In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,
and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22
To the casual reader—and perhaps to you as well—there are parts of the Old Testament that are hard to understand or are difficult to swallow. One of these is animal sacrifice as an integral part of religious life. This is both foreign to us in the modern world and despised by animal lovers. It seems barbaric, but I encourage you to read all of the Scriptures mentioned in today’s devotional to get a more complete view.
Why did an animal, specifically a lamb without blemish, have to die for a person’s sins to be forgiven? Here is the explanation the Lord gave to the people through Moses in Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life”. The shedding of blood was necessary in the eyes of God to forgive the Jewish people of their sins and to reconcile them to Him.
One of the spring feasts that Jews commemorate is Passover. It begins on the 14th day of the first month of the Jewish religious year, and the people were given very specific instructions on what to do (Exodus 12:1–14; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 28:16–23; Deuteronomy 16:1–7). This somber feast commemorates the Jews’ deliverance from Egypt and the time they put the blood of unblemished lambs on their doorposts.
Tomorrow we will look at the Passover meal. For today, we focus on the fact that Jesus fulfilled this feast with His death. Jesus became the perfect and final Lamb that needed to be slain. He had to be. God ordained that His own Lamb would be slain so that we could be redeemed (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
Revisit the story of the Last Supper and crucifixion. Realize that this climactic moment in history took place at Passover (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 18). And look forward with hope that one day, the Lamb who was slain will return and be worshipped forever by all heavenly creatures and those whose names are in the book of life (Revelation 5:6–12, 13:8). The rest will have eternity to wish they had recognized the Messiah. We should be motivated by this future reality and witness to our non-believing friends and family while there is still time.