Managing the Abattoir

I’m not a vegetarian.  I don’t think I could ever be one.  Although I love the magical flavours that a good veggie dish can offer, I wouldn’t like to be completely without the meat-and-veg option.  We are told that we are made in God’s image; on that basis - though it might be opening myself to a charge of blasphemy - I question whether or not He is a vegetarian.  That said, ...

Our home group has been following a Lent study that traces the history of sacrifice, as its title says, ‘From the Ram to the Lamb’.  It begins in the world of animal sacrifice.  Perfect specimens – ‘a male without defect’ (Leviticus 1:3 etc.) – were killed in a bid to restore men who had sinned to their place of fellowship with God.  

The sacrifices were based on the simple concept that behaviour contrary to God’s wishes was to be punished by death.  Such behaviour is what we call ‘sin’, and a good general summary is to be found in the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:1-17 or Deuteronomy 5:6-21).  In his letter to the Romans, Paul goes into great detail about sin and punishment, leading to his famous conclusion “the wages of sin is death ...” (Rom. 6:23).  It was this death, the death of the sinner himself, that was avoided by the animal sacrifices.

God didn’t want sacrifices.  The prophet Ezekiel was told to tell the Israelites, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ez. 33:11).  The psalmist recognised the same truth. “You do not delight in sacrifice or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (Ps. 51:16-17).  But the people grew no more virtuous.  In some ways, it’s no wonder that they were afraid of God.  The priests had no time to explain the loving side of His nature: they were too busy managing the abattoir!

From what Jesus said, people thought that he wanted to throw out the Law that they had tried to live by for centuries.  As Matthew tells us, this was not the case; He hadn’t come to abolish the Law but in fulfilment of it (Matt. 5:17).  Yes, sin still had to be punished; yes, the price was still death.  Now, however, there was a new alternative.  Instead of an animal, and another animal, and another animal ad nauseam ... Jesus died – just once – to pay for the sins of all of mankind. 

Our course ends with that once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.  In his letter, Paul continues with a wonderful contrast.  Having spelled out the ‘wages of sin’, i.e. what we deserve for our behaviour, he explains that, instead of death, we can enjoy a free gift, Eternal Life (Rom. 6:23).  As a friend put it this week, “as a result of our acceptance that Jesus died for our sins (John 3:16-18), we are ‘in Him’; so when God looks at our sins, all He sees is the perfection of His Son.”

Later this month, you might be eating Easter eggs.  Before then, you could either eat or reject a roast dinner.  As you consider meat, spare a thought for those perfect animals slaughtered long ago, and remember the freedom you can now enjoy from the consequences of your sins.