Atonement

He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that resulted in our peace;
because of his wounds we have been healed.
(Isaiah 53:5) ¹

How does Jesus' death cover my sins?

Atonement

In his Core 52² book Mark Moore says, "Atonement basically means that you owe a debt and somebody else pays it for you." While the word itself may not be familiar, I'm sure almost everyone has experienced what it describes. Have you ever owed a debt of some kind and someone else stepped up and  took care of it for you? Or perhaps you yourself have helped out someone by taking care of a debt that they owe.

Blood Atonement

Lets talk about the Biblical concept of "sin". God has established a standard by which people can live their lives that would lead to peaceful person to person relationships as well as a peaceful relationship between a person and God. The key to that relationship is love, but God also gave us the freedom to make our own life decisions and to control our own actions. Why did he do that? Because love is based on free choice. One cannot exist without the other. So human beings have the choice to love or to hate, as well as a whole range of choices between those two.

But what about the blood thing? It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has lived in this world that sometimes human failure to live up to God's standard of love leads to bloodshed. Within one generation of the beginning of human life on earth with Adam and Eve, a man murdered his brother out of jealousy and hatred (Cain and Abel, Genesis chapter 4). And we see this pattern repeated throughout Biblical history as well as secular history as people continue to ignore God’s standard.
There is, however, another side to the shedding of blood throughout history and right up to our present day as soldiers, police officers, first responders, and even ordinary citizens sacrifice their lives to protect others. So blood is shed out of hatred, jealousy, and a rejection of God's standard, but the living out of love and concern for others also leads to bloodshed.

Even though it seems strange to us today, it should not be a surprise that, from the beginning of human history, the shedding of the blood of animals would become a means of "paying the debt" for the human failures that led to human bloodshed. Lets take a look at the progression of this concept through the Old Testament period.

Adam and Eve - Sin leads to death and the shedding of blood

Apparently Adam and Eve did not consider it appropriate to kill animals. When they sinned by eating from the forbidden tree, they made clothing for themselves from plants - fig leaves. When God confronted them about their failure, he killed an animal and made garments of skin for them (Genesis 3:21). The lesson here is that sin leads to death and the shedding of blood.

Abraham - God will provide a substitute

God told Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and that he would be a blessing to everyone on earth through his son Isaac, and then God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac by shedding his blood. By the way, before you criticize God for even suggesting such a thing, or criticize Abraham for even thinking about doing such a thing, keep in mind that this was a lesson, a learning experience for Abraham and us. The Bible suggests that Abraham fully expected that he would not have to complete this sacrifice (Genesis 22:8, Hebrews 11:17-19). Just as Abraham was raising the knife, God stopped him and showed him a ram (sheep) which he then used for the sacrifice. The lesson here is that God will provide a substitute.

The Passover - The shedding of blood can save

As God prepared to bring the last plague on Egypt, the death of the firstborn son, he told the Hebrews through his spokesperson Moses that they would be protected from the plague if they killed a lamb and placed the blood on their doorposts. This Passover was observed through the shedding of a lamb's blood as an annual ritual throughout the history of the Children of Israel from Moses and the tabernacle through the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The lesson here is that God can save through the shedding of blood.

Jesus - The Lamb of God

A couple of years before his crucifixion Jesus began to prepare his disciples for what was coming. Then on the night of his arrest, as he was celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples, he made it clear that he was the final and ultimate Passover lamb:

"Then he took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:19-20)¹

With this comment Jesus is identifying himself as the "Passover Lamb". Later in the the same conversation Jesus identified himself with the prophesies of Isaiah chapters 52 and 53:

"For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me is being fulfilled.” (Luke 22:37, quoting Isaiah 53:12)¹

Look at how these prophesies line up with the life of Jesus in this table adapted from Mark Moore's Core 52² book.

Isaiah and Jesus’ Life Compared
Isaiah 52-53 (NET)	Jesus’ life
“he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; his form was so marred he no longer looked human.” (52:14)	Jesus was brutally beaten.
"he had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow him." (53:2)	By trade Jesus was a “blue collar” peasant carpenter.
“He was despised and rejected by people.” (53:3)	This happened during his execution.
"But he lifted up our illnesses...he carried our pain...He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds...because of his wounds we have been healed...but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him...Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block...He was led away after an unjust trial...because of the rebellion of his own people he was wounded.” (53:4-8)	Descriptions of his death on the cross
“They intended to  bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb.” (53:9)	Jesus was crucified between two criminals but was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea who was a well known and well connected man of means.
"Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill, once restitution is made, he will see descendants and enjoy long life, and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him." (53:10)	This predicts the resurrection of Jesus.
“Having suffered, he will reflect on his work, he will be satisfied when he understands what he has done. My servant will acquit many, for he carried their sins.” (53:11)	This describes Jesus suffering and dying in our place.

During this Easter season we should note that Isaiah 53 also speaks of his resurrection and, therefore, of the hope of resurrection that we have in him.

Though the Lord desired to crush him and make him ill,
once restitution is made,
he will see descendants and enjoy long life,
and the Lord’s purpose will be accomplished through him.
(Isaiah 53:10)¹

The phrases "he will see his descendants" and "the Lord's purpose will be accomplished through him" indicate he is alive.

While some cultures may still practice blood sacrifices, in God’s eyes this is no longer necessary because the final sacrifice has been made “once for all” by his son Jesus.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die again; death no longer has mastery over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:8-11)¹

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1. Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

2. This post is the result of my studies based on the book by Mark E. Moore, Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Building your Bible IQ in a Year, published by WaterBook (Penguin Random House)
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