Our theme for this year is a focus on Jesus and what he did to save us. In particular, we are going to look at all of the pictures that the scriptures give to describe our atonement. There is not a single picture or single teaching describing the work of Christ. So what I wanted to do from time to time this year is spend our time looking at the multidimensional pictures of Christ’s atonement for us. Our first picture of Jesus is to see him as our sin bearer. I want to begin by drawing our attention to a familiar text: Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 53
In the prophecy of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, there are two statements made that speak about Jesus bearing or carrying our sins.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12 ESV)
You will notice in Isaiah 53:6 that the Lord will lay on the suffering servant the sins of everyone. The same idea is stated again in verse 12. He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. You will even notice in Isaiah 53:4 that the Christ will bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. Now it is important that we think about what this picture is trying to show us. What does it mean that Christ had everyone’s sins laid on him? What does it mean that Christ bore the sins of many? Isaiah 53 is not the first time this image is used. Rather, this imagery is to remind of what happened on the day of atonement. The instructions regarding the day of atonement are recorded in detail in Leviticus 16.
Leviticus 16
As you turn to Leviticus 16 we are going to notice in our various studies regarding these atonement pictures that the imagery of Leviticus 16 will be frequently used. The day of atonement was an annual event when the high priest as allowed to enter into the Most Holy Place behind the veil of the tabernacle (cf. Leviticus 16:2). Notice in Leviticus 16:8-10 that the high priest is instructed to take two goats. One goat will be selected as for the Lord and used as a sin offering. We will consider that image in a future lesson. But the other goat is presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it so that it may be sent away into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:10). Some translations read that this goat is sent away into the wilderness as a scapegoat. So read as “Azazel.” The CSB reads “for an uninhabitable place.” To understand what is about to happen with this goat and what all of this means, we need to look at verses 21-22.
And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:21-22 ESV)
We need to appreciate the imagery that the Lord is teaching his people. Aaron, as the high priest, is placing his hands on the head of this goat and confessing all of the sins of the people. You can imagine what a weighty moment this would be as the sins of the people are confessed. Imagine recalling to your minds all of the sins you committed in the last year. But then there are two hopeful pictures that follow this moment. After confessing the sins of the people, the sins are pictured as being put on the head of the goat. You were supposed to look at this goat, hear the sins of the people confessed over the goat, and think about your sins being removed from yourself and placed on the goat. To complete the picture, then this goat that is carrying the sins of the people is taken to a remote area and set free into the wilderness. Imagine watching your sins going far away from you into the wilderness, never to return. This is an amazing atonement image as you watched your sins be taken so far away from you.
1 Peter 2:24
Now Isaiah 53 proclaimed that the Lord would lay on the suffering servant the iniquities of us all. Isaiah 53 also declared that the suffering servant would bear the sins of many. So the day of atonement and the live goat carrying the sins of the people each year appears to be the reference point of this prophecy regarding the Christ. The apostle Peter confirms this connection in 1 Peter 2:24.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21-25 ESV)
Notice in verse 24 the same imagery is used. Jesus bore our sins in his body on the tree. The picture is that our sins are no longer going to be placed on a goat one time a year and sent into the wilderness. Rather, our sins were placed on Jesus and taken away by his body being offered on the cross. This is exactly what John the Baptizer proclaimed when he saw Jesus.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29 ESV)
Notice the description that John puts on Jesus is that he is the one who takes away the sin of the world. He will be the way that sin can be taken away from us. Listen to some of the pictures in the scriptures.
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19 ESV)
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:8-13 ESV)
In both of the above scriptures we read about how God deals with our sins because of his steadfast love. He will tread our sins under his feet and cast them into the depths of the sea. Casting our sins into the sea is to indicate that those sins are on the sea floor, never to rise again. Further, we are told that his steadfast love for us is so great that he has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. This is one of my favorite images because east and west never touch. You can keep going east and never start going west. You can go north and end up going south. But we have to establish an arbitrary international date line because west and east never touch. That is how far our sins have been taken away from us through Jesus who carried our sins away from us.
Live To Righteousness
Now what does this mean to us? I want us to return to 1 Peter 2:24 and look at the conclusion the apostle Peter draws for us. Peter proclaims that Jesus is our atonement. Jesus carried our sins in his body on the tree. Why? Keep reading. “So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Seeing that Jesus has carried our sins away is supposed to change how we live. The Christian does not see their sins being carried away and then becomes encouraged to sin further. Who would go chasing the scapegoat into the wilderness that was carrying away their sins? Why would we want to go back to the sins that we needed the Savior to forgive us from? We should be cheering that our sins have been removed far from us, not clinging to the sins that need God’s forgiveness! Jesus took away our sins NOT so that we would accumulate more sins! Jesus took away our sins so that we would die to sin and live to righteousness. Rather, it is a picture of being freed from the weights of sin that were holding you down and holding you back from serving the Lord. This is how the writer of Hebrews puts it:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV)
The writer of Hebrews observes that what is holding us back from running this race with endurance are all the sins and weights that we are carrying. Can you imagine trying to run a race carrying 20 pound weights in each hand, your pockets full of metal, and a backpack full of weights? How far do you think you could run? You would obviously run further and stronger without the weights in your hands, in your pockets, and on your back. But we keep trying to carry the things that Jesus removed from us. Jesus has taken away our sins so that we would look to him and run with endurance. We are called to live to righteousness. So what sins are you holding on to that you need to send away? What weights are holding you down and burdens are you carrying that are keeping you from following Jesus the way you know you should and way you know you want to follow him? Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (cf. Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17). Jesus carried your sins away from you as far as the east is from the west (cf. Psalm 103:12). Jesus has cast your sins into the depths of the sea (cf. Micah 7:19). When you see Jesus, you are to see him carrying your sins far from you. So now you must stop living for sin and live for righteousness. Stop chasing after your sins. Pursue Jesus who has taken your sins far from you.