Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God

Jesus, the Lamb of God

The other day, I had given away a few gospels of John, and I got into a conversation with a gentleman about salvation through Christ. I explained to him about the sacrificial system that the Jewish religion employed; how a lamb would be slaughtered and sacrificed due to sin. But, this sacrifice only was effective for the sins confessed, and was not a lasting sacrifice; it only covered over sin. He had never heard the significance of Jesus being the Lamb of God explained in this way. It was as though a light went on in his head! He now understood the significance of what Jesus did, how Jesus was made sin for us, and by his shed blood, we are made righteous permanently, if we respond by repentance and faith. Last week, we observed that John the Baptist was "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight'" His message, and the message of many of the apostles was Repent! Turn from your sins! Jesus Christ, as the lamb of God, was the sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world, but what we must do is to confess (agree with God) concerning our sin, and do a 180 degree turn to Christ, placing our trust in the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

John 1:29-34 
 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel." 32 And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain,this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."

John the Baptist is still being interviewed by the Pharisees, and he points to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Messiah is called the "Lamb of God" throughout the New Testament. This is a strange label if you do not know the history of the scripture, but to those who know their Bible, it is a a very deep and meaningful title for Jesus Christ. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" This was John the Baptist's declaration in John 1:29 upon seeing Jesus for the first time.

Prophetic forshadowing to the coming Lamb of God are scattered throughout the Old Testament. Indeed, many Bible scholars believe that the entire Bible (66 books written by 40 authors over a period of approximately 1,600 years) tells the story of Jesus Christ. Every story, every genealogy, every number, every page, every detail speaks of our Lord and Savior. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we find one of the lesser-known prophecies of the coming Lamb of God. When Adam and Eve sinned, They placed coverings of leaves upon themselves. When God confronted them with their sin, and banished them from the garden, He slaughtered an animal and made clothing for them from the skin of the animal. This was the first sacrifice, a pattern for the sacrifices that man was to make before God for their sins. But note: It was God who sacrificed this animal, it was God who covered their shame. This is wonderful foreshadowing of what he was to do with Christ 4000 years later; killing His one and only Son to cover the sins and the shame of the world.

In Genesis 22, we see the story continue. God commands Abraham to offer his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. Remember, this is Isaac, the child of promise, which Sarah conceived well past child-bearing years. This was the Son God promised Abraham that the promise of many nations would come through. Despite His love for the Child, Abraham is obedient to God, not willing to keep anything from God. This was a test for Abraham and a testimony to the world. On the way to the altar, Isaac asks his dad, 7 "My father!" And he said, "Here am I, my son." He said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said,"God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So they went both of them together.

 When they arrive at the place of sacrifice, Abraham prepares to offer Isaac to the Lord, but before Abraham could slay his child, God stops him. We read, "Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' So he said, 'Here I am.' And He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me'" (Genesis 22:10-12). God that day provided a lamb for sacrifice, and 2,000 years later, on that same mountain, God killed His one and only beloved Son for the sins of the whole world. Abraham prophesied the coming of the Lamb of God, "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh: as it is said to this day, 'In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen'" (Genesis 22:14). God provides the payment for the debt that we owed Him and could not pay through Jesus Christ.

The Pharisees that John was speaking to understood very clearly this word picture John was relating to the Jewish sacrificial system, where the blood of a lamb would cover the sin of an individual. These Pharisees had themselves probably sacrificed hundreds of lambs in their own lifetime! Jesus, as God’s lamb, was a perfect sacrifice, for his blood would not just cover sin, it would remove or take away sin. Lambs were regularly sacrificed in Israel, but The Lamb of God is dramatically revealed in Exodus 12 and 13, with the Jewish Feast of the Passover. This is perhaps the most compelling foreshadow of the coming Lamb of God, the Messiah. The Passover Feast occurs each year on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. It is eaten in remembrance of the Lord "passing over" the houses of those who had sacrificed the Passover Lamb and sprinkled its blood on their wooden doorposts and mantles, while the angel of death visited those who had not sprinkled the blood of the lamb. The angel of death was the final of ten plagues sent by God to redeem His people from slavery in Egypt, the land of their bondage.

