Isaiah refers to the Servant’s offering as a “reparation offering.” At first, this seems to be an odd sacrifice to link with Jesus’. The reparation offering is meant for ritual desanctification. As an Israelite, you have a particular standing in Israel’s ritual system. That standing means that you can interact with objects of the same or “lower” ritual standing. The high priest has high priestly garments, a high priestly zone (the Holy of Holies), and the high priestly time (Yom Kippur). If an ordinary Israelite touches something of priestly standing, he becomes consecrated- but without possessing the proper ritual identity, that consecration cannot be safely endured. As such, he must be unconsecrated for his own safety. What about this is a “reparation”?
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