The Bible frequently speaks of the death of Jesus on the cross in terms of a sacrifice. At the inception of His ministry, John the Baptist introduced Him onto the world’s stage, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (see John 1:29)! Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:7, “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” Peter wrote that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (see 1Pet 1:18-19). The language of sacrifice clearly connects Christ’s death with the countless animal sacrifices offered in Old Testament times. The writer of Hebrews indicates that those sacrifices were mere shadows pointing forward to the true sacrifice of Christ.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was also far superior to those sacrifices offered under the Old Covenant (9:23). The blood of bulls and goats no matter how often it was shed could never take away sins (10:1-4). By contrast, Christ did not offer Himself often, but suffered “once” to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (9:26). So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation (Hebrews 9:28).