Genesis One Studies

A lot of times people will be quick to point out the verse found in one of the four accounts where Jesus (allegedly) ate fish. But most will completely look over all of the examples Jesus Christ gave in how He lived, the examples that He used to teach us how to live, and the things that He actually said and the scriptures that He quoted.

For instance, did it ever occur to you why Jesus Christ ended animal sacrifice? He was to be THE Lamb of God, giving His life for our sins, so that whomever shall believe in Him shall have everlasting life. His sacrifice was to be the end of all ritualistic, and pointless (Hebrews 10:1-4) animal sacrifice. Pointless, in that the sacrifices did nothing in reality to forgive their sins, and a ritualistic practice that paralleled the pagan practices by everyone else in the lands of that day (see the pagan ritualistic sacrifices of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Balaam, Baal, Rome, etc) (1 Cor 10: 5-10) The Israelites, after being freed from Egyptian bondage, so quickly went back to their pagan ways (Exodus 32:1-8). These are the same Israelites who complained about the food from heaven (manna) and wanted flesh, to which God let them have, so much so they died from it (Numbers 11:11-20,31-34) (Ps. 78:24-31)

This is why John The Baptist's sect forgave sins through baptism by water, not by animal sacrifice. And it is John whom Jesus Himself went to, to be baptised and receive the Holy Spirit.

It is made quite clear in the Bible by those such as King David and Jeremiah that God did not want animal sacrifice and never Himself asked for such a thing. And why would He? Why would He enjoy the death of His own creation?

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require." - Psalm 40:6

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat. For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices." - Jeremiah 7:20-22

But here's the best part. Earlier in the same chapter, Jeremiah says the following:

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, "Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, "Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the Lord!" Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these.' For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings.........and do not shed innocent blood in this place...........then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forver and ever." "Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, says the Lord." Jeremiah 7:1-7,11 (NIV)

Does that sound familiar? It should. Because that is the very verse that Jesus Christ quoted when clearing out the temple of all of the sacrificial animals and those whom sold them as sin sacrifices.

And he said to them, "It is written, MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER; but you are making it a DEN of ROBBERS." - Matthew 21:13 (NIV)

The KJV and NKJV use the word "thieves" here instead of "robbers", but the original Greek and Hebrew word used translates as “robber” [Strong's G3027], both here in Matthew, and in Jeremiah 7:11 (Hebrew: פָּרִיץ pārîṣ, ‘violent one’, from the verb פָּרַץ pāraṣ, break (through, down, over), burst [TWOT 1826]) and Mark 11:17 and synoptic parallels (λῃστής lēstēs, ‘robber’, ‘rebel’, ‘highwayman’; also used in the translation of Jeremiah 7:11). For both the Hebrew and Greek words, “robber” is an appropriate translation, but it only has a real impact on those who understand the legal, technical difference between a “robber” and “thief” (in Greek, the latter is translated from κλέπτης kleptēs, used 16 times in the NT). A robber uses violent force against a person to take something. A thief steals, tho might also kill as Jesus points out in John, but not in the violent fashion as does a robber. Robbers in that day would rob you as you proceeded down a road or path, and not only take all of your money and valued possessions, but violently attack you, slitting your throat alive and leaving you on the side of the road, dead. In Nehemiah, the Hebrew word is used to contrast the efforts of those rebuilding the wall. The enemies of the Jews wanted to level and break down the walls, as indicated by the definition above. In other places in the Hebrew text, the word has much more violent overtones. In Isaiah 35:9, the word refers to “ravenous” beasts. In Ezekiel 7:22, it refers to those who would desecrate the temple. In Psalm 17:4, it is used in parallel with those who bribe, an action always associated with violence in the OT. And in Daniel 11:14, the word is used of those “violent” ones who would rebel against the divine visions.

This was the word that was used in these examples, and more specifically to our discussion, here by both Jeremiah and Jesus Christ.

This scene obviously was taken much to heart by Jesus Christ, upset at this taking place in His Father's House, upon finding those who sold oxen and sheep and doves at the time of the Jewish Passover (John 2:13-14), and releasing the sacrifical animals which knocked over the money tables in the process. This incident was the trigger point for those planning His death. This greatly angered the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, and they sought to destroy him for it, but couldn't yet because all the people were very attentive to hear Him teach in the temple (Luke 19:47-48). He was teaching them His Father's true teachings, the true law, and this greatly disturbed the priests and the scribes.

The same Pharisee priests of whom Jesus called a brood of vipers multiple times, and told, "....you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.........But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. You do the deeds of your father.......if God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of myself, but He sent Me.......You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him." - John 8:37-44

And the scribes of whom Jeremiah spoke of "How you can say, ;We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us'? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood." Jeremiah 8:8

Jesus also referred the Pharisees twice to Hosea 6:6 by quoting it (see Matthew 9:13 and Matthew 12:7)

"For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" - Hosea 6:6

Jesus refers to Himself as the Shepherd, and we His sheep

"Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers (there's that word again!), but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly......."I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.....I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" - John 10:7-11,14-16

Jesus could have left the animals in the temple to be sold for slaughter and sacrifice. He could have also let animal sacrifice continue after his death. However, He freed the animals being sold in the temple for the demise of pointless sacrifice around the time of the Passover, which completely angered the Pharisees. He didn't take the life of His sheep, as He refers to us. He gave His life for His sheep. He Himself died for the forgiveness of our sins, and put an end to the sacrificial system, and is known as the Lamb of God.

Jesus

The End of Animal Sacrifice

Genesis One Project