An Atonement Parable

A modern day parable

2:45am. Wipers violently push sheets of rain aside. The wind tries to force itself in through the windows. I squeeze through the bollards and the big old ghost gum onto a lonely football field, there’s already frost on the ground. foot down. wheels spinning, grass and mud spewing out behind me: a couple of hasty donuts then back to the bollards to make a quick exit before the cops come. But… the old ghost gum has come down in the wind, blocking my escape. I reverse, chewing up more grass. Maybe there’s another way out. I drive the perimeter of the oval, crunching frost under the tyres, searching through the rain for a big enough gap. Up there behind the family hill… but the wheels can’t find traction. I back up and try again. More speed this time, rear end fishtailing, The wheels dig deep ruts in the grass. Nearly there! Crap, what was that? I hit something. Water hammers me in the face, as I open the car door. I must have hit a tap and burst the pipe. I reverse back down the hill. Panicked now I spin the car around, chewing up grass as I career back across the oval. It starts to snow. Maybe I can move the tree. Out in the rain, soaking wet. There’s no chance, the tree won’t budge. Maybe I can push it with the car. Slowly, carefully I inch the car forward till there’s a nudge on the front bumper. 1st gear, wheels spinning. 2nd gear, mud flying. A pop, the engine stalls. I try to restart. Can I smell burning oil? I turn the key in the ignition for the 20th time. Nothing. I'm soaking wet and shivering. I can’t feel my fingers. I dare not get out of the car.

I open my eyes. Blue and red flashing lights. Someone is wrapping a blanket around me. Loading me into the back of a van.

Hey Dad,

I’m in jail. I did something dumb. Plus I wrecked the Commodore. I was just gonna do a couple of donuts on the oval, but I got stuck and it all kind of snowballed and I needed rescuing. I stuffed up. I didn’t mean to cause that much damage.

The paramedics said when they got to me my lips were blue and I was pretty much dead. It was a bit of a wake up call, hey. I told them I'd never do anything dumb like that again.

The cops but, when they saw the damage I'd done, they reckoned I deserved to die. They fined me 10,000 bucks and there’s no way I've got that kind of money. Anyway, I need your help. They won’t let me out until I pay. The cops said they don’t care who, if someone else pays the price they’ll be satisfied.

Son, you’re right, those cops will never be satisfied unless someone suffers. I’ll send your brother round. He’s a good kid. If those cops need to punish someone maybe they’ll be happy to take it out on him instead. Maybe he can spend a night in jail in your place, maybe that will meet their punishment quota.

8:30am. The kids turn up to play soccer. The field is flooded and what isn’t underwater has turned to mush and what isn’t mush has been ripped to shreds with tyre tracks.

“Well kids, let me share the good news with you! The price has been paid. Don’t worry, the guy who did this, he’s been set free; someone else paid his debt. His innocent brother paid the penalty and went to jail in his place.”

The kids stare in stunned silence.

*******

Does this sound like good news? it’s an unsatisfactory ending to the story right!? The only satisfaction experienced in this story was by the cops and their requirement that someone suffer. This good news story stops short.

Did you notice what’s missing from this gospel?

Atonement

Out of all the characters in this story, who came closest to providing atonement?

The police? They provided punishment.

The father who sent a substitute?

The brother? He only fixed the problem of the cops’ wrath.

Actually, it was the paramedics. They provided rescue from certain death, and gave him his life back. And, as they showed him love and cared for him, they contributed to healing his destructive attitude. To complete this picture of atonement, imagine the paramedics got together, put on a working bee and restored the oval, paid the fee for the tow truck, and cancelled the debt of the ambulance fee.

You see, atonement must mean more than merely “at-one-ment”. In Leviticus atonement is made for a house, an altar, and the Tabernacle.[1] But being ‘at one’ with an altar doesn’t sound very attractive, does it. Earlier in Leviticus the following phrase occurs nearly ten times in two chapters

the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven[2]

Later in Leviticus, the same phrase is repeated almost ten times again but with a notable word change

the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be clean[3]

Atonement then, is about forgiveness and cleansing. And, however a human can be cleansed through atonement, must be related to atonement being made for an object.

When atonement is made for an altar or a house what is happening? Was the house morally corrupt? Did the house need to be punished? No, the house had suffered from an outbreak of mould that had spread. Once the contagion had been dealt with, the house needed to be cleansed, and restored to its former state.[4] Thus, when defining atonement, a helpful word I would suggest is restoration.

What about a human? Is a human who needs atonement morally corrupt? Sometimes. But sometimes they’ve just given birth[5] or touched a dead body[6] or recovered from a skin disease[7] or had their monthly period.[8] This person doesn’t need to be punished. They may need to rest and recover. Perhaps a hot cup of tea or a warm bath. For ancient Israelites, certain things like mould, a skin disease, childbirth, and menstruation made them ritually unclean. They weren’t considered wrong or sinful, they just needed to observe a ritual cleansing before entering holy space.

This is why simply avoiding punishment cannot be the full gospel. Punishment doesn’t solve the root problem. Punishment may solve the problem of God's wrath, but it does nothing to address humanity’s need for cleansing. Nor the problem of sin and evil. Humanity’s greatest need is to be rescued, cleansed and healed. Atonement is a restorative act. And restorative atonement is administered by applying Life. Specifically lifeblood.

“For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make atonement on the altar for your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement.[9]

For ancient Israelites, the lifeblood of a pure unblemished animal was used as a visceral symbolic teaching tool. Whether recovering from a skin disease, or giving birth, or merely being covered with the grime of living in a greasy, stained and sinful world, they were presented with an image of restoration, wiping away the mess, the impurities, and restoring life. As an ancient Israelite you have been cleaned up, your wounds dressed, you’ve been given a hot bath and a hot meal, a fresh set of clothes, and a blanket lovingly wrapped around your shoulders. This is what it looks like when Life comes into contact with impurity; sin is tossed away, death is destroyed, and disease disappears, and in its wake, life is left.

This is indeed good news: atonement not only brings restoration from impure to pure, unclean to clean, atonement also restores relationships. Now at-one-ment can truly occur. With everything that rendered humanity impure removed, as far as east is from west, that far has sin been thrown away; now, in this cleansed condition, now we can enter holy space. Not by the lifeblood of an animal, but by the blood of Jesus.[10] We have been brought near by the blood of Christ. [11]

Atonement looks like living in restored relationship, being at one with God. Jesus' lifeblood - His Life - has been given to us. Jesus actually says, we have no life in us unless we have His blood in us.[12] It is no longer our life, but Christ who lives in us.[13] Jesus' lifeblood has cleansed us from all sin. [14]

When Matthew wants to show how Jesus fulfils Isaiah 53, he chooses a story about Jesus healing. “He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases”.[15] And Peter, also reflecting on Jesus' fulfilment of Isaiah 53 does not say; By His wounds we are exonerated, or by His wounds we are pardoned. No. ”By His wounds we are healed”.[16]

Footnotes:

[1] Leviticus 8:15; 14:53; 16:16, 18,33

[2] Lev 4-5 throughout

[3] Lev 14 throughout

[4] Lev 14:52

[5] Lev 12:6

[6] Lev 5:2

[7] Lev 14:19

[8] Lev 15:20,30

[9] Lev 17:11 CSB

[10] Heb 10:19

[11] Eph 2:13

[12] John 6:53

[13] Gal 2:20

[14] 1 John 1:7

[15] Matt 8:17; Isa 53:4

[16] 1 Pet 2:24, Isa 53:5