On the evening of October 14, 2003, lifelong Chicago Cubs fan Steve Bartman was at Wrigley Field attending game 6 of the National League Championship Series between the Cubs and the Florida Marlins. The Cubs led the series three games to two and they led this game by a score of three to nothing. The Marlins already had their first out of the eighth inning, so the Cubs were only five outs away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1945.
And then … well, then it all went wrong for Steve Bartman and for the Cubs. A foul ball was hit to the left field corner. Bartman was so intent on watching the ball and trying to catch it that he never noticed that the Cubs left fielder was in a perfect position to leap up and catch the ball for out number two. Bartman didn’t actually catch the ball, but neither did the Cubs player, and the Marlins then went on to win the game. The next night the Marlins won again and they – not the Cubs – went to the Series. The Marlins then went on to defeat the New York Yankees four games to two and win the series that every loyal Cubs fan had expected to win.
For Steve Bartman, things quickly went from bad to worse. He had to be escorted out of the ballpark for his own safety. Some angry fans threw garbage at him. The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper publicized Bartman’s name, age, address and place of business so that people could let him know what they thought about what he had done. His phone number was listed in the phone book, and after Bartman received countless hateful and threatening calls he had it changed to an unlisted number. Comedians everywhere, especially those on late-night television shows, made him the focus of their jokes over and over again. Governor Blagojevich was quoted as saying that Bartman should think about entering the witness protection program. While some were willing to forgive him for an innocent mistake, Bartman quickly became the local and even the national scapegoat for the Cubs losing the game … for losing the playoffs … and not making it to the World Series again. A scapegoat, by definition, is someone punished for the errors of others. And to this day there are any numbers of Cub fans who still regard Steve Bartman as the scapegoat for the 2003 Chicago Cubs.
Many people don’t realize it, but a scapegoat is actually a Biblical term found in the 16th chapter of Leviticus. On the annual Day of Atonement – the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Children of Israel – two goats without blemish would be presented to the High Priest. One goat, chosen by lots, would be sacrificed on the great altar of the Temple.
The second goat, however, was not sacrificed in the Temple. The High Priest would lay both hands on the goat, thereby transferring the nation’s sins to this second goat, which would be called the scapegoat. The scapegoat was led into the wilderness, symbolically removing the sins of the people from God’s presence. Carrying the sins of the people, the scapegoat was released in the wilderness, where its death would be unseen by man but would be certain nonetheless – perhaps by starvation, perhaps by thirst, or even by attack of a desert predator.
During this season of Lent our Lenten meditations are focusing on passages from Isaiah chapter 53, the “suffering servant” song that so perfectly and eloquently describes the work of our Savior Jesus Christ. But tonight we focus our hearts, our minds and our eyes on the Christ who became our scapegoat. The Christ who took the sins of not just the Jewish nation, but took the sins of the whole world on his sinless head. We should note here that while Christ the scapegoat bears the sins of all people, Isaiah really personalizes the text for us. Listen to Isaiah’s words again: “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” Isaiah’s words here are perfectly clear. These are not the griefs of the scapegoat – they are ours. These are not the sorrows of the scapegoat – they are ours. These are not the transgressions and iniquities of the scapegoat – they are most definitely ours.
On Good Friday, Jesus truly became our scapegoat, carrying our sins away from God’s sight. Our sins had separated us from God our Father, but Christ removed that separation by his own suffering and death. As the prophet Jeremiah recounts God’s words: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Today we no longer follow the Jewish sacrificial rituals that included the annual Day of Atonement. We no longer sacrifice a goat on the altar and transfer our sins to a scapegoat and release it into the wilderness once each year. Jesus our scapegoat died once. He rose from the dead once. And even though we annually remember that death and celebrate that resurrection, we know that Christ’s work of atonement has been accomplished once and for all. Once for all times. Once for all people. Once for all of us. I fact, every Sunday is a “little Easter” for Christians – as we remember, we celebrate and we re-live what Christ has done for us and for all people once and for all.
Because Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, we have the blessed assurance of eternal life in Heaven where there will be no griefs, will be no sorrows, will be no sickness, will be no pain, will be no death. Because Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and was crushed for our iniquities, we and our fellow Christians have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Just as Christ’s incorruptible body rose from the dead on Easter morning, we too will rise with an incorruptible body on that last day along with each and every believer in Christ. And until that final and glorious day of resurrection, we have His sure and faithful words of promise: “with his stripes we are healed.”
I’d like to share one final bit of information about the scapegoat. This isn’t Biblical – but it has come down to us through Jewish history and tradition. It goes like this.
One year – some time following the annual Day of Atonement and the leading of the scapegoat into the wilderness – the scapegoat came back. This scapegoat that was supposed to die actually found its way back to Jerusalem and walked through one of the city gates. And what happened? Well, the people of Jerusalem were flat-out scared to death. According to God’s plan and command, this wasn’t supposed to happen. This scapegoat who had carried the sins of the people into the wilderness had brought their sins back to them! They wondered – was this a sign? Was this God’s judgment against them? What was going to happen?
As it turned out, nothing happened right then. The scapegoat was led back into the wilderness, and this time it was pushed off a cliff to assure that it couldn’t return a second time. In succeeding years, the scapegoat was always pushed off a cliff to make sure that it couldn’t come back. You know what they say – out of sight, out of mind.
Now ask yourself this: how many people today assume that our scapegoat – Jesus – is never coming back? If you don’t believe that Jesus died for your sins, do you really believe that Jesus will return on Judgment Day? If you think that Jesus is nothing more than some Jewish guy who lived a long time ago, are you going to worry – or even think – about something called Judgment Day? If you don’t believe in Jesus or you reject Jesus or if for whatever reason Jesus is the furthest thing from your mind, much less your heart, is the concept of Judgment Day something that’s not even on your radar?
Let’s listen again to the words of today’s meditation from Isaiah 53: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed”. With His stripes we are healed. What beautiful words! What life changing words!
Because Jesus Christ has suffered and died and risen from the dead for us, Christ’s return in glory on Judgment Day holds nothing but joy for us. Is there any reason why we would not or could not share that joy with the unbelievers of this world? Is there any reason why we would want them to face Judgment Day with dread, with fear, with ignorance or with a total lack of concern or understanding? After all, we know that we’re going to Heaven to be with Jesus. Is there any reason – any reason under the sun – why we would want someone else to not go to Heaven with us? Should eternal separation from God, the very prospect of an eternity of damnation, be out of sight, out of mind?
You know the answers to those questions. That’s why we talk to people about Jesus. That’s why we’re here. And that’s why we pray day after day after day that God will use each and every one of us to spread the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus. “With His stripes we are healed.” Someone out there needs to hear those words – today, now, this very minute. Go tell them. Amen.
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