Go! And See the Scapegoat: Christ Our Substitute - Leviticus 16:7–8
Leviticus 16:7–8 (NLT): “Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the Lord and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel.”
Introduction: The Picture of Two Goats
Church, today we open the book of Leviticus—a book that many of us may quietly skip over in our Bible reading plans. Yet here, hidden among laws, rituals, and sacrifices, we discover some of the clearest pictures of Jesus Christ in all of Scripture.
In Leviticus 16:7–8, we are taken into the solemn ceremony of the Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur. Once a year, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place and make atonement for the sins of the people. At the centre of this ritual stood two goats. One would be sacrificed, and the other would be the scapegoat, sent away into the wilderness, carrying the sins of Israel.
Why two goats? Because God was painting a portrait of salvation. One goat shows the penalty of sin—death. The other shows the removal of sin—our guilt carried far away. Together, they point us straight to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
1. The First Goat: Atonement through Blood
The first goat was sacrificed as a sin offering to the Lord. Its blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat as a covering for sin.
Hebrew word study: Kippur comes from kaphar, meaning “to cover” or “to make atonement.” The blood of the goat covered Israel’s sin temporarily. But Christ’s blood doesn’t just cover sin—it removes it completely.
Hebrews 9:12 (NLT): “With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.”
The author of Hebrews was writing to Jewish Christians tempted to return to the old system of sacrifices. He reminds them that Jesus’ blood is sufficient, once and for all.
The cross is greater than the altar of the Tabernacle. The blood of Christ secures eternal redemption, not temporary relief.
Stop trying to atone for your own sin. No amount of good works, religious rituals, or self-punishment can do what Christ has already done on the cross.
John Piper: “The only hope for sinners is the blood of Jesus. Our works add nothing; our failures subtract nothing. The blood of Christ is sufficient.”
Church, Piper reminds us that salvation is not about human effort—it is about divine sacrifice.
Imagine a man drowning in the ocean. He cannot swim. The waves are crashing over him. Suddenly, a rescuer dives in, not handing him a swimming manual, not telling him to try harder, but lifting him onto his shoulders and carrying him to safety. That is the cross. Christ did not throw us instructions—He gave His life.
2. The Second Goat: The Removal of Sin
The second goat, chosen by lot, was not killed. Instead, the high priest laid his hands on its head, confessing over it the sins of the people. Then it was sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying sin away into the land of Azazel—a place cut off.
Psalm 103:12 (NLT): “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”
Israel lived with constant awareness of sin. The scapegoat was a visible sign of God’s mercy.
Christ is not only our atoning sacrifice; He is also our sin-bearer. He carries our guilt far away.
Azazel has been debated, but it conveys the idea of complete removal, a cutting off. In Christ, our sins are cut off from us forever.
Believer, stop living as if you are still chained to your past sins. If Christ has carried them away, why carry them on your back?
Isaiah 53:6 (NLT): “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.”
Tim Keller: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time, we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
Keller captures the paradox of the scapegoat—our sin is greater than we think, but Christ’s grace is greater still.
Think of a rubbish lorry coming every week. You put your bin outside. The rubbish is carried away. What if you brought the rubbish back inside every week after collection? That would be absurd. Yet many of us keep dragging back sins that Christ has already carried away.
3. The Fulfilment in Christ: The Two Goats in One Man
Jesus Christ fulfils both goats in His one sacrifice. On the cross, He shed His blood as the atoning sacrifice, and He bore our sins away as the scapegoat.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT): “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
Paul writes to the Corinthians about reconciliation.
Christ is our substitute—He bore our sin so that we might receive His righteousness.
The Gospel is not simply about forgiveness—it is about transformation. You are declared righteous, not because of your deeds, but because Christ has taken your place.
R.T. Kendall: “The cross was not a tragedy. It was the greatest triumph. On the cross Jesus did not just die—He accomplished salvation.”
The scapegoat was led away, never to return. Christ too was led outside the city, bearing our shame, but His sacrifice was final and victorious.
The Gospel Presentation:
Friend, hear this clearly: Jesus Christ died for your sins. He was buried. And on the third day, He rose again. The first goat shows the penalty of sin—death. The second goat shows the removal of sin—our guilt carried away. Both find their fulfilment in Christ.
Romans 6:23 (NLT): “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Sin pays wages—death. Christ gives a gift—eternal life. But you must receive it. Repent—turn from sin—and trust in Christ alone as Lord and Saviour.
Application and Call to Action:
For the believer: Stop carrying guilt that Christ has carried away. Walk in freedom. Preach the Gospel to yourself daily.
For the seeker: Stop trying to earn your way to God. Your sin cannot be covered by effort. It can only be removed by the blood of Jesus.
For the church: Go and proclaim this Good News! Tell the world that the scapegoat has come—Jesus, our substitute, who takes away sin.
Charles Stanley: “God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple: one person telling another about the Saviour. Yet we are busy and full of excuses. Just remember, someone’s eternal destiny is at stake.”
Church, the Day of Atonement was for Israel once a year. But the Day of Salvation is now. Go and tell others that Christ is the scapegoat who saves.
Invitation to Salvation:
Friend, if you have never trusted in Jesus, today is your day. Your sin separates you from God. The goats of Leviticus could only picture what Jesus would accomplish. He died in your place. He carried your sin away. Will you repent and believe in Him today?
Romans 10:9 (NLT): “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Benediction:
As you go this week, go with this assurance: your sin has been atoned for by the blood of Christ, and your guilt has been carried away by the Lamb of God. Walk in freedom, live in gratitude, and proclaim to the world: “Jesus saves!” Amen.
