“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (Lev. 16:21-22).
The Isaac Leeser translation of Isaiah 53:4 tells us that Jesus took on our sicknesses and pains as our substitute so you and I wouldn’t have to carry them: “But only our diseases did he bear himself, and our pains he carried.”
But notice that in the King James Version Isaiah used the words borne and carried. Those same words are used in the book of Leviticus when referring to the role of the scapegoat. This scapegoat gives us another portrait of redemption in the Old Testament.
When the nation of Israel sinned, that sin had to be judged. (Remember, Israel was a type of the Church.) But God didn’t want the people to suffer judgment; He wanted them to receive mercy. So He told them to find a spotless, perfect goat. The people were to bring this goat to Aaron the priest. Aaron then laid his hands on the goat and confessed the sins of the nation over it.
Afterwards, someone took the goat out into the wilderness. The judgment that belonged on the nation of Israel then fell on that scapegoat. In other words, God allowed the sins of the people to be transferred through the hands of Aaron to that goat, and the goat bore the sins of the people and carried them away.
When Jesus went to the Cross, God lay upon Him all the sin, iniquity, sickness, suffering and pain of mankind. Jesus was the ultimate scapegoat – taking our place in judgment, taking the punishment we deserved.
Jesus is my substitute. When I was separated from God and deserved
to die, He died for me. He bore my sickness and pain so I wouldn’t
have to bear them. Because of Jesus, I am healed and whole!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
For over 40 years, Pastors Mark and Janet Brazee have traveled throughout the world sharing the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Together they've shared the powerful truths of faith and healing in more than 50 nations.
Today Mark and Janet pastor World Outreach Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they base their ongoing outreach to the world. The Brazees still travel as the Lord leads, and they are raising up a congregation who share their passion to reach Tulsa and the world.