The Sacrifice of Jesus

The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! - John 1:29 (NRSV)

Here in Holy Week we must stop and reflect on the event of the cross – on the death of Jesus – on the execution of Jesus by the Roman and religious authorities – on the sacrifice of Jesus.

To get a handle on this we first need to understand sacrifice in the 1^st century CE Roman world and especially with regards to Judaism and Temple sacrifice. There were five basic types of sacrifice dictated by the Law in Leviticus:

1.       Sacrifices to please the Lord "whole burnt offerings" done to worship God, show devotion to God, and to ask for God's forgiveness; the entire object is burned  (1.1-17; 6.8-13; 8.18-21; 16.23,24)

2.       Sacrifices to give thanks to the Lord "grain offerings" done to worship God by giving thanks; to recognize that God is the giver of blessings and provider of good things (2.1-16; 6.14-23)

3.       Sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing "peace offerings" or "well-being offerings" done to worship God and ask for God's blessing (3.1-17; 7.11-36)

4.       Sacrifices to ask forgiveness "sin offerings" done to ask for God's forgiveness; to make amends for specific unintentional sins; to become clean after becoming ritually unclean (4.1--5.13; 6.24-30; 8.14-17; 16.3-22)

5.       Sacrifices to make things right "guilt offerings" done to make up for cheating the Lord or unintentionally destroying something that belonged to the Lord; to make up for robbing or cheating another person (5.14--6.7; 7.1-6)

These types also cover other sacrificial practices in other religious traditions in the Roman Empire of the 1^st century CE.

In the entire New Testament Jesus is identified as the “Lamb of God” only twice, both times in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, from the lips of John the Baptist. And only once is Jesus mentioned as the “sacrifice of atonement” and that’s in Romans 3. Yet the Church has grabbed the image of Jesus as the sacrificial lamb of the Day of Atonement talked about in Leviticus (No. 4 above 16.3-22) as a primary understanding of the cross.

We have been taught that Jesus’ death is to pay our ransom, to take our place, to make it so God can actually pay attention to us. Without Jesus’ suffering and death we cannot hope to be found acceptable by God because we are so polluted by sin and cannot hope to find any acceptable offering to pay for our sins and return to a right relationship with God. The only acceptable sacrifice is a perfect one, one that only God could provide and one so free from sin that it would be able to absorb all sins and remove them.

But what are the words Jesus speaks in John 13? After washing the disciples’ feet he tells them to follow his lead, to let his example of humility and service be their guide. To understand that status and power as defined by human standards means nothing because Jesus, the revelation of God – the way we know God’s character and God’s values – has been as a servant to them, so they also should be servants to others. Jesus finishes this teaching moment with these words, “I give you a commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This isn’t about substitutionary atonement – it’s about loving and serving. Jesus’ death is an example for us; it shows us that we are to be willing to put others ahead of ourselves. It shows us that what God desires most is a world where people love one another and serve one another. It says nothing about our being unacceptable. It never calls on us to believe that Jesus’ death was necessary to make it possible for us to be God’s beloved.

If you want to talk about Jesus and the cross and atonement you have to take Paul’s understanding of that event and realize that he isn’t thinking of substitution. Paul is thinking about participation. For Paul the “sacrifice of atonement” is the act of Christ on the cross that we are to join in. We are to die to our old ways and be raised to the ways of Christ. It is a sacrifice to ask for forgiveness which is all about repentance, a sincere covenant to turn your life around and head back in the direction God would have you go. Just look at Paul’s teaching about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians. His is the oldest information we have about what took place on Maundy Thursday of that first Holy Week. He passes on to us “what he received from the Lord” and his words of institution – the words spoken that change this meal into something more do not reference forgiveness of sins and in fact emphasize remembrance – we are to remember the sacrifice of love and the new covenant. That’s what the ritual of communion, of the Last Supper is about, remembering and reclaiming our participation in the new covenant community. A people set apart to live life as God would have us live it, a life of love, non-violence, justice and peace.

As we move through this Holy Week. As we come to the cross of Jesus. As we look into the empty tomb. Let us remember.

Dear God, thank you for memories and for those who call us back to remember. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and his witness to what you value. Help me to live as you would have me live. Help me to love as Jesus loved. Help me to remember. Amen.