Who Was Jesus?Sample

The Messiah rescues the world from the power of evil by sacrificing Himself.

There’s a pattern of sacrifice in the Bible. It began in Genesis when Adam and Eve decided to take it upon themselves to know what good and evil are rather than trust God's guidance. This helps us to understand what ‘sin’ means. It isn’t just doing something forbidden; it’s the desire to make ourselves our own gods, instead of honouring God who made us and to whom we belong.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened, and they saw what they had done was shameful. They hid their nakedness with leaves, like a surprised couple pulling pillows over themselves when the door bursts open. But God clothed them with animal skin: the first sacrifice. Shame was covered by sacrifice.

This pattern continued. The priests of Israel offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. Sin leads to death, but humans are graciously given life and mercy. Animals like lambs were believed to take human’s sin when sacrificed to save the human from God’s curse.

But the Old Testament sacrifices don’t end the problem of sin. The sacrifices reminded the people of their guilt before God, but also of His willingness to provide something to cover their shame through sacrifice. The sacrifices point to the biblical message that God will do something to take away our shame and rescue us from death, but it will come at a great cost.

The biblical theme of sacrifice finds its fulfilment in Jesus. Jesus is the true sacrificial lamb that can take away the sins of the world. Jesus willingly embraced death, the wages of sin, so that He could make a way through death to life. The consequences aren’t brushed away, but Jesus opens a way through them by offering us the life that conquers death.

Reflect on the biblical theme of sacrifice. Are you aware of the consequences of your actions? Who is bearing the weight of those consequences? Are you willing to accept Jesus’ sacrifice as a gift, or are you trying to overcome sin and death with your own power?