No More Animal Sacrifice… But Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus
“Who is Jesus?” This question has always generated different sorts of answers or debates throughout history. Many people had to say different things about who Jesus was and is. In other words, some viewed him as a guru, while others saw him as a mere lunatic or a moral teacher. Some go even farther to deny him his historical existence. Even Jesus was interested to know what his disciples thought of who he was (Matthew 16:15). I leave these topics for some other day to discuss but want to focus on Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29, 35).
Generally, Hindu converts do not need someone to tell them what the animal sacrifice is about. They are used to the ritual slaughter and offering of goats, buffaloes, hens, or ducks to the temple shrines. Animal sacrifice is one of the means to appease a god or goddess. Through that satisfaction, they believe they can maintain or sway the divine favor on their side. For the ritual, they would keep or acquire a sacrificial animal without any blemish, which means it has to be spotless or woundless and has never been hurt or wounded before. That is, therefore, a consecrated offering for the remission of sins in the entire household.
The question that should be asked is, “How much animal blood is needed to wash away a person’s sin?” What if the person committed any sin just before her/his death with due sacrifice? How do we know that the sacrificial animal’s blood has blotted out our sins? We, unless deluded, know well that none of the existing creatures come close to human beings in terms of intelligent mind. Then, why are some told that the blood of an animal vindicates a man from the judgment of his wrongdoings? An animal cannot be equated with a man.
Therefore, God himself took a human body to be a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins so that we might live through his blood.
There is nothing that can wash our sin, not even human blood. The Bible tells us that no man is righteous and all men have sinned (Romans 3:23). As a result of our sin, we are inevitably destined for damnation because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). No man is without blemish. We could have done nothing to turn God’s table of judgment that was set against us. Therefore, God himself incarnated in human flesh to be a perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins so that we might live through his blood. Jesus became a lamb who was sacrificed on the cross on our behalf while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). His flesh was cut open with lashes; his limbs were nailed. He was pierced, and His holy blood was poured out. And only the holy and unblemished blood of Jesus can wash away our sin and make us clean, pure, and holy. Through this blood of Jesus, we are saved from the grip of sin and its power and thus are redeemed (Ephesians 1:7). Unlike animal sacrifice that covers our sin temporarily, the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God is for eternity.
