I want to begin our sermon this morning by asking if you’ve ever before heard the word “scapegoat.” This term was coined by William Tyndale, the first great English Bible translator, who I will discuss a little further later on in our message. After Tyndale, the word came to be used for a person, animal, or object to which the impurity of a community was formally transferred and then removed. In common usage today, a scapegoat is someone whom people will blame for their own misfortunes, and even for their faults and sins. For example, in group dynamics, when two factions can’t get along, they will often unite once they find a common enemy. That common enemy becomes the scapegoat who receives the blame and helps the people feel good about themselves again. This morning, we’re going to learn about the ultimate Scapegoat who will take on our sins and unite us with God.
The Account of the Scapegoat (Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-16, 20-22)
6 Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 8 Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness . . .
15 Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. 16 So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness . . .
20 And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. 21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. 22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
In this chapter, we observe some of the rituals that took place on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. “The Day of Atonement was kept on the tenth day of Tisri [which] . . . would be about the first of October.”(1) It was observed by the people as a high solemn Sabbath. “On this occasion only, the high priest was permitted to enter into the holy of holies. Having bathed his person and dressed himself entirely in the holy white linen garments, he brought forward a young bullock for a sin offering, purchased at his own cost, on account of himself and his family; and two young goats for a sin offering, with a ram for a burnt offering, which were paid for out of the public treasury, on account of the people.”(2)
“He then presented the two goats before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle and cast lots upon them. On one lot [the words] ‘For Jehovah’ was inscribed, and on the other” – well, let me tell you, it wasn’t the word “scapegoat.” If the original Hebrew word for scapegoat were represented in verse eight, it would read like this: “Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for [Azazel].” So, on the other goat would be inscribed the words “For Azazel,” a very strange phrase, which we’ll look at in a moment.(3)
“After various sacrifices and ceremonies, the goat upon which the lot ‘For Jehovah’ had fallen was slain, and the high priest sprinkled its blood before the mercy-seat . . . The purification of the holy of holies and of the holy place being thus completed, the high priest laid his hands upon the head of the goat on which the lot ‘For Azazel’ had fallen, and confessed over it all the sins of the people. The goat was then led, by a man chosen for the purpose, into the wilderness, into ‘a land not inhabited,’ and was there let loose.”(4)
So, why were goats selected for this ritual instead of sheep? We tend to think of sheep as being the best sacrifice, since they are seen as pure. For example, Jesus was said to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Well, let’s look at why goats were possibly chosen over sheep. First of all, we should note that sheep and goats are closely related. “Sheep have 54 chromosomes, while goats have 60.” Sheep and goats will also mate, and on rare occasions produce a sheep-goat hybrid.(5) Consider their behavior. “Goats are naturally curious and independent, while . . . sheep have a stronger flocking instinct.” For example, “it is easier to keep sheep inside a fence than goats.” So, goats are independent, while sheep are more obedient and will follow a shepherd.
In Matthew chapter 25, we learn about sheep and goat nations. Here’s what the Scripture says: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ . . . Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:31-34, 41). When Christ returns, the sheep are the people who know Him as Savior and Lord; while the goats are the people who have lived rebelliously in sin and are associated with the devil, and their reward is hell.
Commentator Matthew Henry says, “Some think that goats were chosen for the sin-offering because, by the disagreeableness of their smell, the offensiveness of sin is represented. Others think, [it was] because it was said that the demons which the heathens then worshipped often appeared to their worshippers in the form of goats.”(6) If you combine the rebellious nature of goats with their strange appearance, their filth and their stench, then it seems that Matthew Henry was correct. Goats were chosen for the sin offering because they represent sin. It was as though sin itself were being “disposed of” through these offerings. So, let’s now go back to verse 8, where we encountered an odd term.
