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For both Christians and Jews?

The first sacrifice was made by God, Himself.

He shed the blood of animals in order to make the clothing to cover the first humans. God took the animal’s life to provide warmth and covering for the humans.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21, NIV)

Humans were originally created to enjoy the Presence of God. They walked with Him. They talked with Him.

But then they disobeyed Him and did the very thing God told them not to do; they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They sinned. Sin separated us from God.

Yet God still wanted to have a relationship with us. So He created a way to deal with rebellion and sin — animal sacrifice.

You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. (Leviticus 1:4, NIV)

God required the sacrifice of animals to provide a blood covering for human sin. He gave specific instructions on who could perform the sacrifice and how they were to perform it depending on the type of sin. There were four categories of sacrifices: burnt-offering, sin-offering, guilt-offering, and peace-offering. And there were five types of animals that could be sacrificed: oxen, sheep, goats, turtledoves, and pigeons.

The animal took on the people’s sins and suffered in their stead. As an animal’s life is in their blood, the shedding of this blood acted as a symbolic sacrifice and atoned for the sins of the people.

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22, NIV)

Sacrifices could only be brought to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and it was forbidden to bring sacrifices anywhere else. When the Temple was completely destroyed the Jews could no longer offer sacrifices.

However, followers of Christ stopped making sacrifices years earlier. Although the symbolic ritual of animal sacrifice provided a way we could be forgiven, God had an even bigger plan.

A more permanent plan; the redemption of all mankind for all time.

Instead of continuous animal sacrifices, God’s own Son became the last and ultimate sacrifice. Jesus took on the sins of the whole world and gave His life as the final sacrifice.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

(1 John 4:9–11 NIV)

The Messiah took on our sins and guilt and died in our place so that we could be reconciled with God.

As followers of Jesus, we can be forever grateful that through Christ we are forgiven, purified, and cleansed. He made the ultimate sacrifice.

The last sacrifice was made by God, Himself.

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