The farther away we get from understanding that in Old Testament times God required the shedding of blood for sins, the closer we get to a society in which sacrifice is seen only in the commitment of first responders, such as paramedics, fire brigades, and police officers, who risk their lives daily to save others.
Their often dangerous and at times sacrificial work is a pointer to the willingness of the Son of God to offer his own life as a sacrifice, to save ours. So, let’s not secularize sacrifice, but while recognizing the importance of first responders, see that the greatest First Responder of all time was the Lord Jesus Christ…and that through his sacrifice, the Risen Lord is still saving people from their sins.
During the passage of time, realities become symbols. For example, the shedding of blood as a sacrifice for sins becomes the shedding of the blood of soldiers in defense of their country. The self-sacrifice of a woman’s figure in pregnancy, which is ongoing in the sacrifice of her time and energy in the raising of the child or children.
Those who view as repugnant God’s requirement for the shed blood of animals in Old Testament times, fail to see the personal peace that resulted from such offerings. Inner peace results from self-sacrifice, and from the self-sacrifice of Jesus comes the peace that is beyond understanding.
We don’t need to walk religious treadmills: Jesus walked to Calvary carrying the cross on which he would die, willingly, for the sins of the world. Any ‘cross’ that we may be called to carry in life as we do God’s will — which includes suffering but excludes sickness and guilt — cannot be compared with that which Jesus bore on our behalf.
So, bear up under the weight of your personal cross and continue on from death to the old life and the burial of self-will, beyond which awaits a resurrection rise that is sure to leave the old one not only behind but also forgotten.