Why We No Longer Sacrifice

Before Eid Al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, the majority of our neighbors will have purchased a sheep to slaughter. In doing so, they commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son and God’s provision of a sheep in his place.

But on the day of Eid Al-Adha, more than any other day of the year, our team celebrates the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

“Did you purchase your sheep?” Muslims ask us in the days leading up to the Feast of the Sacrifice.

“No,” we answer. Then we ask, “Why do you slaughter a sheep?” They tell us how Abraham obeyed by going to offer his son as a sacrifice and how God intervened by giving him a sheep in his son’s place. It’s a story familiar to both Muslims and Christians.

After listening, we ask, “Would you like to know why we no longer must offer the sacrifice of a sheep?”

On this day, we celebrate the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Our friends always answer yes. So, we describe how Abraham’s sacrifice parallels the perfect, ultimate work of Jesus Christ. The blood of God’s own Son is our final atonement and frees us from the requirement to sacrifice animals.

God would never let Jesus be killed, our friends argue. Islamic tradition holds that He did not die. Instead, at the last moment, God substituted someone else in Jesus’ place on the cross.

“Do you believe God keeps His Word?” we offer as a gentle challenge. Then we guide them through Scripture to show them that it was God’s wonderful plan for Jesus Christ to die in order to forgive all our sins.

When we ask why Abraham didn’t sacrifice material possessions, they tell us that the greatest demonstration of love would be to sacrifice a son.

“Why would God ask us to do something that He Himself was not prepared to do?” we ask.

Praise God who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

• Please pray that Frontiers workers would rejoice in every opportunity to tell Muslims about Christ’s sacrifice.
• Ask God to open doors for them to speak the truth of the Gospel.
• Pray that Muslims would discover Jesus Christ, the source of our confidence, joy, and freedom.