Sacrifice and Healing

Sacrifice and Healing
Lenten Recollection on March 19

Deacon Alex

Sacrifices are offered to God to give thanks and to seek favour. For the Israelites, oxen and lambs were the preferred offerings. Wine and unleavened cakes could also be offered. Thus, sacrifices are actually human works on what God gives us. Just as what Abraham says, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). Gradually the purposes of sacrifice were extended to the atonement of sins (Leviticus 4:26) and the establishment of covenants (Exodus 24:4-6; Matthew 26:28).

One may wonder why sacrifices are killed, burnt and eaten? For pagans, their deities exist and move not in this world but in some other realms. Thus, killing and burning the sacrifices seem to be the only way to send them to their deities. But for us Christians, God is dwelling in our hearts. In order to send the sacrifices to our God, we don’t need to kill and burn them. Since a sacrifice should be the best gift we offer to God, we should instead treat it well, keeping it like a pet lamb! Yet killing and burning the sacrificial lambs would ensure that they are exclusively offered to God and not as a soothing balm for our personal souls! Offering sacrifice is not only a personal gesture but it is also a communal one. Only group members are allowed to partake in eating the sacrifice together.

It looks as if Moses made use of offering sacrifice as a tactics to take the Israelites out of the hands of Pharaoh. But in reality, the sacrifice is the only way to liberate us from the house of bondage because the sacrifice dies for us to release us. Sacrifice should be offered in sincerity, thus requiring a solemn and dedicated location! (The pandemic has ended. Don’t rely on online masses anymore!)

The Old Testament is pregnant with symbols pointing to the redemptive works of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His divinity enables Him to die and repay the debts of all humanity once and for all (Hebrews 7:25-27) as the genuine Paschal Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). His mission is to break down the dividing wall between God and sinners (Ephesians 2:14). No wonder He teaches us to leave our gifts at the altar and go to reconcile with our brothers before offering sacrifice (Matthew 5:23-24).

Let’s look deeper into our humanity. What makes human beings human? Archaeologists and anthropologists tell us that we are “homo sapiens”, i.e. men with intelligence. We are indeed and we are able to tell human beings apart from animals with our superior intelligence. However, our very success breeds a new crisis. Advances in artificial intelligence force us to resort to other criteria of being human. Is morality a possible candidate? No! It is because goodness and evil are defined by people in power whose actions are massively brutal to fellow human beings. I believe spirituality is our last bulwark. What makes human human is their soul. Man is such a complex being that anything can go wrong at any level. I’m afraid no physicians, psychiatrists and counsellors are able to heal our sickness holistically. Fortunately, the God we believe in is a healer. He assures us, “I the Lord am your healer” (Exodus 15:26). He is able to heal us in the most comprehensive manner by becoming human and a wounded healer! Jesus Christ is the Word of God (God the Creator) took flesh (John 1:14) to give us the grace (1:16) to become children of God (1:12). He carries the wounds even after resurrection (20:25) in order to cleanse us of our unbelief (20:27).

Brethren! We are fragile. Yet our merciful Lord chooses us and sends us to be wounded healers to channel His graces to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8). Be not afraid. He pledges to stay with us until the end of this age (28:20). Amen.
God bless!