The Sacrifice

Deuteronomy 12:27b The blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but the flesh you may eat.

Flesh, blood, and sacrifice are not comfortable words for us in a worship setting. At least in the way that God is using them in Deuteronomy, they sound a bit visceral. Maybe they even sound offensive or gross. But in terms of the life of the early Hebrew people, these words meant what they said. When they were talking “flesh” they were talking about the meat of animals. When they were talking blood, they were talking about the blood from an animal. When they talked sacrifice, they meant killing the live animal in a ritualistic way, according to the Law of God. These are rough words, guttural words, real words.

These words are used in our liturgy for the Lord’s Supper. We talk of flesh, body, blood, bread, wine and sacrifice. But Jesus, the Word made flesh, has changed the significance of these words for us. In John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” According to Deuteronomy 12:23, the blood is the life. Jesus says that the “flesh and blood” together are life. I guess that’s the difference between baser animals used for sacrifices, like sheep, bulls and birds and Jesus.

Here’s how Jesus changed things. The sacrifice now is not something we do. We do not bring animals to be sacrificed nor do we sacrifice Jesus. Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice, on the cross. There can be no more human sacrifices that appease God or satisfy the Law. Jesus died once, for all. Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:13, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’”

The blood we speak of is now not the blood of animals, but of Jesus himself. The blood was spilled on the cross, not on the table. Matthew 26:27, And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Now, the blood of Jesus, the life of Jesus, is poured into our bodies. His life is in our lives.

The flesh, the body, is now not just meat on the grill, to be burned up. Luke 22:19, And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” The flesh, now connected in bread. We do not have wine and meat in the Lord’s Supper. We have wine and bread. The bread, the body, both of which we eat, just as we drink the blood, give us life.

Come to the table. The sacrifice has already been done. The flesh and blood, bread and wine, body and blood are given and shed for you. You don’t have to give or shed your blood in order to make yourself right with God. In fact, you couldn’t give or shed enough blood. Only the blood of Jesus, only the flesh of Jesus, shed and given for you. On your behalf, in your place. Amen! Thank you, Jesus.