The innocent must suffer? Why biblical sacrifice still matters in the age of Messiah (Ephesians 5; Leviticus 1–2; Isaiah 48–49)

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Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Messiah also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:1–2 NASB 1995

This is not an abstract idea. It is rooted in the concrete pattern God gave Israel in the Torah, especially in the מִשְׁכָּן Mishkan (“dwelling place,” the Tabernacle) and the קָרְבָּנוֹת korbanot (“offerings,” the things that approach).

What does it really look like to “imitate God” in love today?

The pattern behind ‘be imitators of God’

Paul’s phrase “be imitators of God” in Ephesians 5:1 uses the Greek word μιμηταί mimētai (“imitate,” “copy a pattern”). Imitation always raises a question: imitate what?

God has not left us guessing. He gave Israel a visible, enacted pattern in the Torah:

• The pattern of the Mishkan in Exodus (Exodus 25–40)
• The pattern of the offerings in Leviticus (especially Leviticus 1–2)
• The larger pattern of His dealings with Israel in the prophets (Isaiah 48–49 and beyond)

Moshe (Moses) himself asked, “Show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). God answered by both revealing His character and giving a pattern — “the pattern shown to you on the mountain” for the Mishkan (Exodus 25:40). Paul draws on that same pattern when he speaks about Messiah’s sacrifice as a “fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:2), echoing the repeated phrase in Leviticus, “a soothing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9).

So, to imitate God, we do not just reach for vague spirituality. We look at the concrete story God told through Israel’s worship, and then at how Messiah fulfills and deepens that story.

Called to draw near

The book of Leviticus is called וַיִּקְרָא Vayikra (“And He called”) in Hebrew, from its opening word: “Then the LORD called to Moses…” (Leviticus 1:1). This calling comes from the Mishkan, from within the Tent of Meeting. It is a summons to draw near.

קָרְבָּן korban comes from the Hebrew root קרב karav (“to draw near, approach”). A korban is not just “something you give.” It is “the thing by which you draw near,” in other words, it’s the offering-bringer.

In Leviticus 1:1–9, we see the burnt offering described:

• The animal comes from the herd or flock, “a male without defect” (Leviticus 1:3)
• The worshiper brings it “to the doorway of the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:3)
• He lays his hand on its head, and it is accepted “to make atonement on his behalf” (Leviticus 1:4)
• The entire animal is burned on the altar as “an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9, NASB 1995)

The person does not simply send the animal off. He identifies with it by laying his hand on its head. In that act, he is, in a sense, saying, “This is me going in. Let this be accepted for me.”

This becomes a powerful picture of how we approach God in Messiah. When we trust in Him, we “lean” our whole weight (worth, glory, faith, trust) on Him, just as the Israelite physically leaned on the korban. He goes in before the Father as our substitute.

A restful aroma

Leviticus repeatedly uses the phrase רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ re’ach nichoach (“soothing aroma,” “pleasing aroma”). The word נִיחוֹחַ nichoach comes from the same Hebrew root as Noah’s name נֹחַ Noach (“rest”). You could almost say “a restful aroma.”

That raises a paradox. How can the smell of burning flesh be “restful” or “soothing”? To the modern mind, sacrificial slaughter feels barbaric and repulsive. Yet that reaction is part of the point. It is meant to shock us into seeing how serious our alienation from God really is.

An innocent animal — who never chose to sin, transgress, rebel — dies so that the worshiper can draw near spiritually by its blood. That injustice should bother us. It hints at something far worse and far more costly: the innocent suffering of Messiah Himself.

This “restful aroma” signals that something has been put right. Judgment has fallen. A costly substitute has given its life. Reconciliation has begun. Rest, in a sense, now has a basis.

From common to other: The Mishkan as training in holiness

Outside the camp is ordinary, “common” life. Inside the Mishkan’s courts and especially beyond the inner veil is the concentrated presence of the Creator, the One who is other, “holy” than His creation.

Exodus 40:34–38 describes how the cloud filled the Mishkan so strongly that even Moshe and the priests could not enter at first. As the cloud and fire moved, Israel moved. When the cloud rested, Israel rested. It was like following a Leader through the wilderness:

• The cloud and fire guided their travel and their rest (Exodus 40:36–38).
• The visible presence in the center of the camp taught them to stay oriented to God.
• The very layout of the Mishkan trained them to respect the boundary between common and holy.

Holiness (קֹדֶשׁ kodesh, “set apart”) here does not mean otherworldly and irrelevant. Rather, it means dedicated for God’s special purpose. The Mishkan was not man’s religious invention. It was a Heaven-designed pattern for reconciliation between a holy God and a compromised people.

This pattern is as relevant as ever. We live in a world that treats everything as common. The Mishkan and the korbanot remind us that God is not just “there” in a vague sense. He is holy. To draw near, something must change — both in our status and in our hearts.

The innocent substitute and the cost of sin

Stop and soak in the emotional impact of the sacrifice at the Mishkan. An innocent sheep, goat, or bull dies because the human worshiper has broken fellowship with the Creator. To us, that seems oppressive or even unjust. Yet that discomfort exposes how numb we often are to the horror of sin.

We are like frogs in a slowly heated pot. The water grows hotter, but we adjust. We stop noticing how dangerous our situation is. From the outside, it looks insane to stay in the boiling water, or, spiritually speaking, in the “muck” of rebellion and brokenness.

Sacrifice is God’s wake-up call. It says, “This separation is deadly. This is what it costs to fix it. The innocent must suffer.”

All this points forward to the ultimate innocent substitute, the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). In Isaiah, He appears as the עֶבֶד יְהוָה Eved Adonai (“Servant of the LORD”), especially in Isaiah 53.

Israel, the Servant, and the Son

Here are the main “Servant Songs” in Isaiah:

Isaiah 42:1–9

• Begins: “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights…”
• Themes: Justice to the nations, gentle yet firm, a light to the nations.

Isaiah 49:1–13

• Begins: “Listen to Me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar…”
• Themes: Called from the womb, Servant named “Israel,” restoring Jacob and being a light to the nations.

Isaiah 50:4–11

• Begins: “The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples…”
• Themes: Obedient Servant, suffering, not turning back, offering His back to those who strike.

Isaiah 52:13–53:12

• Begins: “Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.”
• Themes: Deep suffering, rejection, bearing sins, substitutionary atonement, ultimate vindication.

Passage	Key themes	Messianic connection to Yeshua
Isaiah 42:1–9	• “My Servant… My chosen one in whom My soul delights” (Isa 42:1) • Spirit-empowered Servant brings justice to the nations – Gentle: “A bruised reed He will not break” (Isa 42:3) • Light to the nations, opening blind eyes, freeing captives (Isa 42:6–7)	• Echoed at Yeshua’s immersion: “My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:17) • His Spirit-anointed ministry to the poor, blind, and oppressed (Luke 4:16–21) • Yeshua as light of the world (John 8:12) and to the nations (Luke 2:32)
Isaiah 49:1–13	• Servant called “from the womb” and named by God (Isa 49:1) • Called Israel, yet sent to restore Israel (Isa 49:3–6) • Made “a light of the nations” and “My salvation to the end of the earth” (Isa 49:6)	• Mirrored in Yeshua’s conception and naming (Matthew 1:20–21; Luke 1:31) •Servant both represents Israel and rescues Israel, fitting Yeshua as the faithful Israelite who restores His people (Romans 11:25–27) • Explicitly fulfilled as salvation reaching the nations through the gospel (Acts 13:47)
Isaiah 50:4–11	• “Tongue of disciples” to sustain the weary (Isa 50:4) – Obedient Servant: “I was not disobedient nor did I turn back” (Isa 50:5) • Offers His back to those who strike Him, face to those who pluck out the beard (Isa 50:6) • Trusts God as vindicator despite shame and opposition	• Yeshua as the obedient Son who always does the Father’s will (John 8:29) • His suffering, mockery, and abuse before crucifixion echo this imagery (Matthew 26–27) • He entrusts Himself to the Father’s vindication in resurrection (1Peter 2:23–24)
Isaiah 52:13–53:12	• “My Servant will prosper… be high and lifted up” (Isa 52:13) • Startling suffering and disfigurement (Isa 52:14) • Despised, rejected, “a man of sorrows” (Isa 53:3) • Bears our griefs and sorrows; pierced for our transgressions (Isa 53:4–5) • The LORD lays on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa 53:6) • Like a lamb led to slaughter (Isa 53:7) • Makes Himself a guilt offering (אָשָׁם asham) and justifies many (53:10–11)	• Central Messianic prophecy in the Besorah (gospel) preaching (Acts 8:30–35) • Yeshua’s atoning death as substitutionary sacrifice, bearing sins of Israel and the nations (1Peter 2:24–25) • Lamb imagery connects directly to Passover (Exodus 12; John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7) and sacrificial system (Leviticus 1–7) • Resurrection hinted: “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days” (53:10)