As I said in the introduction to this sermon, “The word [scapegoat] was coined by the Protestant scholar, William Tyndale, in 1530, when he undertook the task of the first translation of the entire Hebrew Bible into English. [But] he found he needed to introduce some new words into the English language in order to make sense of the Hebrew . . . A key part of Yom Kippur, as described in the Torah, is the ritual slaughter of two goats; one for the Lord, and the other is designated ‘for Azazel’.”(7) Tyndale did not know who or what Azazel was, so he made up the name “escapegoat,” which later evolved into the simple term “scapegoat.”(8)
So, who or what was Azazel? It has been suggested that in Jewish tradition, Azazel is “the name of a rocky headland off which one goat, having the sins of the community symbolically placed upon it, would be thrown.”(9) But Azazel was not a rocky headland. It was not a mountain or a high cliff. This word is likely derived from a combination of two Hebrew terms, Az and Tzail. “Az” means strong, powerful, firm, fierce and violent. “Tzail” is a shadow. So the meaning of Azazel would be something like a “fierce shadow.” We can also see from verse 10 that Azazel was thought to have existed out in the wilderness.
“The eighteen-century German theologian “Gesenius takes Azazel to mean ‘averter,’ which he theorized was the name of a deity, to be appeased with the sacrifice of the goat. Alternatively . . . the [non-canonical] Book of Enoch may preserve Azazel as the name of a fallen angel” (see Enoch 8:1).(10) Other Jewish writings from just before the Christian era tell of angels being led into lust and sin by Azazel. In Smith’s Bible Dictionary, we read that “the best modern scholars agree that it designates the personal being to whom the goat was sent, probably Satan.”(11) In other words, Azazel was a demonic figure representing evil and sin.
Here’s something I think you’ll find interesting from Easton’s Bible Dictionary: “At a later period, a . . . modification of the law of Moses was introduced by the Jews. The goat was [led] to a mountain named Tzuk, situated at a distance of [six and a half miles] . . . from Jerusalem. At this place, the Judean desert was supposed to commence; and the man in whose charge the goat was sent out, while setting him free, was instructed to push the unhappy beast down the slope of the mountain side, which was so steep as to insure the death of the goat, whose bones were broken by the fall. The reason of this barbarous custom was that on one occasion the scapegoat returned to Jerusalem after being set free, which was considered such an evil omen that its recurrence was prevented for the future by the death of the goat.”(12)
So, now that we’ve covered some background information on the two goats offered on the Day of Atonement, let’s now turn to Matthew 27:15-26 for a New Testament parallel and application.
Jesus Became Our Scapegoat (Matthew 27:15-26)
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” 25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
It has been suggested that the account of the scapegoat represents the work of Christ – though, based on what we just learned, Jesus is no goat! I’ll again emphasize how John the Baptist declared Him to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Nevertheless, there does seem to be an obvious New Testament parallel in this passage.
We see two individuals standing before Pilate for trial – Barabbas, who would be a goat; and Jesus, who would be a sheep. Verse 16 says that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner; meaning, he was a habitual sinner. Jesus, however, was (and is) the sinless Lamb of God. But the crowd demanded that Barabbas be released unto them instead of Jesus, which seems unjust. They wanted Barabbas to remain alive and Jesus to be crucified, even though Jesus had done no wrong.
Back in Leviticus 16:8, we saw how lots were cast for the two goats. In other words, each goat had a specific function. One goat went unto God, and the other went unto an evil spirit in the wilderness named Azazel. Leviticus 16:9 shows us that the goat that went unto the Lord would be sacrificed, or killed; and the goat that went unto Azazel would remain alive. Notice that Barabbas, who was an evil and notorious criminal, remained alive, similar to the goat that was left alive. Barabbas was sent back unto the evil and sinful crowd, resembling the goat that was sent back unto the wilderness-dwelling demon Azazel.
We need to keep in mind that sin being transferred to animals appears to have been a common practice in biblical times. For example, in Matthew chapter 8, we find the account of two demon-possessed men. When Jesus was about to cast out the demons, the evil spirits requested that they be allowed to possess a herd of pigs. The pigs then ran off a cliff and perished. In this account, the action of the pigs running off a cliff is similar to the action of the scapegoat going into the wilderness. The pigs died and the demons returned to the evil realm from which they came; and when the scapegoat carried the sins of the people to Azazel, the sins returned to the source of their evil origin – symbolically speaking.
