Avon, Pesha, Chatta: Mapping Sin's Movement
A simple body outline marks eyes, mind and hands while Isaiah 53:5 is read. The diagram traces sin's movement inward and outward, then points to the Servant who bears it.
Big Idea
Christ does not save only the hand that acted; He bears the sin that began in the heart.
Delivery Script
Hook If we only deal with the hand, we arrive late. Scripture searches the whole movement of sin.
1. Show the outline. [display the large body outline on paper or board] Sin rarely begins at the hand. Look at this figure. It maps a journey most of us feel but rarely name.
2. Mark the eyes. [draw a mark at the eyes with the first marker, then hold up the Avon card] Desire often catches first. The Hebrew word is Avon. Not the act. The bent thing inside. The crookedness that leans before the hand ever moves.
3. Mark the head. [draw a mark at the head, hold up the Pesha card] Then the mind builds a reason. Pesha. Rebellion. Transgression. The will that frames a case, that finds its justification. The heart already moving across a line.
4. Mark the hands. [draw a mark at the hands, hold up the Chatta card] Then action crosses the boundary. Chatta. The thing done. The moment we usually arrive at and call the problem. But it is the last step, not the first.
5. Read Genesis 3:6. [open the Bible and read Genesis 3:6 briefly] She saw. She desired. She took. She ate. There it is. Eyes, mind, hands. The pattern is ancient. It is ours.
6. Read Isaiah 53:5. [read Isaiah 53:5 slowly, then underline "transgressions" and "iniquities" in the verse] Transgressions. Iniquities. These are not decorative words. The text is naming the full range, from the outward crossing to the inward crookedness. The Servant bears both.
7. Name what He carries. [set the Bible down, face the outline] The Servant does not bear only visible acts. He bears the deep disorder. The rebellion. The guilt. The whole movement, from the first lean of desire to the last step across the line. He carries what we cannot even fully see in ourselves.
8. Draw the cross. [draw a cross over the body outline] The cure is not self-management. It is not moral effort that begins at the hand and hopes to work inward. It is the wounded Servant who heals. By His wounds. The whole person.
Land Christ does not save only the hand that acted. He bears the sin that began in the heart. Bring Him more than the thing you did. Bring Him the desire, the defence and the heart that needs healing.
Call to action Pray a whole-person confession this week: Lord, cleanse what I wanted, what I defended and what I did.
Transitions
In
If we only deal with the hand, we arrive late. Scripture searches the whole movement of sin.
Out
Bring Christ more than the thing you did. Bring Him the desire, the defence and the heart that needs healing.
Scripture Anchors
Primary
Cross-Testament
Hebraic Anchor
עָוֹן / פֶּשַׁע / חַטָּאָה
Transliteration
Avon / Pesha / Chatta
Root
עון / פשׁע / חטא
Literal Meaning
Iniquity (eye hooks) / Transgression (mind justifies) / Sin (hand crosses boundary)
Common Translation
Iniquity / Transgression / Sin
Props & Setup
Props Required
- 1Body outlineSimple outline only: head, torso, hands.
- 2Markers x3Use different colours for eyes, mind and hands.
- 3Hebrew cards x3Write Avon, Pesha and Chatta with Hebrew script if the room can follow.
- 4BibleMark Isaiah 53:4-6 and 1 Peter 2:24.
Setup Instructions
- 1Draw the outline in advance so the live moment stays clean.
- 2Prepare a caveat: the body map is a teaching aid, not a precise medical map of the crucifixion.
- 3Keep the Hebrew terms visible but do not overload the room.
- 4Decide beforehand whether the congregation can handle Genesis 3 and Isaiah 53 in one flow.
Stage Execution
- 1Display the body outline and say, Sin rarely begins at the hand.
- 2Mark the eyes and say, Desire often catches first. Use Avon as the first term, carefully.
- 3Mark the head and say, Then the mind builds a reason. Use Pesha for rebellion and transgression.
- 4Mark the hands and say, Then action crosses the boundary. Use Chatta for the act of sin.
- 5Read Genesis 3:6 briefly: she saw, desired, took and ate.
- 6Read Isaiah 53:5 and underline transgressions and iniquities in the verse.
- 7Say, The Servant does not bear only visible acts. He bears the deep disorder, rebellion and guilt of His people.
- 8Draw a cross over the outline and say, The cure is not self-management. It is the wounded Servant who heals.
Safety Notes
Use a neutral outline, not graphic wounds or violent images. Avoid language that makes listeners visualise gore. For trauma-aware settings, keep the cross language scriptural and restrained.
Theological Grounding
Isaiah 53:5 is part of the fourth Servant Song, where the Servant suffers in relation to the sins of others. The Hebrew terms translated transgressions and iniquities are not decorative synonyms; they name real moral rebellion and crookedness that require atonement. The body-map image must remain subordinate to the text: Scripture says the Servant bears and heals sin, not that every physical wound can be mechanically assigned to one category.
Preacher Tips
- Say the caveat out loud. It protects the room from overclaiming and keeps the authority in Isaiah, not the diagram.
- Use Genesis 3:6 sparingly. The saw-desired-took sequence is useful but should not replace Isaiah 53.
- Do not make the eye section sound like ordinary noticing is sinful. The issue is desire taking what God has not given.
- Let 1 Peter 2:24 give the Christ-centred landing if you have a New Testament congregation.
If Things Go Wrong
1The demo sounds like a speculative anatomy of the crucifixion.
Recovery: State, This is a moral map of sin's movement, not a medical map of Jesus' wounds.
2Listeners feel crushed by introspection.
Recovery: Move to the Servant's bearing of sin and say, The text exposes deeply because Christ saves deeply.
3The Hebrew terms become confusing.
Recovery: Summarise with three plain words: desire, rebellion, action.
4The visual is too graphic.
Recovery: Remove the body outline and use three circles labelled eye, mind, hand.
Adaptations
young children
Skip the Hebrew terms. Use eyes, thoughts and hands to say Jesus forgives the whole wrong, not only what others saw.
older children
Use three stepping stones: see, want, take. Then show the cross at the end.
teens
Apply the sequence to scrolling, comparison, private justification and public action without naming sexual examples.
small group
Read Genesis 3:6, James 1:14-15 and Isaiah 53:5, then compare how each text describes sin's movement.
academic
Discuss pesha and avon in Isaiah 53 alongside Psalm 51, then evaluate the limits of staged models of sin.
Response Prompts
1.Where do you usually notice sin: at desire, justification or action?
2.Why is it good news that Christ bears more than the visible act?
3.What would confession sound like if you brought God the whole movement, not only the outcome?
Application Questions
- 1How can Hebrew word study deepen atonement preaching without becoming speculative?
- 2Where should a preacher place limits around graphic cross imagery?
Call to Action
Pray a whole-person confession this week: Lord, cleanse what I wanted, what I defended and what I did.
Focus Note
This diagram is not trying to make a neat chart of every wound of Christ. It is helping us slow down. Sin can move from gaze, to desire, to justification, to action. Isaiah 53 does not treat sin as shallow. The Servant is pierced for transgressions and crushed for iniquities. The cross reaches the visible act and the hidden disorder beneath it.
Cultural Notes
Body diagrams may feel clinical or uncomfortable in some settings. Use three stones, three cards or three circles if a body outline distracts. Do not replace Isaiah's suffering Servant with a generic moral psychology lesson.
Themes & Tags
Sermon Placement
Memorability
The three-part map is clear and weighty, but restraint keeps it from becoming sensational.
Type
visual prop
Difficulty
moderate
Setup
moderate
Cost
under_10_gbp