However, many scholars and teachers see additional Servant sections that connect with these:

• Isaiah 41:8–9: Israel as “My servant”
• Isaiah 44:1–2, 21: “Jacob My servant… Jeshurun whom I have chosen”
• Isaiah 45:4: “My servant Jacob, and Israel My chosen one”
• Isaiah 48:20; 49:7: Further Servant language and mission themes

Isaiah 48–49 speaks both of Israel as God’s servant and of a Servant whose calling seems to go beyond the nation itself:

• “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.” (Isaiah 48:12)
• “He said to Me, ‘You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will show My glory.’” (Isaiah 49:3)

Yet this Servant also has a mission to Israel and to the nations. From a Messianic Jewish reading, this points to a layered meaning:

• Israel as a people is called to be God’s servant, His representative.
• But Israel fails to live out that mission consistently.
• Therefore a singular Servant arises, embodying Israel’s calling and extending it to the nations — Messiah Himself.

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the TaNaKh) uses the word παῖς pais for “servant” here. Pais can mean “servant,” but also “child” or “son.” That linguistic overlap helps us see how the idea of “Servant of the LORD” connects closely with “Son of God” in the New Covenant writings.

Messiah, the faithful Son, takes up Israel’s mission where Israel failed. He lives as the perfect eved Adonai, the true Israelite who fully embodies God’s purposes.

From ‘I am the first and the last’ to Lamb of God

Isaiah’s declaration, “I am the first, I am also the last” (Isaiah 48:12) echoes later in the book of Revelation. Apostle Yokhanan (John) sees “one like a son of man” standing among seven golden lampstands:

“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore…”

Revelation 1:12–13 NASB 1995

At the end of the book, we hear:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Revelation 22:13 NASB 1995

The same One whose identity language echoes Isaiah’s “first and last” is also the slain and risen Lamb. He is the One whose blood washes robes white (Revelation 7:14).

Again, we encounter a paradox: We wash garments in blood, and they become clean. Just as the korban system seems shocking, so does this cleansing image. But both point to the same truth: Reconciliation costs life. And that life, once given, brings true purity.

This picture escalates through Scripture:

1. God calls Avraham (Abraham) out of confusion and into a land of promise.
2. God forms a people, Israel, as His covenant partner.
3. God dwells among them in the Mishkan.
4. God “tabernacles” among us in Messiah: “the Word became flesh, and dwelt (σκηνόω skēnoō, “tabernacled”) among us” (John 1:14).
5. God finally dwells with redeemed humanity in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3).

Each stage intensifies God’s desire to dwell in the midst of His people and to transform them.

‘Living sacrifice’

We can ask how the Mishkan model applies today. Apostle Paul answers this:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1 NASB 1995

This is the bridge from Leviticus to our daily lives. We do not bring bulls and goats to a physical altar today, because the Temple is not currently in service. Yet the original and enduring principle of korban — of drawing near through the all-in offering of ourselves — has always held.

The “altar” is our whole life in Messiah. We present ourselves — heart (mind and emotions), soul (life), resources (time, energy) — as a continual offering. We “lean” on Yeshua, our once-for-all korban, and then live as those who belong entirely to God.

