Who is Jesus pt. 4: Lamb of God
““Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.””
A common technique in writing and speaking is zoomorphism, or the giving of animal features or qualities to humans or inanimate objects . When doing this we are assigning the most commonly understood characteristics of that animal to a particular person, place, or thing. So if we say “traffic is moving like a turtle”, we know that traffic is slow, and if Mama is said to be “madder than a wet hen”, well, we know to stay outside a little while longer until she dries out.
This literary device has been used by writers throughout history, and was even frequently used by the Bible authors. The Bible speaks of those who wait on the Lord as mounting up with wings as eagles; God in judgment is described several times in the book of Hosea as being like a lion; and Jesus said he would have gathered Jerusalem in as a hen does her chicks.
This is a brilliant form of communication, as a lot can be said with very few words. When we hear this language, our imaginations are triggered and we can’t help but see mental images of an eagle soaring high above the mountains; of an angry lion roaring; or of a mother hen gently gathering in her brood, pulling them tight into her chest with her big wings, protecting and hiding them from the outside world.
So when John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God”, he was saying a mouthful. This phrase might not carry a lot of meaning in our current culture, because sheep are not a big part of our lives, but it was not spoken into our current culture. John spoke this to a people whose lives quiet literally revolved around sheep; to a people who claimed shepherds as their patriarchs and heroes (Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, …); to a people whose story of independence and liberation had lambs as main characters; and to a people who’s relationship with God seemingly hinged on this unassuming animal.
In the minds of the original audience, the mention of a lamb may have brought up images of peace and tranquility, like a lamb being led by still waters or lying in green pastures. But against all of that innocence and wool white-as-snow would have undoubtedly been images of red; of blood. For it was the blood of a lamb that saved the firstborn of every house on the night of the original Passover. It was the blood of this animal that was shed day after day, year after year, in obedience to the Torah. Because of this, the lamb, and specifically his blood, was forever linked in their minds with ideas like salvation, forgiveness, and atonement.
This is the context that John’s profound observation was spoken into. John knew exactly what he was saying, and although his audience might not have completely understood, they would have picked up on the symbolism of his statement.
Now to take it a step further, John didn’t claim that Jesus was just another lamb, like the untold number who had been previously slain, but this was a different lamb, a specific lamb. This was the lamb.
The Lamb of God.
What does it mean that this lamb was “of God”?
I can’t help but believe that for those 1st century Jews, John’s statement brought to mind a story that they had heard probably a thousand times growing up. A story of a man and his son; of a mountain and an altar; of fire and wood, but a missing sacrifice.
““And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.””
“God will provide himself a lamb…”
What a beautiful statement!
What a prophetic statement!
God did provide a sacrifice that day, although I believe Abraham’s statement of faith found it’s ultimate fulfillment in another lamb. Not a ram caught in a thicket and taken against his will, but a lamb sent from heaven who freely gave his life. A lamb that was from God, that was God, and that was of God.
John’s statement was such good news because it meant the people could stop trying to do all of the work their selves. Done would be the searching of their flocks for the perfect lamb that was without spot or blemish, hoping it would be accepted. They could be finished with the endless bloodshed, and no more being robbed by the animal merchants in the temple courts. God had finally provided himself a sacrifice. God was there to do the work; to pay the cost; to be the lamb.
““He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.””
God bless!
