The exception of flour for a sacrifice in Leviticus 5:11-13 was a special exception for poor people; but normally, there had to be a sacrifice of an animal by bloody death – a substitute for sinful humans.
Why did God have the sacrificial system of the tabernacle and then later, Solomon’s temple, for the people to offer lambs, goats, rams, sheep, etc. as atonement for sins?
Why did the blood of the sacrificed lambs, put on the sides of the doors atone for and protect people from the wrath of God in Exodus 12-14 (the Passover) ?
Why did God substitute a ram in place of Abraham’s son?
Even the Qur’an acknowledges this is “ransom” by substitution. Qur’an, Surah 37:107
“We have ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice.”
1) “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” – Hebrews 9:22
we know this is a false statement because Leviticus 5: 11 proves otherwise.
2) “normally, there had to be a sacrifice of an animal by bloody death – a substitute for sinful humans.”
This too is a false statement. If one reads Leviticus 5 carefully, a chapter concerned with the sin offerings given in the Temple, the offerings are to do with inadvertent sins, unintentional sins not all deliberate sins.
3) “Why did the blood of the sacrificed lambs, put on the sides of the doors atone for and protect people from the wrath of God in Exodus 12-14 (the Passover) ?”
This is a false statement too. The blood on the doors was not a sin offering!
4) the Lord’s prayer proves that sin is forgiven by God without any human sacrifice. Was Jesus a liar?
*Also justification before God is not dependent on a sacrifice as Jesus teaches in Luke 18 9-14.
*And becoming a son or daughter of God is not dependent on any sacrifice as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5: 9.
*And reconciliation with God is not dependant on any sacrifice as Jesus taught in Luke 15 11-32
*And ‘entering into life’ is not dependent on a sacrifice as Jesus taught in Matthew 19:16-17
Jesus said the cup of wine and bread were symbols of His atoning death – the cup of the new covenant in My blood for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:19-20)
Jesus said He came to give His life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28
The prayer of Jesus of Matthew 6 is before the historical event of the cross; but if someone is unwilling to forgive someone else, it means that they have not really become a new creature in Christ and they don’t have the power to forgive.
After the cross, the principle is, “forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you” Ephesians 4:31-32
Isaiah 53 and the NT are further progressions of the development of the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins – Hebrews 9:22 stands as the final word on that, thus showing that Lev. 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel.
Leviticus 6 shows that bloody sacrifice was for intentional sins also.
The blood on the doors was after a sacrifice was made; it turned away the wrath of God. We shall be saved from the wrath of God through the blood atonement of Christ – Romans 5:9-11; Romans 3:25-26.
Justification in Luke 18 – I refuted you on that before also. The context is the temple and offering sacrifices. The sinner prays literally – “Be propitious toward me”.
You said;
Isaiah 53 and the NT are further progressions of the development of the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins – Hebrews 9:22 stands as the final word on that, thus showing that Lev. 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel.
I say;
Where does it say Leviticus 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel? How about a rich Christians today? and a poor Christian today?
Are there no distinction between rich and poor today? Will the rich and poor Christians go to heaven by continuously committing sins without repenting?
If so, then Christianity is a bad religion to allow its followers to believe Jesus died for their sins and continue sin, rich and poor Christians and commit murder adultery, bribery and all the vices just to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christi.
What a religion is this? To commit sin and go scot free, rich and poor because of someone’s blood? Today is Halloween, and that vampire God who demands blood before He forgives sin will be consuming more blood today.
If anyone has that attitude, that they can say a prayer or “accept Jesus in your heart” and then go on sinning and go “scot free”, as you put it; they do not understand and are not truly born again.
Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
‘Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” 13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
If anyone has that attitude, that they can say a prayer or “accept Jesus in your heart” and then go on sinning and go “scot free”, as you put it; they do not understand and are not truly born again.
Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
A true believer lives a life of repentance
I say;
But my dear Ken, Christians continue to sin so the blood of Jesus Christ did not save Christians from sinning. They need to repent when the sin. Just like Muslims or Jews who do not have anyone died for their sins and are responsible for their sins Muslims and Jews has to repent. If the blood of Jesus had already paid for the sins of Christians, then what do they need repentance for?
