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基督徒經常說，在舊約時代，人靠獻祭來贖罪，但到了新約時代，耶穌來到世間做代罪羔羊，他的血成為了贖罪祭，我們就不再需要獻祭，只要透過耶穌，我們的罪就能得赦免。這麼簡單的一兩句話就能概括整個上帝的救恩計劃嗎？獻祭對猶太人真的如此重要嗎？他們真的完全依賴獻祭物來使罪得寬恕嗎？
事實上猶太人沒有把祭物當作萬靈丹或是魔棒，揮一揮，罪就抹消了。獻祭對猶太人其實只不過是一個肉體層面的表徵，一個象徵 “內在改變” 的 “外在表徵”。
大衛因與烏利亞之妻拔示巴同寢，導致她懷孕。為了遮掩事實，大衛借刀把烏利亞殺了，罪孽深重，得罪了人也得罪了神。撒母耳記下12：13記載，大衛對拿單說：「我得罪耶和華了！」拿單說：「耶和華已經除掉你的罪，你必不至於死。」大衛只有真心懺悔，沒有獻上一點祭物，上帝就已經除掉他的罪了。就如他在詩篇32：5向神的禱告：「我向你陳明我的罪，不隱瞞我的惡。我說：我要向耶和華承認我的過犯，你就赦免我的罪惡。」雖然上帝要他付上慘痛代價，使他與拔示巴所生的兒子夭折，但同時也除去了大衛的罪（撒母耳記下11- 12章）。先知約拿的故事是另一個例子。耶和華給約拿一個特別的使命，要他去尼尼微城警告、反對他們的犯滔天大惡。結果當尼尼微人聽到約拿傳講神的旨意時，上至君王下至百姓都披麻蒙灰、不吃不喝，切切求告神，神就赦免了尼尼微全城，他們的命運因而得到了改變。同樣的，這一段經文也完全沒有記載約拿或是人民向神獻任何祭，神一樣除了他們的罪（約拿書第三章）。以上的例子顯示出，上帝要我們對罪的回應不是“獻上祭物”，乃是“悔改的心”。
以西結書第18章一整章對於離開惡行有詳細的記載。「惡人若回頭離開所做的一切罪惡，謹守我一切的律例，行正直與合理的事，他必定存活，不致死亡。 他所犯的一切罪過都不被記念，因所行的義，他必存活。」 （以西結18： 21 -22）；耶利米書 36：3，耶和華的話臨到先知耶利米說：「或者猶大家聽見我想要降與他們的一切災禍，各人就回頭，離開惡道，我好赦免他們的罪孽和罪惡。」；以賽亞書 55：6-7「當趁耶和華可尋找的時候尋找他，相近的時候求告他。惡人當離棄自己的道路，不義的人當除掉自己的意念。歸向耶和華，耶和華就必憐恤他，當歸向我們的神，因為神必廣行赦免。」；箴言16：17「正直人的道是遠離惡事；謹守己路的，是保全性命 。」這些經節告訴我們，神所強調的不是獻祭，而是要我們離棄惡道與意念，他就會赦免我們的罪。
在何西阿先知的時代（公元前722年），以色列北國淪陷。許多人被俘虜，過著戰俘生活。因為戰爭的緣故，住在以色列北國的人無法下到南部的耶路撒冷聖殿獻祭。他們無法獻祭就無法贖罪嗎？何西阿書在14：2 告訴以色列百姓說：「當歸向耶和華，用言語禱告他說：求你除淨罪孽，悅納善行；這樣，我們就把嘴唇的祭代替牛犢獻上。」這裡說，如果沒有在聖殿用牛犢祭血沒有關係，“牛犢” 的代替品就是“嘴唇”。神不需要我們的牛犢祭，我們嘴唇懺悔祈禱就是一種祭，這是耶和華所要的。
再看詩篇 141：2「願我的禱告如香陳列在你面前，願我舉手祈求，如獻晚祭。」這裡所獻的祭是“禱告、舉手祈求”。這例子讓我們知道祭物有另一個代替品。除了剛剛提的“嘴唇懺悔祭”之外，“舉手禱告”也可以當祭物，承蒙耶和華的悅納。
歷代志下 7：14「這稱為我名下的子民，若是自卑，禱告，尋求我的面，轉離他們的惡行，我必從天上垂聽，赦免他們的罪，醫治他們的地。」上帝沒有因為他的子民獻祭而赦免他們，他更看重的是人民是否願意改變他們的行為，願不願意懺悔，遠離邪惡的生活方式。在但以理書四章27節，但以理給尼布甲尼撒王諫言：「王啊，求你悅納我的諫言，以施行公義斷絕罪過，以憐憫窮人除掉罪孽，或者你的平安可以延長。」在這一段經節裡，但以理告訴國王，除掉罪孽的方法就是憐憫窮人、施行公義。約伯記22：22節「你若歸向全能者，從你帳棚中遠除不義，就必得建立。」這些經節強調的是，若要得到建立，做一個正直人，不是靠獻祭，而是“遠除不義和惡事並施行公義”。
以賽亞書1：11-13「耶和華說：你們所獻的許多祭物於我何益呢？公綿羊的燔祭和肥畜的脂油，我已經夠了；公牛的血，羊羔的血，公山羊的血，我都不喜悅。你們來朝見我，誰向你們討這些，使你們踐踏我的院呢？你們不要再獻虛浮的供物。香品是我憎惡的；月朔和安息日，並宣召的大會，也是我所憎惡的；作罪孽，又守嚴肅會，我也不能容忍。」以賽亞先知很明顯的在這裡責備那些以為用祭物、用金錢就能夠與上帝和好的例子。箴言15：18也是有類似的講法：「惡人獻祭，為耶和華所憎惡 」。“祭”不重要，“心”才重要。獻祭的人心不正，那祭物反而讓神厭惡。
在聖經裡，這類的經文不計其數。從以上經節總結歸類就是，若要得著神的赦免就要悔改、離棄惡道與意念、嘴唇懺悔、舉手禱告、施行公義、禱告、懺悔、遠離罪和不義。這些全都是行為上的改變，不是表面上的奉獻祭物。
如果基督徒把猶太人視為一群只依靠祭物而尋求上帝喜悅的人，那就大錯特錯了（參部落格：若不流血，罪就不能得赦免嗎？）；如果基督徒認為透過新約的代罪羔羊──耶穌，來代替舊約的“祭物”，一切的罪就一筆勾銷、蒙神悅納，那就更是錯過了神寶貴的話語的靶心了。因為不管這個祭物是“牛犢”還是“耶穌”，只要我們行惡，上帝一律摒棄、憎惡。最終， “外在的表徵” 在耶和華的眼裡永遠無法代取“內在的改變”。
The Meaning of Sacrifice
This article is based on Rabbi Michael Skobac's lecture titled "Is the New Testament True?"
