Scapegoat
Little Ben's heart was heavy. He did't understand what was happening today, even though his father had explained it to him several times. "Can you tell me again, Daddy?" he asked. "One more time?"
His father, ever patient, smiled at him but his eyes remained somber. "Do you see the priest?" Ben nodded. "He is asking God for the forgiveness of all of our sins. This is our highest celebration, Benny. It's the Day of Atonement."
"Uh-tone...what?"
"Atonement. It means being made right with God. Having our sins forgiven so that we can be in fellowship with God again. It's sort of like when one of your friends does something that upsets you..."
"You mean like the time Danny tripped me and then laughed at me?" Ben asked.
"Yes, sort of like that." His father smiled. "But you and Dan are friends again, right?"
Ben sighed. "Yeah, we are. He said he was sorry and promised not to do it again."
His father nodded. "That's sort of what we're doing today, Benny. We're telling God we're sorry and we're promising to live more like he expects us to in the future."
Ben nodded. "I get that, Dad," he said. "What I don't understand is what that has to do with Oscar."
Oscar was Ben's goat, only now the goat belonged to the whole people. His father had given the goat to the high priest just for this day. "Oscar is going to be the scapegoat," his father said.
"Scape...?"
"Scapegoat." He father looked back toward the front of the crowd, where the priest was now putting his hands on Oscar's head and praying over the goat. "See what the priest is doing now? He's praying that all of our sins, all of our mistakes—all of them—will be put on Oscar, and Oscar will then carry them out into the wilderness, far away from the camp."
Ben teared up a bit. "Will we ever see Oscar again?"
His father shook his head and looked down at Ben. "No, we won't. He will take our sins out into the wilderness and that will remind us all that we are forgiven, that we've said we're sorry and God has accepted our apology." His father looked back to the front. "It's one of the ways Moses gave us to act out our faith."
Ben silently watched as the priest finished the prayer and then gave the goat to its leader. Ben knew the man would take Oscar out away from the camp, past the place where they could see, and let him go. "It just makes me sad, Daddy."
"I know, Benny." His father placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know. It does me, too. Oscar was a good goat. But sin should make us sad, too. The things we do that hurt God and hurt others' feelings should make us sad, too. This is just one way of reminding us how serious sin is. Never forget, Benny. Breaking God's heart is a sad thing, a hard thing."
Ben watched as the goat disappeared over the horizon. He watched until he could see him no longer. He wouldn't forget, ever. He would remember, and he would try as best he could to live the way God wanted him to so maybe, one day, this didn't have to happen again.
His father, ever patient, smiled at him but his eyes remained somber. "Do you see the priest?" Ben nodded. "He is asking God for the forgiveness of all of our sins. This is our highest celebration, Benny. It's the Day of Atonement."
"Uh-tone...what?"
"Atonement. It means being made right with God. Having our sins forgiven so that we can be in fellowship with God again. It's sort of like when one of your friends does something that upsets you..."
"You mean like the time Danny tripped me and then laughed at me?" Ben asked.
"Yes, sort of like that." His father smiled. "But you and Dan are friends again, right?"
Ben sighed. "Yeah, we are. He said he was sorry and promised not to do it again."
His father nodded. "That's sort of what we're doing today, Benny. We're telling God we're sorry and we're promising to live more like he expects us to in the future."
Ben nodded. "I get that, Dad," he said. "What I don't understand is what that has to do with Oscar."
Oscar was Ben's goat, only now the goat belonged to the whole people. His father had given the goat to the high priest just for this day. "Oscar is going to be the scapegoat," his father said.
"Scape...?"
"Scapegoat." He father looked back toward the front of the crowd, where the priest was now putting his hands on Oscar's head and praying over the goat. "See what the priest is doing now? He's praying that all of our sins, all of our mistakes—all of them—will be put on Oscar, and Oscar will then carry them out into the wilderness, far away from the camp."
Ben teared up a bit. "Will we ever see Oscar again?"
His father shook his head and looked down at Ben. "No, we won't. He will take our sins out into the wilderness and that will remind us all that we are forgiven, that we've said we're sorry and God has accepted our apology." His father looked back to the front. "It's one of the ways Moses gave us to act out our faith."
Ben silently watched as the priest finished the prayer and then gave the goat to its leader. Ben knew the man would take Oscar out away from the camp, past the place where they could see, and let him go. "It just makes me sad, Daddy."
"I know, Benny." His father placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know. It does me, too. Oscar was a good goat. But sin should make us sad, too. The things we do that hurt God and hurt others' feelings should make us sad, too. This is just one way of reminding us how serious sin is. Never forget, Benny. Breaking God's heart is a sad thing, a hard thing."
Ben watched as the goat disappeared over the horizon. He watched until he could see him no longer. He wouldn't forget, ever. He would remember, and he would try as best he could to live the way God wanted him to so maybe, one day, this didn't have to happen again.
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