Sacrifice

Sacrifice of Christ

The (Jewish daily) sacrifice and oblation were ended through Christ's martyrdom

"In reality Daniel is referring to two different dates. One begins with the edict Artaxerxes issued to Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem, and corresponds to the seventy weeks which came to an end with the ascension of Christ, when sacrifice and oblation were ended through His martyrdom."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 10, par. 14)

Christ sacrificing Himself was to bestow a new life and enlighten and educate humanity; another meaning is that His reality would be manifested as a seed manifests into a tree

"But Christ, Who was the Word of God, sacrificed Himself. This has two meanings—an outward meaning and a true meaning. The outward meaning is this: Since Christ intended to promote a Cause that entailed the education of the human race, the quickening of the children of men, and the enlightenment of all humanity, and since promoting such a mighty Cause—a Cause that would antagonize all the peoples of the earth and withstand the opposition of every nation and government—was bound to bring about the spilling of His blood and to lead to His crucifixion and death, therefore at the moment He revealed His mission He offered up His life, welcomed the cross as His throne, regarded every wound as a balm and every poison as sweetest honey, and arose to instruct and guide the people. That is, He sacrificed Himself that He might bestow the spirit of life, and perished in body that He might quicken others in spirit.

"However, the second meaning of sacrifice is this: Christ was like a seed, and this seed sacrificed its form so that the tree might grow and develop. Although the form of the seed was destroyed, its reality manifested itself, in perfect majesty and beauty, in the outward form of the tree."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, Chapter 29, par. 10-11)

See also

• Redemption

From Lights of Guidance

(Should be further subcategorized or possibly moved to another category)

The Mystery of Sacrifice

"O maid-servant of God! The mystery of sacrifice is that man should sacrifice all his conditions for the divine station of God. The station of God is mercy, kindness, forgiveness, sacrifice, favour, grace and giving-life to the spirits and lighting the fire of His love in the hearts and arteries. I asked God to make thee a sign of mercy, the banner of kindness among His maid-servants."

('Abdu'l-Bahá: Tablets of Abdu'l-Bahá, Vol. I, p. 65, in Lights of Guidance, no. 401)

Self-Sacrifice, Meaning of

"Self-sacrifice means to subordinate this lower nature and its desires to the more godly and noble side of ourselves. Ultimately, in its highest sense, self-sacrifice means to give our will and our all to God to do with as He pleases. Then He purifies and glorifies our true self until it becomes a shining and wonderful reality."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 10, 1947: Living the Life, p. 14, in Lights of Guidance, no. 402)

To What Extent Should We Sacrifice Our Lives for the Interest of the Cause?

"The problem of to what extent we should sacrifice our time for the interest of the Cause depends for its solution upon individual means and circumstances. It is a personal problem that we ought to settle individually. One person may give all his time to teaching and rely upon small personal income and another may find himself more fitted to business and give his share of service in the form of financial assistance."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 18, 1930, in Lights of Guidance, no. 403)

Accepting to Suffer for Each Other's Sake

"With reference to your question as to whether individuals can help each other by accepting to suffer for each other's sake. Surely such sacrifice for our fellow-humans can have helpful results. This law of sacrifice operates in our own lives, as well as in the lives of the Divine Manifestations."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, March 31, 1938, in Lights of Guidance, no. 404)