 As the Jewish people celebrate Passover, just as our Lord did before He died,   It is evident from Luke 22, 17, 20, that there were more than one cup on the table at the institution of the Lord's Supper, which was also the celebration of the passover meal. This gives added significance to the celebration of the passover.   If you went into a Jewish home on the Passover evening you would see a similar sight to what you would have seen had you been in the Upper Room.

(1) The first cup is called "the Cup of Blessing." All surrounding the family table partake of this cup - none is excluded from the youngest to the oldest, it is their privilege to partake of the Cup of Blessing. Paul in I Corinthians 10:13 is referring to this cup when he says : "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?"

(2) The second cup is called " the Cup of Wrath, or day of Judgment."
Just as from the first cup all participate, from this no one will drink; instead of drinking it they pour it out on to a plate while they count the ten plagues of judgement and thus they express the wrath of God and the judgments He brought upon their enemies the Egyptians.   Jesus Christ drank this cup of wrath on our behalf, taking the very wrath of God and the judgement for our sins when He was crucified. He makes reference to this cup when He says: " Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done," Luke 22

(3) The third cup is called "the Cup of Salvation." This one is filled to overflowing, and all drink from it. we are told in the Psalms that the best way we can thank God for all His good gifts is to lift up the cup of our salvation. Here you have a picture of Ps. 23 : "My cup runs over.*' Remember it is because the Christ of God was willing to drink the cup of wrath and judgment, that you can now enjoy the cup of blessing and the cup of salvation.

(4) The fourth cup is " the Cup of the Kingdom." This makes Israel look into the future when they will be under the sway of The Messiah, Jesus Christ. Our Lord refers to this cup when He says : "I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day that I drink it new in the Kingdom of God" (Mark 14, 25).

Approximately 1,500 years after the first Passover, on the 14th day of Nisan, the Passover Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed upon a wooden cross for the sins of all mankind. When the Day of the Lord comes, those who have covered themselves in the blood of the Lamb by repenting of their sin and trusting in Christ will be kept safe while the world pays for their rebellion against God. We can be passed over for death, that is, eternal death and live as His chosen people for eternity in Heaven with Him.

John the Baptist emphasizes in the following verses (again) that Jesus is the Son of God, sent from God. 1st, John repeats in verse 30 That Jesus Christ is God in that He is eternal! Even though John was physically older, Jesus has always been. He did not know Jesus, but He was given the assignment to Baptize with water to prepare the way for the Messiah. The repentance and the cleansing was the preparing the way for the Lord. The fact that He baptized Jews showed they had the same need for repentance, so that they could see the One who was coming to save the world from their sins. God graciously showed John who Jesus was by sending the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. As a side item, this is another part of scripture which shows the triune nature of God. God the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and Jesus is being baptized.

The baptism of Jesus has been questioned as to why He had to be baptized. It certainly was not for sin! And, in this context, why did this baptism demonstrate and emphasize that Jesus was the lamb of God? This baptism, by immersion, pictures death burial and resurrection. This baptism was a foreshadowing of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus by which the Lamb of God would take the sins of the whole world. By the testimony that happened at Jesus’ baptism, John could declare with certainty that Jesus Christ was not only the Lamb of God, but the one and only begotten Son of God. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit bore witness to this at Jesus’ baptism.

Knowing Jesus in truth is all important for our salvation that is found only in Him. John has declared Jesus as the unique Son of God, fully God, and fully man, in unique relationship to the Father. He proclaims Him the Lamb of God, who gives the picture of Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth, which is to take away the sin of the whole world. Do you know Jesus as God’s one and only unique Son, or is Jesus just a great moral teacher? If you know Him only as a historical figure and great teacher, you are missing the important aspect of belief that includes a belief in who God says Jesus is. Don’t miss the significance of the name the Lamb of God, for Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. He died as the lamb of God to pay for our sins, so that we would not have to pay for them ourselves. And his death, unlike the Lambs that the Jews sacrificed do not just cover our sins, they take them away. I plead with you, that if you want your sins forgiven, place your faith in the Son of God, Jesus, who, as the lamp of God, paid the penalty for all of your sins on the cross. If you will repent and place your trust in Jesus, your sins can be forgiven, and you will become a son or daughter of God, living eternally with Him. I urge you to do this today.