So, Barabbas was released like the scapegoat, but Jesus was killed like the goat of the sin offering. In Leviticus 16:15-16, the “blood” of the goat that was dedicated to the Lord was brought through the veil (v. 15) into the tabernacle (v. 17); and the reason why the blood was brought into the tabernacle was for the purpose of cleansing “all” sins (v. 16). Verse 16 emphasizes that “all their sins” were cleansed. This is exactly what the blood of Jesus – the blood that was shed on the cross – does for each of us. 1 John 1:7 declares that “the blood of Jesus Christ God’s son cleanses us from all sins.” This cleansing affect takes place in our life when we confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9-10).
Verse 17 mentions how the goat of the sin offering was taken “into the tabernacle” for the sacrifice. In the New Testament, the tabernacle (or temple, rather) represents a human being – body, mind and soul. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” The goat that was to be sacrificed unto God represents Jesus Christ and how He comes into our life and cleanses “our temple.” Hebrews 10:19-20 tells us that by the blood of Jesus, He consecrated for us a new and living way through the veil.
Let’s now look at a couple more interesting parallels. In Leviticus 16:21, notice how Aaron placed the sins of the people on the “head” of the scapegoat. In Matthew 27:24-25, when it was decided that Barabbas be released unto the people, they cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children” (v. 25). Just as the sins of the Israelites were placed on the head of the scapegoat sent to the evil spirit Azazel, the sin of spilling the Savior’s blood was placed on the heads of those who condemned Him to death. Nevertheless, Jesus pardoned their sins by the sacrifice of His own flesh. Jesus was the goat of the sin offering; or rather, the Lamb of God who covered “all” sins once and for all – for everyone who trusts in Him as Savior and Lord. This included even those who cried out for His crucifixion, if they repented and trusted in Christ.
Now, take a look at Leviticus 16:24, which we haven’t yet read. Notice how when Aaron had finished offering both the blood of the goat of the sin offering and the scapegoat that he washed himself. In Matthew 27:24, after Pilate released Barabbas, he tried to wash himself of the matter. This verse says that “he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.” But Pilate was not innocent and he could not wash himself of his sin. We read in Titus 3:5-6 that we cannot be cleansed “by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”
Time of Reflection
So, in our passage this morning, we saw that Aaron offered two goats. One was the goat of the sin offering. This goat was offered to cleanse “all” the sins of the people, and it was sacrificed inside the tabernacle. This offering represents Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross covers all sins by His precious blood, and Jesus will come and abide in the tabernacle of our heart.
The other goat that Aaron offered was the scapegoat, sent to an evil demon in the wilderness named Azazel. The scapegoat carried certain other sins back to the source of their origin. This offering represents Barabbas who was released and returned to the crowd. The sins of Barabbas were the result of an evil society; whose evil and rebellious nature is still present in the world today.
The goat of the sin offering represents Jesus who covers all sins. The problem with the goat of the sin offering is that it had to be offered regularly; whereas, Christ made a one-time sacrifice and atonement – one that truly did cover all sins. There is no more need for a scapegoat or any other animal sacrifice, as the Lamb of God became the final sin offering.
We read about Jesus, in Hebrews 7:25-27, that “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, [and] separate from sinners . . . who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” This morning, if you will confess Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as your personal Savior and Lord, then your sins will be forgiven “once for all,” and you will receive eternal life.
NOTES
(1) William Smith, “The Day of Atonement,” Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Bronson, MI: Power BibleCD, 2007).
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Sheep101.Info: http://www.sheep101.info/sheepandgoats.html (Accessed October 4, 2021).
(6) Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Bronson, MI: Power BibleCD, 2007).
(7) Simon Holloway, “The Origins of the Scapegoat,” Sidney Jewish Museum (Accessed October 4, 2021).
(8) Ibid.
(9) Ibid.
(10) “Scapegoat,” Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapegoat (Accessed October 4, 2021).
(11) Smith’s Bible Dictionary.
(12) Matthew G. Easton, “Scapegoat,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary (Bronson, MI: Power BibleCD, 2007).
