Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus and the Heart of Contemporary Faith

by Marcus J. Borg

When I am asked, “Do you believe Jesus died for your sins?,” my answer is no and yes. If they mean, “Do you think Jesus saw his own death as a sacrifice for sin?” or “Do you think that God can forgive sins only because of Jesus’ sacrifice?,” my answer is no. But if they mean, “Is the statement a powerfully true metaphor of the grace of God?,” then my answer is yes. Let me explain. I begin with a reminder that I do not see this as Jesus’ own purpose but as a post-Easter metaphorical interpretation of his death using sacrificial imagery. Sacrifice as a way of dealing with sin was central to the world of Jesus. Moreover, both the timing and location of Jesus’ death meant that such imagery was close at hand. He died at Passover, when the Passover lambs were sacrificed; and he died in Jerusalem, the location of the temple and sacrifice.24 The temple and temple sacrifice are the linguistic home of the metaphor “Jesus died for our sins.”