Why is Jesus called a “sin offering”?

The answer

The apostle Paul says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). He who did not know sin became a sin offering for us. The Greek word for “sin” in this verse is hamartia, which we also find in the Septuagint books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, where it is translated into English as “sin offering.” When our Messiah accepted to be a sin offering, all humanity laid their hands upon Him so that He would carry the whole burden of our sins. Thus, Christ stood in our place as though He were the greatest among sinners and granted us that we stand in His place and be counted as righteous in the eyes of the Father, for we carry the righteousness of Christ.

St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, says, “He became obedient, even He Who ‘took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses’ (cf. Matt. 8:17), healing the disobedience of men by His own obedience, that by His stripes He might heal our wound, and by His own death do away with the common death of all men,—then it was that for our sakes He was made obedient, even as He became ‘sin’ (2 Cor. 5:21) and ‘a curse’ (Gal. 3:13) by reason of the dispensation on our behalf, not being so by nature, but becoming so in His love for man.”⁷⁴³

And St. Cyril the Great says, “For we do not say that Christ became a sinner, far from it, but being just, or rather in actuality justice, for he did not know sin, the Father made him a victim for the sins of the world. ‘He was counted among the wicked’ (Isa. 53:12), having endured a condemnation most suitable for the wicked.”⁷⁴⁴

St. John Chrysostom says, “Calling the Cross, “glory” … it was therefore necessary that the Sacrifice should first be offered for us, that the enmity (against God) which was in our flesh should be done away, that we should become friends of God, and so receive the Gift.”

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Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty