Sacrifice
has almost disappeared from people’s understanding in our Western
culture today. Some glimpses of it can be found in war stories, as
when a soldier puts himself in harm’s way to save the lives of
others.
In
the ancient world, it was common in many religions to sacrifice an
animal for the sake of a person, and even human sacrifice was
widespread. We shudder to think of it. Archaeologists have found that
young men were buried alive in Irish peat bogs as an offering to the
people’s gods. And young maidens, in ceremonial dress, were led
high into the Andes in South America and left to starve and freeze as
an offering to the gods of the mountains.
The
worship of God was different. But one day God told Abraham to
sacrifice his only son, Isaac. This was a test to see if Abraham
really trusted God. Along the way Abraham told Isaac, “God himself
will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” And when the time
for sacrifice came, God provided a ram in place of Isaac.
This
shocking story points to the ultimate sacrifice God was planning for
the future, when he would send his only Son, Jesus, to be born as a
descendant of Abraham and to give up his own perfect life to atone
for human sin. Jesus, the Lamb of God, laid down his life for us all,
showing how deeply God loves us, so that we can have life with God
forever.