Great and Last Sacrifice

Jacob taught his people about the future coming of the Savior in these words: “Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him” (2 Nephi 9:5). His statement invites us to ask this question: Why was it expedient that Christ should come among the people of Jerusalem? Why did He need to be there as opposed to somewhere else on earth? The wicked Nephites much later would ask a similar question: “That it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come; if so, and he be the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, as it has been spoken, why will he not show himself unto us as well as unto them who shall be at Jerusalem? Yea, why will he not show himself in this land as well as in the land of Jerusalem?” (Helaman 16:18-19) I believe that Jacob gave at least one answer to the question the next day when he continued teaching his people. He said, “Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God” (2 Nephi 10:3). Christ needed to come to earth to give His life, and the Jewish leaders at that time in Jerusalem were wicked enough to crucify Him even after all the mighty works He did.

               As I thought about this, I realized that as He fulfilled the law of Moses it was indeed fitting that He would come to Jerusalem to give His life. Jerusalem was the place that for hundreds of years, the sacrifices associated with the law had been taking place. Countless animals had been taken to priests at the temple of Jerusalem to be laid on the altar and slain as part of the requirements of the law. Amulek taught that all of these sacrifices had pointed to the last sacrifice of the Savior: “For it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man, neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice…. Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal” (Alma 34:10, 13-14). The people for generations had been following this direction from the Lord to make their sacrifices: “And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish” (Leviticus 1:10). They brought unblemished lambs to the priests who sacrificed them on the altar for the people. So it is perhaps fitting that the Lamb of God, also without blemish, would be brought before the high priest and deemed worthy to die: “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death” (Matthew 26:65-66). Ultimately it was the high priest, Caiaphas, who determined that this sacrifice should be made: “Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people” (John 18:14). Of course, the Savior gave up His own life and willing was sacrificed. But we might also say that the high priest offered this final sacrifice of an unblemished Lamb. Obviously he did not do it for the right reasons, but there is power in this symbol of the law coming to an end as it had been operating for ages: with a priest sacrificing a perfect lamb for the people. After this, Christ would declare, “And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings” (3 Nephi 9:19). He was the great and last sacrifice.