Christians often say that in the Old Testament era, people relied on sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins. However; In the New Testament era, Jesus came into the world as the sacrificial Lamb of God, and his blood became the atoning sacrifice. According to this view, sacrifices are no longer necessary; we can obtain forgiveness through Jesus. Can the entire plan of God's salvation be summarized in just a few simple sentences? Is sacrifice truly crucial to Jewish people? Do they completely depend on sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins?
In reality, Jewish people do not treat sacrifices as a magical cure or a quick fix to erase sins. Sacrifices are actually symbolic on a physical level, representing an "outward expression" of an "inner change." In fact, the Bible has many instances where sins can be forgiven without sacrifices.
Consider the example of King David. He committed a grave sin by having relations with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, resulting in her pregnancy. To cover it up, David had Uriah killed. He sinned against both people and God. In 2 Samuel 12:13, David admitted, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." David's sincere repentance led to the removal of his sin without offering any sacrifice. In Psalm 32:5, he prayed, "I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." Though God imposed consequences, including the death of the child born to Bathsheba, He still removed David's sin ( 2 Samuel Chapters 11-12).
The story of the prophet Jonah provides another example. God gave Jonah a special mission to warn the people of Nineveh and call them to repent from their great wickedness. When the people of Nineveh heard God's message through Jonah, from the king to the commoners, they repented, fasted, and sought God's mercy. As a result, God forgave the entire city of Nineveh, and their destiny changed. This account does not mention any sacrifices made by Jonah or the people. These examples show that God's response to sin is not simply about offering sacrifices but rather about having a "repentant heart."(Jonah Chapter 3)
Ezekiel chapter 18 further illustrates turning away from evil deeds. It details that if the wicked turn from their sins, live righteously, and uphold God's laws, they will live. The sins they committed will not be remembered, and their righteousness will save them. Similar passages, like Jeremiah 36:3 and Isaiah 55:6-7, emphasize repentance over sacrifices.
Furthermore, during the time of the prophet Hosea (ca. 722 BCE), the northern kingdom of Israel fell. Many people were captured and lived as captives, unable to travel to the southern city of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices due to war. Did this mean they couldn't achieve forgiveness without sacrifices? Hosea 14:2 instructed the Israelites, "Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him, 'Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.'" This verse highlights that if sacrifices like bull offerings couldn't be made, the alternative was "the fruit of our lips." God does not demand bull sacrifices; He desires sincere words of repentance and prayer, which is the offering He seeks.
Psalm 141:2 states, "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice." Here, the sacrifice offered is "prayer and the lifting up of hands." This example demonstrates that offerings have substitutes. Aside from the "lip confession offering" mentioned earlier, "lifting up hands in prayer" can also be a form of offering that pleases the Lord.
2 Chronicles 7:14 emphasizes the importance of humility, prayer, seeking God's face, and turning from wickedness. God promises to hear and forgive if His people change their ways. Daniel 4:27 advises King Nebuchadnezzar to show compassion to the poor and practice righteousness to eliminate sin. Similar sentiments are echoed in Job 22:22 and Isaiah 1:11-13. These verses underscore that to be upright and just, sacrifices are not essential; the emphasis is on "removing wickedness and evil deeds and practicing righteousness."
In Isaiah 1:11-13, the prophet reproves those who believe that sacrifices or monetary offerings alone can reconcile with God. Proverbs 15:18 similarly states, "The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked." It's not about the sacrifice itself but about the heart behind it. If the heart of the sacrificer is not pure, the offering becomes detestable to God.
In the Bible, there are countless verses of this kind. Summarizing from the above passages, in order to obtain God's forgiveness, one must repent, turn away from evil ways and thoughts, confess with lips, raise hands in prayer, distance oneself from unrighteousness, practice righteousness, distance oneself from sin, pray, and repent. These are all changes in behavior, not just surface-level offerings.
If Christians regard Jewish people solely as those who seek God's favor through sacrifices, they are gravely mistaken ( Please refer to my blog post: Is There No Forgiveness Without the Shedding of Blood?) Similarly, if Christians believe that by substituting the Old Testament’s sacrifices with the New Testament’s atonement Lamb—Jesus—every sin is wiped away and God's acceptance is assured, they miss the mark of God's precious message. Whether this sacrifice" is a calf or Jesus, as long as we engage in wrongdoing, God uniformly rejects and detests. Ultimately, in the eyes of the Lord, external symbols can never replace internal transformation.
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