26 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord. 28 You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God. Leviticus 23:26-32 (NASB) Read verses 29-32 on the site.
Please carefully read the passage I placed at the top of this post. Do you see the serious emphasis God places on the need for His people’s atonement? What is this atonement? Biblical atonement is the act of God canceling the debt of His people’s sin. Without it God’s wrath against their sin could not be appeased.
Now, let us move forward in history to the actual day that this Jewish feast symbolized. An innocent man is nearly beaten to death by brutal Roman soldiers. He is covered in blood from his innumerable wounds from being scourged. He is covered in bruises from his many beatings. His beard has been nearly ripped out of his face. He is bleeding from the scalp wounds from a crudely formed crown of thorns that has been forcibly crushed into the top of his head. He is being forced to carry a huge beam of wood that the soldiers have tied across his shoulders and arms. He is being lead by them out of the city to the place of the skull.