The death of Jesus was a
bloody, gruesome, gore of an experience. It was not meant to be pleasant.
Isaiah’s prophecies, predict that the suffering servant would come 680 years
prior to Jesus birth. The coming savior has no attraction that people might
think he would save them from their sins…Jesus was born in a simple stable,
with common folk parents. He did not belong to any rabbi school and he did not
have any political associations. Jesus was unattached and had nothing to call
his own. Jesus is the suffering servant that is declared rejected and unattractive.
Sin is our “not right”
nature in life. It is that which separates us from God. Sin is the ugliest part
of who you are. Sacrifice is not attractive and unpleasant. Blood is an
unpleasant subject to many because it brings to mind suffering and death.
Curiously, the Bible is a book literally filled with blood. On 362 occasions
the Old Testament speaks of blood, most often referring to sacrifices and death
by violence. The New Testament also speaks of blood 92 times, most commonly in
reference to violent death. Much of the Bible’s teaching about blood is in
relation to the hundreds of appearances of related issues such as the Temple,
priesthood, fire, and smoke.
The shedding of blood and
animal sacrifice likely began with God, after the sin of our first parents,
Adam and Eve, as God covered their nakedness and shame with the skin of an
animal (Genesis 3:21). Other sacrifices were offered by Abel, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and Job (Gen. 4:1-5; 8:20; 22:3, 13; 26:25; 33:20; 35:7; Job
1:5). Perhaps the most insightful sacrifice was done by Abraham in place of
Isaac, where it was promised that one day, through Jesus, God would provide the
ultimate sacrifice (Gen. 22:14).
Blood was again shed in
Exodus at the Passover (Ex. 12:1-30), which was commemorated each year with the
Feast of Passover. The process of animal sacrifice was an incredibly personal
confession of sin. First, an unblemished animal was chosen, symbolizing
perfection. Second, the worshipper would draw near the animal that was to be
substituted in place of the worshipper. Third, the worshipper would lay hands
on the animal to identify with it, confessing their sins in repentance over the
animal. Fourth, the animal was then killed and its blood shed as the penalty
for sin.
Nonetheless, the Old
Testament practice of sacrificial atonement was declared by God to be insufficient
for the remission of sin (Psalm 40:6; 51:16; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Hebrews
10:4). This is because those sacrifices were only preparatory in anticipation
of the death of Jesus (Jeremiah 31:34b; Heb. 8:3-13). Blood sacrifice was
unpleasant, unattractive, undesirable, and messy. It was shameful and filled
with blame.
Isaiah 53:3 states: “He was
despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like
one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in
low esteem.”
Sin is ugly and it brings a
shame that separates us from God. The Blame is unattractive.
You know I love ya, Don
In a concentration camp, a
guard announced a shovel was missing. Screaming at the men, he kept insisting
someone had stolen it. He shouldered his rifle, ready to kill one
prisoner at a time until a confession was made. As the story continues, a
Scottish soldier broke ranks, stood stiffly at attention, and said, "I did
it." The guard killed the man. As they returned to camp, the shovels
were counted. The guard had made a miss counted. No shovel was missing
after all.
Posts
