Theo-illogical

June 27, 2014

Six Theo-illogical Reflections on Sacrifice

1.    Can obedience be coerced? Or, is the result of coercion only coercion.

2.    Is there anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus talks of dying for anyone’s sins? (I look in my concordance under die, under sin, under crucify, and under cross and I don’t find it.)

3.    Does Jesus call himself “the lamb of God”? No, that’s John.  Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd.”

4.    What does Jesus say about sacrifice? — (twice) that we should pay attention to what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” It is Paul that calls Christ “our paschal lamb [that] has been sacrificed.”

5.    Does Jesus call himself a priest? No, that’s Hebrews, which understands him somehow as both priest and sacrifice. With all due respect, talk about mixed metaphors.

6.    In short, who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? And whose jar was it? With all due respect.

Bonus question: Is this why we have various "theories," and no doctrine, of atonement?

 l