The Road to Redemption - Jesus as Sacrifice

    The concept of sacrifice, at least in the religious sense, is one that is foreign to most of us. Nevertheless sacrifice has been an integral part of many world religions. Sacrifices included those for propitiation (appeasing the gods) and thanks (for thanking the gods). Sacrifices also included both animal and human sacrifices Animal sacrifices had not only a religious function but economic and social functions as well because the edible portions of the animals were usually shared as a meal following the sacrifice (which was true in Judaism as well as in the Roman Empire). Human sacrifices existed in both the old and new worlds. The Aztecs once sacrificed more than 10,000 prisoners in order to bury them beneath one of their great pyramids. We see remnants of human sacrifice in the Abraham and Isaac story in Genesis 22.

    Within Judaism sacrifice functioned in several different ways, each attested to in scripture. In Genesis everyone from Noah to Abraham to Jacob sacrificed animals as a way of giving thanks to God for what God had done for them. The use of sacrifice expands in Exodus 12 which describes the Passover. The heart of this story is the sacrifice of a lamb, in order that its blood be spread over the door posts and lintels of Hebrew homes so that the angel of death would "pass over" the Hebrew homes (the last of the plagues in Exodus). Finally the concept of sacrifice was formalized within the Jewish Law given to Moses on Sinai. Of the 613 commandments in the Law 100 of them deal with sacrifices. These 100 commandments insure that sacrifices are appropriate for their purpose (thanksgiving as well as propitiation) as well as appropriately conducted. Among those sacrifices is one not conducted in the Temple. It deals with the "scape-goat." This is the ceremony in which the Temple is cleansed of all sins, those sins are ritually placed on a goat, and the goat is sent out into the wilderness. This process was intended to insure that at least once a year, any unknown sins were taken care of.

    Each of those images of sacrifice (the lamb, the regular atoning sacrifice, and the scape-goat) is applied to Jesus in the New Testament. The Lamb of God (Angus Dei) imagery is focused within the Gospel of John. In John 1:29 and 1:36 John the Baptist sees Jesus and declares him to be the Lamb of God. The point is that Jesus will be the one who will be killed in order that his blood protect God's chosen people from death. The concept of Jesus as Temple sacrifice is contained within the New Testament book of Hebrews. In Hebrews 9 and 10 we read the author's argument that while Jewish sacrifices were temporarily effective at removing sin, Jesus was the sacrifice which once and for all dealt with sin (Hebrews 9:26). Finally the image of the scape goat is contained in the Gospels as Jesus is crucified outside of Jerusalem. While some people have argued that this was the normal procedure for crucifixion, Christians have long seen the leading of Jesus out from the Temple to the "wilderness" for crucifixion/sacrifice as a scape-goat image.

    Throughout the New Testament Jesus and sacrifice are continually connected. These images helped the early church make sense of what Jesus did on the cross. Many conservative pastors and scholars have even argued that God could not forgive without a sacrifice and blood being shed. Where we have to be careful however is in assuming that God's forgiveness could be bound by rules and regulations about sacrifice. I say this because the New Testament offers us other ways of understanding what Jesus did on the cross and how it accomplished our forgiveness, none of which are linked to blood or ritual sacrifice. Nonetheless the image of Jesus as sacrifice is one which can and should help to inform us the fact that God has dealt with sin, once and for all, in order that we might be brought back into right relationship with God, not just for a few moments (until the next sacrifice) but forever.

The Road to Redemption – Jesus as King

    Within the Protestant tradition (we as Presbyterians are part of this tradition because we protested against the control and theology of the Roman Catholic Church) there has long been an emphasis on seeing Jesus as the bearer of a threefold office; that of prophet, priest and king. In two of my previous articles we looked at Jesus as prophet and priest. Each of these offices had clear Biblical references; prophet from Jesus prophetic ministry and priest from the book of Hebrews. The references to Jesus as king are not quite as clear. So let's take a look at the social environment concerning the kingship and the evidence of Jesus being "king".

