Then he
is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of
meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot
for the Lord and the
other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to
the Lord and
sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as
the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making
atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat. Leviticus 17:7-10
The term “scapegoat” comes from the Bible. The scapegoat took the blame for the sin of
the people.
“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the
tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the
live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the
Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the
goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins
to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.” Leviticus 17:20-22
By laying his hands on the goat, the priest transferred
the sins to the goat then set the goat free.
The purpose of the act was to create separation of the sin from the
people. The people were free of the
sins.
In the same way, Jesus became our “scapegoat,” taking our
sins on him and removing our sins from us.
Although not an attractive title to give Jesus, he ultimately performed
the same function almost two thousand years later.