Scapegoat

Read Leviticus 16:6-10.

Ever felt like a scapegoat? Maybe you've actually been a scapegoat, where you got blamed for what someone else did or you intentionally took the blame for what someone else did. We've heard that term, but most people probably have no idea it comes from Leviticus. (It's not a book many Christians read, let alone anyone outside the faith.)

One of the "tangible" ways the people of Israel were given to help them deal with the sin they knew was in their lives was to take two goats, one of which would be offered as a sacrifice (because something had to die to pay for the sin). The other goat would become the scapegoat. It would not die, but the people's sins would be spoken over the goat, and then the goat would be sent into the wilderness. In effect, he was symbolically carrying the people's sins away; that goat was not allowed back into the camp. Even the person who led the goat away had to go through a ritual purification when he returned to make sure the people knew their sins had been taken far away.

Jesus, in his death on the cross, becomes both the sacrifice and the scapegoat. He dies in our place, takes the punishment for our sin, and he takes our sin far away. He bears the burden of our sin, willingly. As the psalmist promised, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12).

I believe in the forgiveness of sins...and I am thankful for Jesus, the willing scapegoat, who took my sin far away. And since he has done that and is willing to do that—why do I keep bringing it back up? Why do I keep harping on it, focusing on my sin and the sins of others? If Jesus can forgive, if Jesus can take it far away, why am I not willing to let him? Why do I keep pulling the scapegoat back into the camp?

If I believe in the forgiveness of sins, I should practice it like Jesus did and does, shouldn't I? And shouldn't you? We're all works in progress...masterpieces yet to be. Yet, God, I want to be more demonstrably forgiving. Help me forgive as you do.

Comments

  1. While I agree about the forgiveness part we as humans never forget. This in itself does not harbor true forgiveness. See if you say you forgive but never forget you are able to hold whatever over the person you "forgave" . That is just human nature . So find me true forgiveness today in humanity???

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    1. Hey, Tim - I didn't say we would forget. As I said in the sermon Sunday, God hasn't wired us to be able to forget. The choice we make that results in forgiveness is not to hold that against the other person, to move ahead in spite of the hurt. The Bible doesn't say we forget - "forgive and forget" is saying invented as a result of bad theology. The only place the Bible talks in those terms is when we're told God will remember the people's sin no more (Hebrews 8:12). We can, however, choose to "actively not remember," not be defined by our brokenness or the brokenness of others. It's not easy, but I believe that's what forgiveness looks like in our world today.

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    2. Sunday's sermon text - http://teknopasto.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-answer.html

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    3. Very good. I was in kids connection when you spoke in your sermon. Thanks for the words. It really helps

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  2. Not letting our sins to jump to mind continuously and still feel the pain of them is definitely one of the hardest to do. I give it to God and then I'm thinking of it and working through it yet again over and over.

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