In the gospels we see Jesus living in a time and place in which the title and role of King is part of the social milieu. Even though the Roman Empire had only one Caesar who acted as king and lord of all, there were many other kings who ruled at the whim of Caesar. In the case of Judea, Herod the Great (proclaimed King of Judea by Rome in 40 BCE) was the first of the great client kings. Upon his death Judea was divided between several of his sons who ruled as kings in smaller sections of the nation. While these rulers were Jews they were considered to be no more than extensions of Caesar's rule and thus were never truly beloved by the people.

    This being the case, Judea and Galilee were always hotbeds for those who opposed Herodian rule. Having their own history of freedom and confident that God desired them to be a free nation, the Jews in those areas were always looking for a new messiah/king to lead them to victory over the Romans and into a glorious new age of the national independence. This desire for a messiah/king meant that the common people were always on the lookout for the next candidate for the office. In John 6:15 we read of the masses trying to take Jesus by force in order to make him their king. Even though Jesus avoided this rather awkward situation the rumors of his kingship remained with him throughout his ministry.

We see these rumors come to life in three places. The first is in Luke's account of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (19:28ff) in which we witness Jesus using a host of verbal and visual clues intended to point to him as king (riding a colt, psalms of kingship being proclaimed by the disciples, spreading their garments on the road…all of which have kingly associations). The second is in his trial before Pilate in which he is asked if he is King of the Jews (Mark 15:2); a charge he does not deny. Finally the sign on his cross states that he is "King of the Jews."

    Paul, in his writings, never used the specific term, king when referring to Jesus. However Paul often wrote of Jesus as the "head of the church." (Ephesians 1:22, 4:15; Colossians 1:18, 2:19) By so doing Paul implied that Jesus is indeed "king" of the church; the one who rules and reigns over the lives of believers. Thus the connection between Jesus and kingship is present even if it is not overtly stated.

    Even with all of that having been said, for many of us in the 21^st Century the idea of Jesus being a king may seem a bit anachronistic. As those who have never had a king we struggle with the idea of someone telling us what to do. Many churches even avoid using the term "Lord" because it carries kingly (highly directive) connotations. However, allowing God in Christ to rule our lives (meaning both individually and collectively) is a foundational Biblical concept. It is based in the idea that God/Christ as creator knows better than we creatures what makes for a blessed life. We creatures are limited in our ability to know how our choices will impact our relationships with God, others and creation. By allowing God in Christ to set the parameters for our lives we are making it possible for the one who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves to guide us into the fullness of life. This view moves the concept of king from being one of an arbitrary dictator to one of a creator king who always desires the best for the king's creation. This is ultimately how we are challenged to see Jesus as king; as the one who lovingly rules and reigns in our lives in order to lead us to lives well and fully lived.

    

The Road to Redemption - Jesus as Priest

    In the first century, regardless of one's religion or location, the priest was a constant presence within one's daily life. In the Roman world every temple had priests or priestesses. These were the men and women who received sacrificial offerings, performed the necessary sacrificial rites and were the intermediaries between humans and the gods. Within Judaism priests carried out two very important functions. The first, like their Roman counterparts, was to perform the rites and rituals of sacrifice. The second function was to bless the people. Throughout the year there were rituals of worship centered on the Temple during which the priests would bless the people in order to insure their health and prosperity.

    So, you may ask, what does this have to do with Jesus? If all we had were the Gospels there would be no connection between Jesus and the office of priest, other than Jesus occasional conversation with them or stories Jesus tells about them. While Jesus clearly takes on the role of prophet and offers himself as the messianic King (we will look at this next week), nowhere does Jesus perform any priestly functions. He does not institute a new priestly order. He does not build a new temple. He does not create a new religion with new rites and rituals. So, again, what does the office of priest have to do with Jesus?

