WAS JESUS REALLY THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

WAS JESUS REALLY THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

TO ATONE FOR THE SINS OF MANKIND?

John Stone

Christianity claims its theological authority is rooted in the Hebrew bible; in essence Christianity is Version 2.0 of the Jewish religion. Along with this line of reasoning, Christian mythology has their man-god Jesus serving as an ultimate sacrifice to "atone"* for all of the sins of mankind ― past, present and future. Just "believe" in Christianity's Invisible Man in the Sky and you are home-free; safe from the invented devil and his lakes of hellfire and damnation. However, this is completely contradictory to the Hebrew bible's teachings which Christianity claims it fulfills. Below is a partial list of reasons why the man-god Jesus could not have been a valid sacrifice according to the ancient laws set forth in the Hebrew bible. According to Judaism, any one of the following examples would render a sacrifice invalid for the purpose of atonement. *

When Christianity claims Jesus was killed, Judaism's second temple was still standing in Jerusalem and the Hebrew bible was in common use. What follows are ten reasons why the death of a man (Jesus) on the cross could not have been a valid sacrificial offering. The Hebrew Bible:

1. Requires that a sacrificial ritual be administered by a priest (see Leviticus Chapters 1-7). According to the accounts in the New Testament (NT), Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:33; John 19:18, 23).

2. Requires that the blood of the (sin) sacrifice had to be sprinkled by the priest on the veil of the sanctuary and on the altar in the temple (e.g., Leviticus 4: 5-6). New Testament clearly shows this was not done.

3. Requires that the (sin) sacrifice be without any physical defect or blemish (e.g., Leviticus 4:3). According to the various accounts in the NT, Jesus was beaten, whipped, and dragged on the ground before being crucified (Matthew 26:67, 27:26, 30-31; Mark 14: 65, 15:15-20; Luke 22: 63; John 18:22, 19:1, 3). Moreover, as a Jew by birth, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day after being born, a ritual that leaves a scar ("sign of the covenant"). According to the NT, circumcision is tantamount to mutilation (Philippians 3:2, Galatians 5:12).

4. Requires that the passover (sin) sacrifice, a male-goat, be offered on an individual (per household) basis (Numbers 28:22), not as a communal offering. According to the NT, Jesus’ death (termed a “sin sacrifice”) expiated the sins of mankind; past, present and future. (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 9:12, 10:10, 10:18).

5. Directs that the paschal lamb was NOT to be offered for the removal of sins. It was a commemorative/festive offering (see also under items 4 above and 6 below). A more appropriate time for a sin offering would have been on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement; Numbers 29:11 [individual sin-offering―male goat]; Leviticus16:15 [communal sin-offering―male goat]).

6. Requires sacrificed paschal lamb to be roasted and eaten, and it’s blood used to place markings on the side-posts and lintel of the doors (Exodus 12: 7-8). There is no record in the NT that this was done.

7. States that the sacrificial sin offering could only atone for UNINTENTIONAL sins, with few notable exceptions as stated in Leviticus 5:1-6, 20-26 [Leviticus 6:1-7 in Christian Bibles]; [e.g., Num 15:27-31] .

8. Teaches that sacrifices can only atone for sins committed PRIOR to the offering of the sacrifice. No sacrifice could ever atone for sins committed AFTER the sacrifice was offered. Thus, no sacrifice could ever atone for people born after the sacrifice was offered.

9. Strictly FORBIDS human vicarious atonement (e.g., Exodus 32:31-33; Numbers 35:33; Deuteronomy 24:16; II Kings 14:6; Jeremiah 31:29 [30 in a Christian Bible]; Ezekiel 18:4,20; Psalms 49:7).

10. Strictly PROHIBITS human sacrifices (e.g., Leviticus18:21, 24-25; Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 7:31, 19: 5; Ezekiel 23:37, 39).

As you can now clearly see, Christianity's man-sacrifice/atonement story violated the very Hebrew source claimed for its authority and purpose. Even if it were true that Jesus was some kind of super-sacrifice that atoned for all sins of all mankind, then his death could only atone for the sins committed before his death, not for any sins committed after his death by people who were born only after he died. The sacrificial death of Jesus is simply hooey!

"Take from the church the miraculous, the supernatural, the incomprehensible, the unreasonable, the impossible, the unknowable, the absurd, and nothing but a vacuum remains" -Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899)

DISCLAIMER:

Citation of Hebrew scripture and sources in articles or analyses is not in any way an acceptance, approval or validation of the Jewish religion, its works or scriptures. The Hebrew bible, like the Christian New Testament, is fictitious; From a 6-day creation of the universe; a cunning, walking, talking snake; big fish tales; world flood and an "Invisible Man in the Sky" ― it is all fiction, a bold sham perpetrated on mankind.

* Atonement: a Hebrew concept, carried to a extreme by Christianity. Vague methods to entice a god ― the Invisible Man in the Sky ― to somehow forgive a sin an individual may have committed sometime during life.

RETURN