By Christians repenting means they(Christians) are responsible for their sins by repenting and the blood of Jesus alone cannot save anyone.
Saying Jesus died for peoples sin is wrong if the people are responsible for their sins and have to repent for that. So the blood of Jesus is useless to even a Christian if that Christian did not repent for his sins.
You said;
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
A true believer lives a life of repentance
I say;
If Christians are sinning everyday, what makes them new creatures? Christians are like anyone else, in that they do sin.
You said;
A true believer lives a life of repentance.
I say;
It means a true believer is not saved by the blood of Jesus but his repentance for cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus except repentance. It is Islamic and may be you have to admit Islam today. That is what Islam always teach and true and sincere repentance but not blood. You have said it tonight, by clearly stating the above without any blood of Christ that makes a true believe. You said it not me in that repentance is the key to salvation without blood as you said in your last statement.
Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (see Luke 5:32 – ” . . . but sinners to repentance”)
“Second is an argument from [ OT ] Scripture, verse 13, and here He pens them to the wall with their own Scripture. “Go and learn.” And by the way, that little statement go and learn is from the rabbinic writings. You see it many many times in the rabbinical writings. The rabbi’s used to use it as an exhortation or a rebuke to persons who didn’t really know what they should have known. Go and learn, he says. Go back to the books and come again when you’ve gotten the information and learn what your own text says and he quotes Hosea 6:6. “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” In other words, God says, “I am not concerned with ritual. I’m concerned with a merciful heart.” Here they were, they crank out all the little ritual, but they had no mercy or compassion or love for a sinner. And in Hosea you remember God said to His people, “You’ve committed harlotries, you’ve committed adulteries, you’ve gone into idolatry, you’ve left Me, you’ve forsaken Me and still you crank out your little religious ritual.”
And so he says to them in Hosea 6:6, “It is not sacrifice that I want from you. It is mercy.” In other words it’s your hearts I’m after. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” It’s the same thing in the Beatitudes. God is indicting the Pharisees saying you’ll never get the mercy of God because you show no mercy, which indicates your hearts are not right. Jesus shows the self-deluded religionists they were far worse than the publicans and the sinners and He says, “Go and learn.” And you’d better learn what your own text says.
Now listen to this: God had instituted the sacrificial system. God had ordered Israel to offer those sacrifices, but they were only pleasing to God when they were the expression of a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. And when the heart wasn’t right the ritual was an abomination to God. and He’s saying that to them here. I want mercy. You say you’re righteous because you do the ritual. I say you’re vile because you show no mercy and that’s the real indicator. You don’t have the heart of God. God is never pleased with ritual separated from personal righteousness. I think some people just think they go through a certain Christian routine, go to church and do certain things, and God is pleased. He is never pleased with a routine that is separated from personal holiness. Without a change of heart, without a deep sense of sin, sacrifices were dead ritual, loathsome, hateful to God.
Listen to what the prophet Amos said, “I hate, I despise your feast days, I will not take delight in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer burnt offerings and meal offerings I won’t accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offering of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not hear the melody of your harps, but let justice run down like waters in righteousness like a mighty stream.” Amos 5:21-24. He says, “I ordained all those things but I hate them because your hearts are not right. I want justice and I want righteousness.”
Thirdly, he has argued from logic and analogy. He’s argued from the Old Testament Scripture and lastly He argues from His own authority. “For I am not come to call the righteous but sinners.” ”
from John McArthur’s sermon on Matthew 9:9-13 (Receiving Sinners, Refusing the Righteous, part 1)
Amos 5:21-24
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
23 “Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 “But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
‘Why did God demand blood in the sacrifices in Israel – in Leviticus 1-6, Exodus 12, Genesis 22, 1 Kings, etc. ?’
You are confused. In your desire to see sin sacrifices in the Torah you imagine them to be where there are none.
Take Leviticus chapter 1 concerning ‘gift offerings’, these are quite different from the expiatory sacrifices in chapters 4 & 5 and according to the JSB ‘express the worshipers desire to present something to the Lord as a token of love and reverence’.
