“For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,
‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
But you have given me a body to offer.
You were not pleased with burnt offerings
or other offerings for sin.’
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
as is written about me in the Scriptures.’
First, Christ said, ‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them’ (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will.’ He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.”
We have talked at length about how the old system of animal sacrifice was replace by a new covenant with God as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice of himself on the cross. Today’s verses point us towards the heart of God. What does he want from his people? While he had given them an earthly, tangible way to pay for their sins, God was never really interested in these offerings. Throughout the Old Testament, God had already made this clear. Those who were paying attention to God’s heart had no question about Jesus’ identity as the Savior, or Messiah. Those who focused on the law missed it completely.
So what exactly does God want? Micah 6:6-8 gives us the answer:
“What can we bring to the Lord?
Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
with offerings of yearling calves?
Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?
No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Many people claim the label “Christian,” and for many that means they follow some cultural traditions that are historically rooted in the Christian church. Deliberately following Jesus means looking beyond these traditions to understand the heart behind them. Don’t give an offering just to hear some change clink in the plate. Do the right thing in your life. Find someone to whom you can show mercy. Walk around with deep humility that assumes you are not always right. Jesus was the once-for-all sacrifice in order to give you freedom. Use today to live that freedom by sacrificing your pride and your comfort to him.