What Did Jesus Do?
Some Theological Reflections
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Caiaphas' decision that Jesus be sacrificed as a ransom for the Jewish nation (and, according to Jesus, also for the Gentile nations) set in motions events that would lead to the crucifixion. There were strict laws and protocols governing sacrifices to God, and had the sacrifice of Jesus not observed all the relevant laws, the entire sacrifice would have been invalid. In that case, neither Caiaphas himself, nor Jesus' apostles, nor the Jewish people would have been able to accept Jesus' slaying as a sacrifice rather than sheer murder. So any account of Jesus' sacrifice must show proper adherence to those laws and protocols.
Two basic prerequisites in any sacrifice were that the designated victim carry a seal of approval, given by a priest to certify that it was spotless and without blemish, and that the slaying itself be validly carried out.
In the case of Jesus' sacrifice, Peter addressed both points. Spotlessness in a human being would be not only physical, but also moral and spiritual. The Father himself had placed the seal of approval on Jesus, and Peter dwelt on this spotlessness in his own statement that Jesus had "committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth," making him fit to bear "our sins in his own body on the cross (1Peter 2:22-24). That very same spotlessness would be required of Jesus in order to act as officiating priest without a prior, and arguably futile, self-cleansing ritual.
It is the stringency of this requirement of sinlessness which more or less gives rise to Chapter 2, on the necessity of the immaculate conception and the virgin birth, which together enabled Jesus to be both High Priest and victim at his own sacrifice.
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About the Book
How and why was Jesus able to offer his flesh and blood for consumption in the land of Judah where that would have been an abomination? Was John able to give Jesus a baptism of repentance, even though Jesus had no sin to repent? Jesus said of his life, “No one takes it from me, but I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again.” How was he able to do this? Join the author in exploring, in a new way, questions you have always wanted to ask. Illuminate your Christian faith by seeing the story of Jesus in the context of Jewish law.
About the Author
William Abraham studied philosophy at the University of Ghana and at the University of Oxford, where he became the first African to be elected a Fellow of All Souls College. While in England, he taught at the University of Liverpool as well as at the University of Oxford, and wrote his first book, The Mind of Africa, on the historic processes then molding the Continent of Africa. In 1962, he returned to Ghana to teach philosophy at the University of Ghana, and worked within Kwame Nkrumah’s national government. In 1968, he came to the United States, teaching at many distinguished academic institutions, including Indiana University, UC Berkeley, Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz. After a long career as a philosopher, Professor Abraham has now turned his attention to reflecting on his own Christian faith. This book, What Did Jesus Do? comprises his theological reflections on themes central to our faith, pursued in an entirely new way.