Scapegoat

  February 28

Leviticus 16

Psalm 28:1-5

Proverbs 6:27-29

Mark 5:21-43

Scapegoat

“Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting.  He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.  Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering.  But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.” 

Leviticus 16:7-10 LSB

A scapegoat is someone who is blamed for the actions of another.  It is usually someone who has less power and influence that takes the fall for someone of higher standing.  This flies against the idea of justice and makes us cringe when we see it happening.  Most people have no idea that the concept was first introduced in Leviticus and has prophetic significance.  It was part of the instructions given to Moses about the Day of Atonement.  Once a year, the high priest was told to take a bull and two goats.  He was to sacrifice the bull for his sins and the sins of his household.  He was then to take the two goats and bring them before the Lord.  He cast lots between them to determine which would be sacrificed and which would become the scapegoat.  The first goat was slaughtered for the sins of the people of Israel and its blood was used to cleanse the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar.  The high priest then took the live goat, laid his hands on its head and “confessed over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he laid them on the goat’s head and send it out into the wilderness.” (16:21 LSB) The scapegoat took on the sins of the Israelites and removed them far away. 

            This ritual that God established while the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness foreshadowed the ministry of Jesus, the Messiah.  Hebrews 4:14 explains, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us take hold of our confession.” (LSB)  Jesus fulfills the role of the high priest who intercedes on our behalf to His Father.  John 1:29, I Peter 1:19, I Corinthians 5:7, and Revelation 13:8 all tell us that Jesus is the unblemished lamb who sacrificed Himself for our sins, therefore, Jesus fulfills the role of the goat or lamb that was sacrificed on the altar to atone for the sins of the children of Israel.  The blood of the lamb cleansed them just as Jesus blood cleanses us from our sins.

            Jesus also fulfills the role of the scapegoat.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says,  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  (LSB) After the sins were laid on the scapegoat, it was considered unclean and driven into the wilderness.  It was cast out.  Jesus was crucified outside of the city, despised and rejected.  He represented the scapegoat because He took the punishment for our sin and removed them far from us.  We no longer need to sacrifice animals to atone for our sins and we do not need to confess our sins and impute them to a scapegoat to be carried away.  Jesus has been sacrificed or scapegoated for us.  Our sins have been atoned for once and for all.