This does not erase the Torah instructions. Rather, it fills them full of significance and internalizes them. The journey through the courtyard, past the altar, through the Holy Place, and into the Holy of Holies becomes a spiritual pattern every time we seek God in prayer, obedience, and service.

Love of God and neighbor: One movement, not two

The Bible’s greatest commandments are tightly intertwined to the sacrificial pattern. Yeshua sums up the Torah and the Prophets with two commands:

• Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37).
• Love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39).

Loving God “with all your heart, soul, and strength” means you hold nothing back. You love Him with your emotions, your life itself, and your resources. That is sacrificial. It fits the pattern of korban.

But you cannot stop there. Real, charitable love for God spills into love for neighbor, starting with those closest to you: your spouse, family, friends, community. In Ephesians 5, Paul applies Messiah’s sacrificial love to marriage:

• Husbands are to love (ἀγάπη agapē, “self-giving, charitable love”) their wives.
• Messiah loved the ἐκκλησία ekklēsia (“assembly, congregation”) and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25–27).

Agapē is not sentimentality. It is costly, loyal love, much like the Hebrew חסד ḥesed (“lovingkindness,” “covenant loyalty”). It washes, sanctifies, and beautifies the beloved.

To imitate God, then, is to let our relationships be reshaped by this sacrificial love. This includes servant leadership in the home, mutual honor, and a refusal to “lord it over” others.

Servant leadership and submitting under the status quo

Paul’s language on submission in Ephesians 5 means “be subject.” The term points to moving “under” an existing order, not to become passive, but to change it from beneath.

This connects to Yeshua’s own teaching. The greatest must become the servant; the master behaves as the slave of all (Matthew 20:26–28). At Passover, Yeshua models this by washing His disciples’ feet (John 13). The Master takes the role of the lowest servant.

This is profoundly consistent with the Mishkan pattern. The God of Israel, exalted above all, chooses to “go low”:

• He dwells in a tent among a redeemed slave people.
• He accepts the death of innocent korbanot for their sake.
• Ultimately, He sends His Son to suffer and die to bring them near.

If God leads this way, then leaders in His kingdom must also lead by going low. They bear the burdens of others. They open themselves to accountability. They genuinely care what others need, not just what they plan to give. They serve first, then lead.

Dying to self and living in Messiah

Messiah calls us to be willing to lose your life in order to save it (e.g., Matthew 16:25). This is not just about physical martyrdom, though many have literally died for their witness. It is about daily death to self, laying down pride, fear, and self-protection.

Fear of death can drive people to horrific choices. But those who know Messiah has already passed through death and risen gain new courage. They can hold even their own life more loosely. They can choose faithfulness over survival at any cost.

This brings the circle back to Leviticus and Ephesians 5. To “walk in love” as Messiah did is to live as a continual offering:

• We “climb on the altar” daily as living sacrifices.
• We trust that when something in us dies — selfishness, ego, comfort — something truer comes alive.
• We lean on Messiah as our korban, entering “through the veil” into God’s presence (echoing Hebrews 10:19–20).

In this way, the ancient smoke of the מִזְבֵּחַ עֹלָה, mizbeach ʿolah (“altar of burnt offering”) becomes a living metaphor. Our lives rise before God as a re’ach nichoach — a restful aroma — not because we are perfect, but because we are in Messiah, the ultimate fragrant offering.

Hands on the korban, hearts in the Presence

Heaven invites us to see our discipleship through the lens of Israel’s story:

• The Mishkan shows God’s desire to dwell in the midst of His people.
• The korbanot show the cost of drawing near.
• The Servant of the LORD in Isaiah shows the mission of Israel and of Messiah.
• Ephesians and Revelation show how Messiah fulfills and magnifies that mission.

To “be imitators of God” is to do what the Israelite did at the gate of the Mishkan: place our hands, and our hope, on the innocent Substitute (Yeshua), and then follow where He leads. It is to let His agapē love and His ḥesed loyalty reshape our worship, our work, and our relationships, so that our whole life becomes a “fragrant offering” to the God Who loves to dwell with His people.