You’ve heard the term before, a scapegoat. In our modern terms it’s usually somebody that unfairly gets stuck with somebody else’s problems. For whatever reason they somehow get left "holding the check." Have you ever wondered where it came from? Well this morning in Leviticus chapter 16 we will find out. And as we do, you’ll see that instead of some picture of a poor, pitiful, unfairly accused person, it is possibly the most beautiful and vivid picture of Jesus Christ in scripture. Let’s take a look.
Chapter 16 deals with the day of atonement. This was the single biggest day of the year for the Israelites. The one day of the year that the High Priest would be allowed to venture into the Holy of Holies and offer sacrificial blood directly onto the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of God. As you can imagine you don’t just stumble into the presence of God, it was a very precise, very detailed program that God demanded. And the cost of a mistake in the process? Death.
Dealing with God had to be right, exact. Aaron the High Priest had to be on point. I can only imagine how many times he would have practiced his duties before the day of Atonement. But what spoke to me was the two sacrifices that would be offered to God for the sins of the people. Two goats.
The first goat was sacrificed and the blood sprinkled upon the mercy seat of the Ark, a direct atonement or “covering” of the sins committed by the people. But the second goat was offered in a much different way. Let’s see what God’s Word says about this second goat, the scapegoat.
“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:20-22
This is an amazing passage. Really hunker down and see what is happening here. First, the second goat remains alive. It is not dead, but very much alive. Second the priest lays his hands upon the head of the goat and confesses all of “wickedness and rebellion” of the people. The sins of the people are being transferred upon this goat. And folks this must have been a really long, disgusting list. It would have included every dastardly, selfish, evil sin that could have been committed by a person. And they were all placed upon this innocent goat. After this was concluded they did a most odd thing. They released the goat into the wilderness and chased it away. They let the goat flee, to run as far away as it could, never to be seen again.
Folks, this passage brings me to tears. The parallels of what Jesus did for you and for me on the cross resonates loudly and clearly here. Jesus came to this planet, designated to become a sacrifice for our sins. Our sins, all of the horrible, wicked things we have ever done, were placed upon Him. He lived a perfect life, a sin-free life, and deserved nothing but what His perfect innocence would have earned Him. But that’s not what happened. He bore the burdens of our sins upon the cross and died. But folks, glory to God, HE IS ALIVE. He died on that cross but three days later He rose again! Jesus is alive and today, at this very moment, He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father, intercessing for each one that has called upon His name as Lord.
But folks in one the most amazing parts of this passage, as the sins were transferred upon this goat, he took them far, far away. He took them beyond the distant faraway horizon. Gone forever. Never to be seen again. Disappeared. Done with. Finished.
If you have called upon Jesus as Lord, folks, your sins are gone. They will never come back, they will never, ever, be seen again. The precious blood of Jesus has taken those sins far from you and removed them from your life, forever. If you are dealing with guilt or shame over past sins today, you are not fully understanding the picture this morning. Satan will tell you that the goat is just around the corner, but folks, that goat is long gone. If you confess your sins to Jesus and ask His forgiveness, you can rest assured that He has taken your sins far away. Only Jesus can pay for the sins of mankind and that is exactly what He did upon the cross. I pray today that you can rest in the truth of what Jesus has done with your sins. That you can let the past go and focus only on today. Guilt and shame have no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. If you doubt the complete removal of your sins, you doubt the work of Jesus.
As that scapegoat sprinted off into the distance, it carried with it the pain, burden, guilt and remorse that only sin can have in a life. As the people watched that scapegoat scurry out of sight, they praised God that He could perform such a miracle in their lives. The pain of their sins removed and taken far away. Folks, as you read about the work of Jesus upon the Cross, picture yours sins scampering away forever. He is alive, He has taken the burden of your sins, and they are as far away as the West from the East. Praise God for Jesus.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.” Psalm 103:12
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