Christ’s death on the cross that atoned for our sins didn’t happen in a vacuum…it wasn’t an isolated event that was devoid of any historical contextual connection. It meant something to the people of the day. It was foreshadowed…they knew what they were seeing because of their history. There are three events in the history of Israel that are universally understood to be a type that foreshadowed the reality found in Jesus’ sacrifice: the sacrifice of Isaac, the Passover Lamb, and the Atonement Lamb.
The sacrifice of Isaac is found in Genesis 22. Abraham is a type of the Father; Isaac, a type of Jesus. Prior to this event in Abraham’s life, God has sworn Himself to Abraham in a self-maledictory oath that He was committed to His covenant with Abraham(Genesis 15). In Genesis 22, God makes a request of Abraham to test his commitment to this covenant.
“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Gen. 22:2
Issac was a young man, probably between 15 and 25 years of age…easily able to resist his father. But, it seems Isaac went willingly…he allowed himself to be bound and placed upon the altar. God intervenes and provides a ram to spare Abraham from following through with the sacrifice of his son. This request was not an unusual one to Abraham…not like it would be to us today.
Do we see any wrath in this story? Any punishment? Is God angry with Abraham and punishing Isaac instead? No. There is no wrath…no punishment. There is a small element of substitution seen in the ram but the ram does not represent Jesus. It was an intervention to spare Isaac…that revealed God’s mercy and showed Abraham that God was not like the other gods who required child sacrifice. We see absolutely no wrath, no punishment of sin, no appeasement, no substitution of one taking the punishment of another. This is a covenantal offering. It is a type of Jesus…the covenant sacrifice that established the New Covenant.
What about the Passover Lamb? Paul connects Jesus with the Passover Lamb in 1 Corinthians 5:7 when he writes,
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you rally are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.”
God was delivering His people from their oppressors, Egypt. After 9 plagues sent to the Egyptians, this was the tenth and final plague…the death of the firstborn. The Israelites were to kill a young goat or lamb, eat the meal together and place the blood on the doorway. This blood will
“serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.” Ex. 12:13
Do we see any wrath or punishment in this type and shadow of the atonement? This narrative occurs before the law and come and according to Paul, wrath did not come until the law(Rom. 4:15). Therefore, this is not any outpouring of wrath. Nor does the story even allude to any wrath. Is anyone being punished for their sin? Is the lamb killed instead? The lamb is killed instead of the firstborn? No, not really because God did require them to offer their firstborn…the tribe of Levi was set apart instead of the firstborn of every Israelite.
No vengeance. No punishment. No substitution. No wrath. This story is describing a covenantal meal; the blood was the sign of their relationship with God. This even then marked their first month: a new beginning…a new nation…a new unleavened batch.
In the same way, Jesus is the Passover Lamb that we partake of in a covenant meal known as the Eucharist. We ingest His body and blood as a celebration of our deliverance from the enemy. When we do this, we are identifying with Christ in the New Covenant…a new beginning…a new people…a new unleavened batch.
The third universally accept type and shadow of the atonement is the Atonement Lamb. The specification of the Day of Atonement are found in Leviticus 16. This was a once a year ceremony that renewed the covenant between Israel and God. The high priest would sacrifice a bull as a sin offering to cover his own sins. Then, he would take 2 goats…one as the sacrificial animal and the other as the scapegoat. He would slit the throat of the first animal and drain its blood. This blood would then be taken into the Holy of Holies and sprinlked on the lid of the Ark which held the Ten Commandments…the covenant agreement they had violated during the year necessitating their atonement and renewal. With blood still on his hands, the high priest would then place his hands on the scapegoat and declare the sin of Israel onto that lamb. This lamb or goat would be taken into the wilderness and set free. One lamb was the covenant sacrifice that provided forgiveness for another year; the other carried away the sin of the people.
Any wrath? Punishment? Substitution? No. Neither lamb was killed as a substitute for a person or for their sin. It was killed as a renewal of the covenant Israel had with God; its blood atoned for their sin…provided forgiveness for another year. This is a covenantal sacrifice providing forgiveness, not punishment. It was a covenant renewal ceremony, restoring and renewing their relationship with God. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, placing the blood on the Ark, he was acting in faith that God would forgive them. The Israelites performed this type and shadow annually, in faith. God, in response to their faith, received the sacrifice and forgave their sins.
Jesus, as the Atonement Lamb, was killed to establish a New Covenant with humanity. Jesus, as the High Priest, did not need a bull to cleanse His own sin. Jesus took His own blood, as the Lamb that was slain, into the heavenly tabernacle, placed it upon the Ark…providing forgiveness for our sins. He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. (Jeb. 9:11-12) Jesus is the Atonement Lamb who shed His blood to atone for…cover…forgive our sins forever so we can enter into the New Covenant.
Just as the types and shadows of the atonement contain no wrath or punishment, no appeasement, the sacrifice of Jesus for our atonement is not about wrath, appeasement, or punishment…but about the establishment of the New Covenant. Jesus became Isaac, the Passover Lamb, and the Atonement Lamb of this New Covenant. His blood was shed to secure our forgiveness, not just for one year, but for eternity.