| Sermon Summary by Arun Sahayadas |
Atonement and Confession in the Journey to Reconciliation
In the movie 'The Last Emperor,' the young boy crowned as the final emperor of China enjoys a life of extraordinary luxury, surrounded by a thousand eunuch servants at his beck and call. His brother asks, "What happens when you make a mistake?" The boy emperor replies, "When I make a mistake, someone else gets punished." To illustrate, he breaks a jar, and a servant is beaten as a consequence.
In contrast, Jesus upturned this: when the servants made mistakes, it was the King who bore the punishment.
Atonement refers to the act of making amends for wrongs or mistakes. In the Old Testament, atonement is usually achieved through the offering of animal sacrifices. The offerings in the Book of Leviticus for atonement include burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. Each of these offerings symbolizes different aspects of repentance and reconciliation with God and with one another. Through these offerings, worshippers learn several crucial truths:
1. The Necessity of Blood for Atonement:
Leviticus 17:11 states, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” This underscores the belief that without the shedding of blood, there is no atonement. Jesus, as the high priest and the ultimate sacrifice, offered Himself once for all so that we can be reconciled with God.
2. The Importance of Confession:
Leviticus 5:5-6 instructs, “When anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.” This passage highlights that without confession, offering a sacrifice is meaningless.
3. Restitution and Reconciliation with Others:
Leviticus 6:1-7 teaches that if a person wrongs their neighbor, they must return what was taken and add a fifth of its value as restitution before making a guilt offering. Jesus reiterates this principle in Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Dear friends, we are called to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us. Through the lens of atonement and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, we see a profound transformation: from punishment of the innocent for the guilty's mistakes to the King Himself bearing the punishment for His servants. Let us embrace this divine pattern of grace and forgiveness in our own lives.