The Rabbis referred to them as “nedavah,” “voluntary offerings,” since they could be made at will, they were not ‘demanded’ by God as you wrongly claim. JSB p. 196
Regarding Leviticus 5 & 6 I have already told you that if one reads these chapters carefully, it is clear they are concerned with the sin offerings given in the Temple, and the offerings are to do with inadvertent sins, unintentional sins – not all deliberate sins. This shows you do not pay attention to what I day and the biblical evidence I present.
Exodus 12 is irrelevant to the discussion as it does not speak anywhere of a sacrifice for sins.
Genesis 22 again this is irrelevant as God did not require the Israelites to sacrifice their sons.
Conversely, most sins in Israel were normally forgiven through acts of repentance and, where necessary, restitution.
’When the tax-collector prays, “God be merciful to me the sinner!” – the word “be merciful” can also be translated “be propitious to me” and is the same basic root as the word for atonement and propitiation – the satisfaction of the wrath/anger/justice of God against sin. The cry for mercy is based on God’s propitiation. The word is used regarding Jesus’ atoning death on the cross – Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 2:17; I John 2:2; I John 4:10.
So right there in that parable is the deeper teaching of the atonement. Also, the use of the definite article “the sinner” shows that the tax-collector recognized he is a sinner by nature and deserves death and does not deserve mercy, and is consistent with the doctrine of original sin (Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:4-5; Genesis 6:5; Ephesians 2:1-3) but he also knows that God’s mercy is based on His providing an atonement, starting in Genesis 3 onward.’
Let’s remind ourselves of the standard rendering of the passage in Luke 18:
‘He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” is the right translation of the Greek in the context.
The Greek: theos hilaskomai ego ho hamartōlos
Trenchard’s Concise Dictionary of New Testament Greek defines the meaning as follows,
hilaskomai – to expiate, wipe out, make atonement for; be merciful or gracious
The root word is hileos is defined as: gracious, merciful
So hilaskomai has different meanings. All modern translations of the Bible (as far as I am aware) agree with the NRSV rendering above. It makes better sense of the context which is about a sinner humbling himself before God – not offering sacrifices – and Jesus teaches that it is his humility that justifies him. That is the point of the parable and the punchline.
The rest of your comments are a desperate attempt to import Pauline theory into the teaching of Jesus, an illegitimate move. For example the doctrine of original sin is nowhere taught by Jesus or the Jewish scriptures. You do injustice to the Bible by forcing it to share common teachings when it does not.
Paul,
You are wrong about Leviticus, Exodus 12, Genesis 22, and Luke 18, I already refuted you on those. There is no point in just repeating, as all you do is just repeat your old arguments that are defeated.
I also already refuted you a long time ago on the Matthew 19:16-17 parallel in Mark 10.
Ken just saying arrogantly that you have “defeated” me (lol) proves nothing. You Americans are so aggressive. Readers can judge if you have failed to reply in detail to my exegesis of the Greek above and are not just sulking.
Blogging Theology 
The flawless way is: Pray to God directly to atone for your sins
The vastness of Allah’s forgiveness
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Indeed Eric, and Jesus would have agreed too. See the prayer he taught his disciples in Matthew 6. No human sacrifice required.
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The exception of flour for a sacrifice in Leviticus 5:11-13 was a special exception for poor people; but normally, there had to be a sacrifice of an animal by bloody death – a substitute for sinful humans.
Why did God have the sacrificial system of the tabernacle and then later, Solomon’s temple, for the people to offer lambs, goats, rams, sheep, etc. as atonement for sins?
Why did the blood of the sacrificed lambs, put on the sides of the doors atone for and protect people from the wrath of God in Exodus 12-14 (the Passover) ?
Why did God substitute a ram in place of Abraham’s son?
Even the Qur’an acknowledges this is “ransom” by substitution. Qur’an, Surah 37:107
“We have ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice.”
http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2010/01/so-why-did-allah-substitute-innocent.html
“Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” – Hebrews 9:22
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1) “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” – Hebrews 9:22
we know this is a false statement because Leviticus 5: 11 proves otherwise.
2) “normally, there had to be a sacrifice of an animal by bloody death – a substitute for sinful humans.”
