The Scapegoat

But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. Leviticus 16:10

This verse is part of God’s instructions to Moses about the Day of Atonement. The priests were given careful directions about how and when to appear before God, and how to secure atonement for their own sins and the sins of their people.

The high priest was to come before the Lord with two goats. One was to be killed as a sacrifice and the other was to be designated as a scapegoat.

The priest was instructed to lay his hands on the scapegoat and confess the sins of Israel over it. In this process God would transfer to guilt of the nation, at least symbolically, to the goat. Then he was to take the goat outside the camp and release it into the wilderness and left alone.

Jewish priests repeated this process annually for centuries as part of the Day of Atonement. The imagery is a vivid picture and precursor to what God would do in Jesus.

Jesus was God’s scapegoat.

On the cross, while Jesus was suspended between heaven and earth, God laid on him all the sins of humanity. Jesus, who was inherently innocent, became inherently guilty for us.

He was sent out into the wildness of isolation from God to die alone in our sins. It was a fate worse than any other person in history has ever experienced and one that hasn’t been repeated since.

There’s no need to.

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:13-14

Our sins are forgiven. Our debt to God is paid. Our shame has been removed. Jesus was God’s scapegoat for you and me.

Praise his name.

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