The Meal That Heals

Carrying What You Do Not Need To Carry

The death of the scapegoat assured the people that their sins were gone once and for all and would never be brought up again. This is why Isaiah penned these words from the Lord: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25 Two Goats and Three Red Threads The two goats and three red threads on the Day of Atonement presented a perfect picture of our future redemption through Christ. The scarlet threads were placed in three locations: the neck of one goat, the right horn of another goat, and the Temple door. The thread on the Temple turned white once God had forgiven Israel’s sins. The three red threads are a visual image of the three persons on three crosses on the day of Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:18). Jesus hung in the middle, thus representing the “goat for the Lord” that was slaughtered on the altar. The thief on one side died unrepentant, thus carrying his sins to the grave (Luke 23:39-40). He represents the scapegoat that carried the sins into the wilderness where it met its death. The other thief was converted on the cross; therefore, his “scarlet sins became white as snow” (Luke 23:39 43). This thief’s conversion is represented by the red thread nailed to the wooden door of the Temple that changed colors in the midst of the Yom Kippur ceremony. The two goats had to be identical, and tradition says they came from the same area. It is interesting to note the parallel picture of this event and the trial of Jesus. Christ was condemned to die, but Barabbas, a man who was guilty of a crime, was released and set free (Matthew 27:16-26). The Hebrew name of Jesus is Y’shuah. According to an early church father, the actual name of Barabbas was Y’shuah. Both he and Christ had identical first names. The name Barabbas comes from two words: bar, meaning son and abbas, meaning the exalted or high father. Jesus Christ was the exalted Son of the Heavenly Father (Acts 2:3 3). Barabbas had an exalted earthly father, but Christ had an exalted Heavenly Father. Thus, we see that the two identical goats are a picture of the two men, Christ and Barabbas.

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