This too is a false statement. If one reads Leviticus 5 carefully, a chapter concerned with the sin offerings given in the Temple, the offerings are to do with inadvertent sins, unintentional sins not all deliberate sins.
3) “Why did the blood of the sacrificed lambs, put on the sides of the doors atone for and protect people from the wrath of God in Exodus 12-14 (the Passover) ?”
This is a false statement too. The blood on the doors was not a sin offering!
4) the Lord’s prayer proves that sin is forgiven by God without any human sacrifice. Was Jesus a liar?
*Also justification before God is not dependent on a sacrifice as Jesus teaches in Luke 18 9-14.
*And becoming a son or daughter of God is not dependent on any sacrifice as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5: 9.
*And reconciliation with God is not dependant on any sacrifice as Jesus taught in Luke 15 11-32
*And ‘entering into life’ is not dependent on a sacrifice as Jesus taught in Matthew 19:16-17
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Jesus said the cup of wine and bread were symbols of His atoning death – the cup of the new covenant in My blood for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:19-20)
Jesus said He came to give His life as a ransom for many – Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28
The prayer of Jesus of Matthew 6 is before the historical event of the cross; but if someone is unwilling to forgive someone else, it means that they have not really become a new creature in Christ and they don’t have the power to forgive.
After the cross, the principle is, “forgive one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you” Ephesians 4:31-32
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Isaiah 53 and the NT are further progressions of the development of the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins – Hebrews 9:22 stands as the final word on that, thus showing that Lev. 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel.
Leviticus 6 shows that bloody sacrifice was for intentional sins also.
The blood on the doors was after a sacrifice was made; it turned away the wrath of God. We shall be saved from the wrath of God through the blood atonement of Christ – Romans 5:9-11; Romans 3:25-26.
Justification in Luke 18 – I refuted you on that before also. The context is the temple and offering sacrifices. The sinner prays literally – “Be propitious toward me”.
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Ken Temple
You said;
Isaiah 53 and the NT are further progressions of the development of the necessity of the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sins – Hebrews 9:22 stands as the final word on that, thus showing that Lev. 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel.
I say;
Where does it say Leviticus 5:11-13 was a temporary exception for poor people in Israel? How about a rich Christians today? and a poor Christian today?
Are there no distinction between rich and poor today? Will the rich and poor Christians go to heaven by continuously committing sins without repenting?
If so, then Christianity is a bad religion to allow its followers to believe Jesus died for their sins and continue sin, rich and poor Christians and commit murder adultery, bribery and all the vices just to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christi.
What a religion is this? To commit sin and go scot free, rich and poor because of someone’s blood? Today is Halloween, and that vampire God who demands blood before He forgives sin will be consuming more blood today.
Thanks.
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“to commit sin and go scot free”
NO!
If anyone has that attitude, that they can say a prayer or “accept Jesus in your heart” and then go on sinning and go “scot free”, as you put it; they do not understand and are not truly born again.
Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
A true believer lives a life of repentance.
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The prophet Isaiah did not utter ‘Isaiah 53’. It was added centuries later by an unknown Jewish scribe.
See my new article here:
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Why did God demand blood in the sacrifices in Israel – in Leviticus 1-6, Exodus 12, Genesis 22, 1 Kings, etc. ?
The Qur’an also mentions this reality in the sacrifice of Abraham’s son. Surah 37:107
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Justification in Luke 18. Here is the passage:
‘Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” 13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
So humility justified before God not sacrifices.
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Jesus taught that reconciliation with God is not dependant on any sacrifice in Luke 15 11-32
Jesus taught that ‘entering into life’ is not dependent on a sacrifice in Matthew 19:16-17
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I already refuted you on those passages along time ago.
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‘The blood on the doors was after a sacrifice was made; it turned away the wrath of God.’
The blood was not a sin offering as you wrongly claim
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Ken you vainly imagine you refuted me and the teaching of Jesus. You most certainly did not. Jesus himself refutes you!
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Ken, Jesus says to you:
‘Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’
Matthew 9:13
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Ken Temple
You said;
“to commit sin and go scot free”
NO!
If anyone has that attitude, that they can say a prayer or “accept Jesus in your heart” and then go on sinning and go “scot free”, as you put it; they do not understand and are not truly born again.
