This is a good topic....
1...Was it to balance some sort of scales justice/injustice...cosmic or otherwise?
Yes.....it was to fulfill God's Law...."eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, life for a life".
According to God's law penalties were designed to fit the crime. Capital crimes merited the death penalty, which fulfilled "a life for a life".
In Israel, if a man got himself into debt, he could be sentenced to work to pay off the debt to the one who was owed the money. If the man had a family to support, he could send one of his children into service to pay the debt. If the man died owing money, the debt was inherited by his children. This is what happened to Adam's children. He died without being able to pay the debt of sin and death that he left to them. (Romans 5:12)
If a wealthy relative or friend was benevolent, he could pay the debt and release the man or his children. That was called redemption. In much the same way as we can redeem something that we have pawned if we pay back what was borrowed against it.
For Adam's children, Jesus offered to pay the debt.....only it wasn't money. God's law demanded equivalency which is why sacrifices were calleed "atonement" (at-one-ment)...one for one. What Adam lost was perfect sinless life for himself, and when he died, his children were left with a debt that none of them could pay. Only another perfect sinless life could be offered to redeem his children. Jesus volunteered to be the one to offer his perfect life for theirs. This is why he had to come from outside of the now sinful human race.
John the Baptist called Jesus
“the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!”
Jesus himself said that he came
“to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many.”
John tells us that
“the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Peter states that Christians were ransomed
“with precious blood,” “even Christ’s.”
And Paul’s letters are replete with references to Christ’s sacrificial merit, such as,
“God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
2...Was it because God had a taste for blood?
The blood sacrifices undertaken in Israel all pointed forward to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. These provided temporary forgiveness, whereas Christ's sacrifice was once and for all time.....never needing to be repeated.
Blood is sacred to God and hence why his people were forbidden to consume it in any form, under penalty of death.
3...Is 'sacrifice' the right word ...and if so, why?
"Sacrifice" is an appropriate term because if someone loses their life rescuing someone else they are said to have sacrificed their life to save another from death. This is what Jesus did. It was like we were sentenced to stand before a firing squad and Jesus stepped on front of us to take the bullets. He died in our place.
4...Did Jesus have anything to say about sacrifice....if so, what?
As a devout Jew, Jesus was no stranger to sacrifice. He accompanied his parents throughout his youth to Jerusalem for the yearly festivals and sacrifice was part of Israel's worship.
Who has the courage to think outside the square of this delicate subject and still be faithful to the intent of the scriptures?
Why does one need to think outside of any square? The scriptures very clearly state that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world......but his sacrifice only applies to those who obey him in everything. Life was conditional from the very beginning.....only if the first humans obeyed their God, would they live. Failure to obey would end in death.....nothing has changed. God gives us every opportunity to repent and to be forgiven, but his patience has its limits. He will call all to an accounting.
a late Edit...
5...How is or what has The Kingdom of God to do or connected with sacrifice??
The Kingdom of God is the governmental arrangement that God will set up over
redeemed mankind once Jesus and his angelic forces have cleansed the earth of wickedness and all who practice it. Christ's sacrifice is their redemption, making everlasting life on earth again a reality.
The "sheep" will inherit unending life, whereas the "goats" will suffer the penalty of eternal death.
God's Kingdom of 1000 years with Jesus as king, and with his heavenly priesthood, will rule this earth in righteousness, and bring all redeemed mankind back to the sinless perfection that Adam and his wife had originally enjoyed. This will include all those whom Jesus will call out of their graves at the resurrection. (John 5:28-29)
After one final test, all will return to God's original purpose for this earth and mankind upon it. (Isaiah 55:11)
That is how I see the God's plan for mankind on this earth. He was never going to take any humans to heaven originally, because He already had a large family of spirit sons serving him there. Christ's ransom, and the Kingdom were only put in place to bring us back to square one. This life was an object lesson on what happens when we try to live independently of our Creator. We have proven that we cannot manage ourselves or the planet, without him.
