Following this one, this is the second artwork that I submitted to my church to put in their hallways for a few months. I have now successfully gotten a piece of furry art displayed in my church. XD
I once again got help from Ryan Gatts, without whom this would be a much messier picture.

The origin of the word "scapegoat" is biblical. Lev 16:21 : "He [Aaron] is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat's head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task." When I learned this, the imagery you see above entered my imagination. (The Hebrew words on the bag are different words for sins.)

I thought it appropriate to post this around Christmas time for two reasons. One, because the scapegoat is sort of a reverse Santa: Rather than bringing gifts, he takes away our worst garbage!

And two, because this is another aspect of what Jesus does for sinners who come to him for mercy. There's two goats in this section of the law. One of them is slaughtered, and the other, the scapegoat, gets chased into the wilderness. The slaughtered one is a picture of Jesus' own death on the cross, how he was sacrificed for our sins -- this is what gets talked about the most, and for good reason. What that means for us is that if you trust in Jesus, his perfect payment for sins becomes effective for you. But what about the scapegoat? What is that supposed to mean?
I'm no scholar or pastor, but I think it represents that the Christian's sins are not only PAID for, they are also chased away from us, out into the wilderness, as far as east is from west, so that they no longer stick around and define us. We can feel guilt for something long after it's been forgiven. But God offers not only to forgive our sins, but to wipe the slate clean so that our sins no longer hang over us, and so that no Christian can look down on any other Christian or compare sin records. It's all paid for and done.

This Christmas time, I know many who are deeply suffering in some way. If there is one thing I want you to know, it's that God does NOT enjoy seeing his creation in pain. He feels and knows every human pain inside and out. What we celebrate at Christmas is the Incarnation: God putting on a human costume. More than that, he took on a human identity, and adopted the norms of a human culture. But he didn't just do this for fun and games. Jesus didn't come as a king, but as a peasant. He likely went to bed hungry every night of his life. He experienced the joys of humanity, and the many, many pains. He was rejected by his hometown, harassed by religious hypocrites, and eventually lost all his friends and followers until he died a criminal's death in agony on a Roman cross.

Whatever you are going through, Jesus has known it. There is far more to the gospel, and I've shared it in the past, but it is no less than this: Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

I hope you will find comfort in that this season. Stay warm, stay safe on the roads, and Merry Christmas. :)