Romans 6:1-2
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
A true believer lives a life of repentance
I say;
But my dear Ken, Christians continue to sin so the blood of Jesus Christ did not save Christians from sinning. They need to repent when the sin. Just like Muslims or Jews who do not have anyone died for their sins and are responsible for their sins Muslims and Jews has to repent. If the blood of Jesus had already paid for the sins of Christians, then what do they need repentance for?
By Christians repenting means they(Christians) are responsible for their sins by repenting and the blood of Jesus alone cannot save anyone.
Saying Jesus died for peoples sin is wrong if the people are responsible for their sins and have to repent for that. So the blood of Jesus is useless to even a Christian if that Christian did not repent for his sins.
You said;
2 Corinthians 5:17
“If any one is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”
Rich and poor are all the same under Christ – Colossians 3:10; Romans 1:13-17; Galatians 3:28; 1 Corinthians 12:13
A true believer lives a life of repentance
I say;
If Christians are sinning everyday, what makes them new creatures? Christians are like anyone else, in that they do sin.
You said;
A true believer lives a life of repentance.
I say;
It means a true believer is not saved by the blood of Jesus but his repentance for cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus except repentance. It is Islamic and may be you have to admit Islam today. That is what Islam always teach and true and sincere repentance but not blood. You have said it tonight, by clearly stating the above without any blood of Christ that makes a true believe. You said it not me in that repentance is the key to salvation without blood as you said in your last statement.
Thanks.
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well said Intellect!
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I refuted your arguments on this issue long ago.
Read it carefully and look up all the verses. Don’t be lazy.
http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2012/01/holiness-of-god-and-substitionary.html
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Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (see Luke 5:32 – ” . . . but sinners to repentance”)
“Second is an argument from [ OT ] Scripture, verse 13, and here He pens them to the wall with their own Scripture. “Go and learn.” And by the way, that little statement go and learn is from the rabbinic writings. You see it many many times in the rabbinical writings. The rabbi’s used to use it as an exhortation or a rebuke to persons who didn’t really know what they should have known. Go and learn, he says. Go back to the books and come again when you’ve gotten the information and learn what your own text says and he quotes Hosea 6:6. “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.” In other words, God says, “I am not concerned with ritual. I’m concerned with a merciful heart.” Here they were, they crank out all the little ritual, but they had no mercy or compassion or love for a sinner. And in Hosea you remember God said to His people, “You’ve committed harlotries, you’ve committed adulteries, you’ve gone into idolatry, you’ve left Me, you’ve forsaken Me and still you crank out your little religious ritual.”
And so he says to them in Hosea 6:6, “It is not sacrifice that I want from you. It is mercy.” In other words it’s your hearts I’m after. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.” It’s the same thing in the Beatitudes. God is indicting the Pharisees saying you’ll never get the mercy of God because you show no mercy, which indicates your hearts are not right. Jesus shows the self-deluded religionists they were far worse than the publicans and the sinners and He says, “Go and learn.” And you’d better learn what your own text says.
Now listen to this: God had instituted the sacrificial system. God had ordered Israel to offer those sacrifices, but they were only pleasing to God when they were the expression of a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. And when the heart wasn’t right the ritual was an abomination to God. and He’s saying that to them here. I want mercy. You say you’re righteous because you do the ritual. I say you’re vile because you show no mercy and that’s the real indicator. You don’t have the heart of God. God is never pleased with ritual separated from personal righteousness. I think some people just think they go through a certain Christian routine, go to church and do certain things, and God is pleased. He is never pleased with a routine that is separated from personal holiness. Without a change of heart, without a deep sense of sin, sacrifices were dead ritual, loathsome, hateful to God.
Listen to what the prophet Amos said, “I hate, I despise your feast days, I will not take delight in your solemn assemblies. Though you offer burnt offerings and meal offerings I won’t accept them. Neither will I regard the peace offering of your fat beasts. Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not hear the melody of your harps, but let justice run down like waters in righteousness like a mighty stream.” Amos 5:21-24. He says, “I ordained all those things but I hate them because your hearts are not right. I want justice and I want righteousness.”
