Guest Column / Richard Etienne

Unlike animal sacrifice of Old Testament, Jesus’ death was the ultimate sacrifice

Do most Catholic Christians truly comprehend the role that animal sacrifice played in the Hebrew community after the time of Moses and their exodus from Egypt?

Large sections of the book of Leviticus are dedicated to the rules and regulations for the priests, describing exactly how these sacrifices are to be carried out. The image of the smoke from the cooking meat rising up to please God is still echoed in the use of incense in modern times.

Fast forward to the Letter to the Hebrews written after the resurrection of Jesus. It reads, “You [oh God] do not want animal sacrifice or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (Heb 10:8).

And going back to an Old Testament Scripture verse in Hosea, we hear God say, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hos 6:6).

As Christians, we believe that Christ was the final sacrifice that ended the need for continuously repeating animal sacrifices. It is his sacrifice on the cross—represented in the Church’s celebration of the Last Supper at Mass—through which we actually enter into Jesus’ sacrifice.

For this reason, there is no need to sacrifice lambs for the removal of sin. It is and has been accomplished by Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary and continues in the eucharistic liturgy. He is our Lamb of God.

In the Book of Jeremiah, God says through the prophet, “In speaking to your fathers on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I gave them no command concerning holocaust or sacrifice. This rather is what I commanded them: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all that I command you, so that you may prosper” (Jer 7:22-23).

So, it seems important, as read in the Book of Psalms (Ps 50:13-14), to remember the critical role that animal sacrifice played in early Hebrew history. It helps us understand how these rituals eventually culminated in the Church’s liturgy in the Eucharist.

Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice on the cross—his blood was the ultimate sacrifice for sin—and this resulted in his victory of life over death.

But it is important to also understand the Scripture and traditions of the Hebrew people that shed so much light on the total meaning of Christ’s passion and resurrection. The tomb was empty: that is the most necessary element on which we Christians base our faith and the belief that we will one day also experience resurrection.
 

(Richard Etienne has a degree in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad and resides in Newburgh, Ind.) †