    The answer lies in the book of Hebrews. Within the book of Hebrews Jesus is declared to be a "high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:20). Then for the next couple of chapters the author of Hebrews unpacks that image and explains the importance of Jesus' priestly role. Before we look at Hebrews however let's take a short detour to find out about this Melchizedek person. Melchizedek is only mentioned twice in the Old Testament. He surfaces in Genesis 14:18 where he is described as the king of Salem and priest of the God Most High. In that capacity he blesses Abraham and receives a tithe in return. Melchizedek appears again in Psalm 110:4 in which the king (about whom the Psalm is written) will take on priestly duties of blessing the people and destroying God's enemies. Finally in the Qumran texts (texts written around the first century but not included in the Bible) Melchizedek is associated with the angel who will release God's people and defeat God's enemies.

    The writer of Hebrews takes this limited information about Melchizedek and creates an entirely new form of priesthood with which Jesus will be associated. According to Hebrews Melchizedek has no father or mother and so is an eternal priest (7:3). He is greater than Abraham because Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe (7:4). Melchizedek's priesthood is a replacement for the priesthood of Aaron because the Aaronic priesthood was not perfect (7:11) and this new priesthood brings a new set of laws (7:12). Where all of this is leading is to the claim that because Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek (eternal and perfect) then there is a better covenant; a covenant through which Jesus is able for all time "to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (7:25). As this kind of high priest Jesus does not have to daily sacrifice for the people but has offered himself, once and for all, as the sacrifice for humanity (7:27). Finally Jesus ministers in the true tent in heaven, of which the earthly tent (Temple) was merely a shadow (8:2-6).

    While the arguments laid out by the writer of Hebrews might appear to be somewhat antiquated and confusing they are never the less important. They are important because they remind us that in Jesus' actions sin was defeated once and for all (9:26); that this new covenant has the power to change our hearts and make us new people (8:10); and that through Christ eternal life is made possible (9:15). In other words, with Jesus as priest we know that we have one who makes forgiveness and new life a daily reality thus allowing us to take hold of the hope that God offers to each of us.

    

The Road to Redemption – Jesus as the Word Made Flesh

    When we look at historic Judaism there are many ways in which it was similar to its religious neighbors. They each had multiple religious sites, had sacrificial rituals and employed priesthood. Yet even with all of their similarities there was one great difference. Jews were monotheists. In the midst of cultures which worshiped multiple gods the Hebrews were driven by a singular conviction that God was one and that there would be no other gods before the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is not only the focus of the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me," but it is also the heart of the "shema" from Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear O Israel; the Lord your God is one." While the Hebrews at one time believed in more than one "god" they were always called to worship only one. However as is often the case with all religions a strange thing happened along the way to modernity.

    The strange thing which happened was the development of what is called wisdom. In an earlier article I discussed wisdom as "what one discovered at that sacred intersection of God given insight and the living of a Godly life. This means that wisdom was more than ethics and more than practical advice. Wisdom allowed one to live fully into being a child of God such that one reflected the very wisdom of God into the world." There is also a second way in which wisdom is used on the First Testament. In the book of Proverbs Wisdom is personified as the feminine side of God. The role of Wisdom is twofold. First Wisdom helps God create. Second Wisdom is to be the one who brings the light of God to the world and shows human kind how to rightly live. Wisdom is literally the light of God to the world. We see this throughout the book of Proverbs (look at Proverbs 1, 8 and 9 as examples). There are also non-canonical Jewish sources which see Wisdom as its own entity in the very heart of God.

    This understanding the Wisdom tradition then helps set the table for Jesus as the Word of God made flesh. When in the Gospel of John we read that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" what we are hearing are echoes of the personification of Wisdom in the First Testament. If we continue in John we also hear of the Word being present at creation and that the Word is the light of humankind. Thus the Word is a new and creative way to speak of the Wisdom of God. What makes John's use of the Word (Wisdom) unique however is when he speaks of it being enfleshed in a human being. John writes of the Word made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. This claim separates John (and thus Orthodox Christianity) from Judaism and from much of the Greco-Roman philosophical world. It separates Christianity from Judaism because Judaism can never accept that God could be other than the one, eternal, creative being who is not human. It separated Christianity from the Greco-Roman philosophical schools because they believed that the perfect-divine can never become the imperfect-physical.

