Why the Sacrifices?

A famous pastor once said that the Old Testament is a hindrance to the gospel.1 He said we need to just focus on Jesus. He said the Old Testament is a distraction. It almost makes one weep with how much of the rich tapestry of God’s revelation he has missed. Jesus Christ of the Gospels stands at the center of God’s plan for mankind, and he is woven throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament is like a big arrow pointing to Jesus and what he came to do.

In the Old Testament, God instituted sacrifices for the nation of Israel. These were offered over and over again to cover the people’s sin. Tens of thousands of animals were ceremonially slaughtered by Jewish priests for centuries. The spilling of their blood vividly illustrated the deadly seriousness of sin. However, these sacrifices were essentially like a bandage, only acting as a covering for sin. Every time the Jews came back to sacrifice, they got a bloody reminder that they were sinners and that animal sacrifice was temporary.

The Hebrew word for atonement, kaphar, has the idea of “covering,” not total removal (Leviticus 4:20). Animal sacrifices did not—and could not—remove sin, as Hebrews 10:4 clearly states.

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:10–12)

The Levitical sacrifices pointed forward in time to the only one who can remove sin.

The phrase “take away” in verse 11 is translated from the Greek root periaireo, which does convey the idea of removal. The Levitical sacrifices pointed forward in time to the only one who can remove sin. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who shed his precious blood to accomplish the final perfect sacrifice. Death is the payment for sin, so blood had to be shed. But the blood of all those bulls and goats couldn’t take away sin. Why? Because the animals aren’t related to us and aren’t divine!

We needed a perfect sacrifice. But all of us are sinners, so it can’t be one of us! That’s why Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to earth and died in our place. He lived a perfect life, demonstrating his power. He was the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for sin. His sacrifice removes our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Praise be to our Savior!