Ceremony
The Scapegoat
Sins carried away into a land uninhabited
The shadow (Old Testament)
The second goat of Yom Kippur was never killed. The high priest laid both hands on its head, confessed over it all the iniquities of Israel, and then sent it out — carrying the sins of the people away into "a land uninhabited" (Leviticus 16:20-22). The picture wasn't just about paying for sin; it was about sin being taken away.
- Leviticus 16:20-22— Iniquities sent away
The substance (Christ)
Christ does both what the slain goat and the scapegoat pictured. He died for our sins, and He bore them away. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24); "as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). Not just paid for — removed.
- 1 Peter 2:24— He bore our sins in His body
- Isaiah 53:6— The LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all
Take it in
Your sins, confessed to Christ, are not just hidden away — they are removed. Stop going back looking for them.