    These two issues did not deter John from linking Jesus with divine Wisdom (Word) in the most intimate way. By so doing John makes several claims about Jesus. First Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the very wisdom of God who shows humanity how it ought to live. Second Jesus is the very creative power of God who can bring the dead back to life and usher in a new creation. Third Jesus as co-creator has a claim on all of life. These ideas help us to take hold of Jesus as the way (Jesus as the light of God showing the way), the truth (Jesus embodies the wisdom of God) and the life (Jesus is the one who gives life through creation). For John then (and again for orthodox Christianity) if we want to know the truth about God and what God wants us to know all we have to do is listen to and live like Jesus, who is the very Wisdom (Word) of God in the world. This way of seeing Jesus is far more profound than any other. It is so because it reminds us that Jesus has a claim on our lives; that he is not merely offering us good advice or healing our hurts. Instead as the very Lord of life, we are his and as such we are called to be light to the world, even as he was light to the world.

The Road to Redemption – Jesus as Servant

    In order for us to fully appreciate this image of Jesus we need to take a quick tour of the Greco-Roman world and its social structure. The easiest way in which to envision this structure is to think of a pyramid. At the very top of the pyramid was the Emperor. There was no one to rival the Emperor in terms of power or prestige. The second level was composed of the Imperial household and the administrators who worked from them. One step down was the Senatorial class. These were wealthy and powerful generational families, who commanded armies, sat in the Senate and exercised some influence over the direction of the Empire. Next in line were the equites (equestrian class) who were wealthy land owners who could afford to ride into battle on horses. The lowest level of the "upper classes" contained the local aristocrats, merchants and small land owners. Once we move below this level we encounter soldiers of all kinds, poor merchants, tradesmen and tenant farmers.

    At the very bottom of the society were the servants and slaves. While many of them were intelligent, educated, resourceful and highly trusted by their families they were still considered to be somewhat less than human. Roman law considered them to be a piece of property that could be bought and sold. Slaves were those who did everything from clean the toilets, to take care of the animals, to dress, teach and watch over children. While slaves could be, and sometimes were freed by their masters, this was not the usual way of things. To be a servant then was to be on the lowest and most despised rung of society. It was not a position anyone would choose. It was not a position to which anyone would aspire. It was to be avoided at all costs. Yet is a position that Jesus not only takes on himself but commands his disciples to emulate.

    The most profound image of Jesus as a servant comes from the Gospel of John in chapter 13. In this chapter we read of Jesus preparing for Passover with his disciples in the upper room. Jesus takes a towel, lays aside his garments, fills a bowl with water and begins to wash his disciples' feet. His followers are horrified. Even after all of Jesus' teaching about humility (which was looked on as a weakness and not a virtue in the first century) they were not ready to see their rabbi-master-messiah act like a slave. Peter is so offended that in the beginning he refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet. After Peter finally consents Jesus instructs his followers to be servants themselves. It is hard for us to even comprehend how difficult this command was for his disciples to understand.

    Jesus later makes clear what he meant by being a servant when he went to the cross. He was willing to give up his life without a fight in order to save the world. Paul picks up on this servant-cross image in his letter to the church at Philippi. He writes, "Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and become obedient unto death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8). Our understanding of this passage is that it was a hymn which Paul quotes, meaning the image of Jesus as servant was already at the heart of the church's theology and worship within fifteen to twenty years after Jesus' death. This is remarkable if for no other reason that it runs, as we have seen, completely against the tide of Roman culture.

    While this image continued to be a constant in the life of the church it was never one which was easily taken to. Human nature being what it is the church was constantly struggling for power and control (either secular or sacred) and so living as a servant was never popular. However it lives at the very heart of Jesus' teaching and so the challenge for us is to let it live in our hearts and lives as well.