Hebrew word to mind, one that becomes especially significant as we approach Yom Kippur: כפרה — kapparah, atonement.
Kefartem. You denied Him.
Kapparah. Atonement.
The connection presents a powerful picture of Peter’s message. He tells our people plainly that they denied Yeshua, but he does not stop with the accusation. Only a few verses later he says, “Repent therefore and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). The people who had denied Him were still being invited to return to Him. The same Yeshua they had rejected was the One through whom their sins could be forgiven. As John later writes, Yeshua “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). They had kefartem — denied Him — yet He had become their kapparah — their atonement.
That connection feels especially meaningful as we approach Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Here in Israel, the country almost comes to a complete stop. Businesses close, public transportation stops, and the normally busy roads become quiet, with children riding bicycles and scooters through the streets. Many Israelis fast for twenty-five hours, synagogues fill, and prayers of confession, repentance, and forgiveness are repeated throughout the day. Even among many secular Israelis, Yom Kippur remains a day to stop, reflect, ask forgiveness from others, and consider where we stand before God.
The question of kapparah, atonement, is therefore not merely an ancient biblical concept in Israel. Once a year it comes to the forefront of our national consciousness. Yet as followers of Yeshua, we know that the answer has already been provided. We know that Yeshua is our atonement. Hebrews tells us that Messiah entered the holy place once for all, not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, obtaining eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11–12). The longing for forgiveness that Yom Kippur expresses ultimately points us to the One who gave Himself for us.
And this takes me back to the part of Acts 3 that usually catches my attention. Peter’s call to Israel does not end only with sins being blotted out. He speaks of “times of refreshing” coming from the presence of the Lord and ultimately of the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:19–21). Repentance, atonement, refreshing, and restoration are all part of the same message. Peter looks at a people who had rejected their Messiah and still speaks to them about God’s purposes for restoration. Their rejection had not cancelled His promises, and their failure had not closed the door to repentance.
That is why Yom Kippur should move us not only to reflect on the meaning of Yeshua’s atonement, but also to pray for the salvation of Israel. Paul expressed the same burden when he wrote, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved” (Romans 10:1). That remains our heart today. As our people fast, pray, and seek kapparah, we long for them to recognize the One who has already made atonement for us.
This Yom Kippur, we will be fasting and praying here in Israel, and we want to invite you to join us. Pray that the Holy Spirit would open eyes to Yeshua. Pray for families, young people, religious leaders, and entire communities. Pray that many would recognize the One whom our people once denied as the very One who carried our sins and opened the way back to God.
We denied Him. He became our atonement. And the invitation to return is still open.
Would you join us this Yom Kippur in fasting and praying for the salvation of Israel?
