VA Weekly: Why Jesus' Death is a Sacrifice

Vox Apologia is trying a weekly series where apologists field questions from skeptics. The first one up for March 6 is about what constitutes a sacrifice. This week's skeptic takes the line that Jesus, being God and knowing he would be raised again, would not be as affected as other people by being tortured to death. This is a basic misunderstanding of what constitutes a sacrifice. The animals in the Old Testament sacrificial system did not suffer much at all; they simply died. Sacrifice does not necessarily involve pain; it involves death. As I've discussed elsewhere, Jesus' suffering is redemptive. But suffering is not necessary for something to be classified as a sacrifice.