Thirdly, he has argued from logic and analogy. He’s argued from the Old Testament Scripture and lastly He argues from His own authority. “For I am not come to call the righteous but sinners.” ”
from John McArthur’s sermon on Matthew 9:9-13 (Receiving Sinners, Refusing the Righteous, part 1)
Amos 5:21-24
21 “I hate, I reject your festivals,
Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.
23 “Take away from Me the noise of your songs;
I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.
24 “But let justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
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Ken you ask,
‘Why did God demand blood in the sacrifices in Israel – in Leviticus 1-6, Exodus 12, Genesis 22, 1 Kings, etc. ?’
You are confused. In your desire to see sin sacrifices in the Torah you imagine them to be where there are none.
Take Leviticus chapter 1 concerning ‘gift offerings’, these are quite different from the expiatory sacrifices in chapters 4 & 5 and according to the JSB ‘express the worshipers desire to present something to the Lord as a token of love and reverence’.
The Rabbis referred to them as “nedavah,” “voluntary offerings,” since they could be made at will, they were not ‘demanded’ by God as you wrongly claim. JSB p. 196
Regarding Leviticus 5 & 6 I have already told you that if one reads these chapters carefully, it is clear they are concerned with the sin offerings given in the Temple, and the offerings are to do with inadvertent sins, unintentional sins – not all deliberate sins. This shows you do not pay attention to what I day and the biblical evidence I present.
Exodus 12 is irrelevant to the discussion as it does not speak anywhere of a sacrifice for sins.
Genesis 22 again this is irrelevant as God did not require the Israelites to sacrifice their sons.
Conversely, most sins in Israel were normally forgiven through acts of repentance and, where necessary, restitution.
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Ken you wrote:
’When the tax-collector prays, “God be merciful to me the sinner!” – the word “be merciful” can also be translated “be propitious to me” and is the same basic root as the word for atonement and propitiation – the satisfaction of the wrath/anger/justice of God against sin. The cry for mercy is based on God’s propitiation. The word is used regarding Jesus’ atoning death on the cross – Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 2:17; I John 2:2; I John 4:10.
So right there in that parable is the deeper teaching of the atonement. Also, the use of the definite article “the sinner” shows that the tax-collector recognized he is a sinner by nature and deserves death and does not deserve mercy, and is consistent with the doctrine of original sin (Romans 5:12; Psalm 51:4-5; Genesis 6:5; Ephesians 2:1-3) but he also knows that God’s mercy is based on His providing an atonement, starting in Genesis 3 onward.’
Let’s remind ourselves of the standard rendering of the passage in Luke 18:
‘He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, “God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.” But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.’
“God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” is the right translation of the Greek in the context.
The Greek: theos hilaskomai ego ho hamartōlos
Trenchard’s Concise Dictionary of New Testament Greek defines the meaning as follows,
hilaskomai – to expiate, wipe out, make atonement for; be merciful or gracious
The root word is hileos is defined as: gracious, merciful
So hilaskomai has different meanings. All modern translations of the Bible (as far as I am aware) agree with the NRSV rendering above. It makes better sense of the context which is about a sinner humbling himself before God – not offering sacrifices – and Jesus teaches that it is his humility that justifies him. That is the point of the parable and the punchline.
The rest of your comments are a desperate attempt to import Pauline theory into the teaching of Jesus, an illegitimate move. For example the doctrine of original sin is nowhere taught by Jesus or the Jewish scriptures. You do injustice to the Bible by forcing it to share common teachings when it does not.
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Matthew 19:16-17
Then someone came to him and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’
And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’
I’m sure the apostle Paul would have violently disagreed with Jesus – which is kind of ironic lol
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Ken Temple, does the order of Melchizedek require blood sacrifice?
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Paul,
You are wrong about Leviticus, Exodus 12, Genesis 22, and Luke 18, I already refuted you on those. There is no point in just repeating, as all you do is just repeat your old arguments that are defeated.
I also already refuted you a long time ago on the Matthew 19:16-17 parallel in Mark 10.
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Ken just saying arrogantly that you have “defeated” me (lol) proves nothing. You Americans are so aggressive. Readers can judge if you have failed to reply in detail to my exegesis of the Greek above and are not just sulking.
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