OUR DAILY BREAD             Wed., February 1, 1995
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READ:  Leviticus 16:1-20, 20-22

                "THE SCAPEGOAT"

     "It is expedient for us that one man
          should die for the people."

                        -- John 11:50

The company was losing money.  The price of its
stock was sliding, and the corporate board was
grumbling.  So the president, desperate to do
something, fired the vice-president in charge of
sales.

In a similar situation, a college basketball team
was mired in a losing season after 6 consecutive
successful years and three visits to the NCAA
Tournament.   Attendance was down and the alumni
were howling.  So the university fired the coach.

In both cases, good people were released because
the organization needed a scapegoat.  They focused
the blame on one person, even though many were at
fault.

That's what happened to Jesus.  The high priest
Caiaphas, without knowing the full import of his
words, said it would be best to sacrifice one man,
Jesus.  He thought it would save the nation from
the oppressive Romans (Jn. 11:47-50).  What he
didn't realize was that Jesus was bearing the
guilt and  penalty for the sins of the world in
fulfillment of the Old Testament picture of the
two goats -- one a sacrifice for sin, the other
a scapegoat which symbolically carried their sins
away (Lev. 16).

We deserve eternal death.  How grateful we can be
that God made Jesus our scapegoat.

                                -- David C. Egner

        Lord, thank You for eternal life,
             For dying in my place,
          For taking all my punishment,
           For showing me Your grace.

                        -- Sper

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             THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
-----------------------------------------

      Christ became our scapegoat that
       we might escape sin's penalty.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Leviticus 14-16

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