Justin Appel

'Behold! the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!'
- John 1:29

Beloved in Christ,

In today's gospel lesson, John the Baptist calls Jesus the 'Lamb of God', a title and literary picture that we can trace throughout the Scriptures, with a particularly rich multivalence. There are, in fact, too many references to enumerate, so I will simply mention some a few.

First, to say that Jesus is 'Lamb' identifies him with Abraham's sacrifice of his only son, Isaac. The whole story of this sacrifice and of Abraham's faith in God, believing as he did that God would provide the required offering, points to Jesus' identity as the full and perfect Sacrifice offered by God for the sins of the whole world. Like the lamb, Jesus is perfect, without blemish, and fully satisfactory to serve in this capacity. Like Abraham, God offers his only-begotten Son, his first-born Son, in order to bring forgiveness to the world.

Second, the author of John's gospel describes Jesus as the Lamb of God while also describing the Last Supper as a Passover meal. This context brings to bear the story of the Jews in bondage to the Egyptians, when God conquered the Egyptian gods and outdid their magicians with fantastic displays of power. As the Angel of Death moved through the city, Jewish families slaughtered a young lamb and spread its blood on the doorway to their houses. As certain death moved by, the Jews ate the prescribed Passover meal, protected by this sacrifice of blood. In this light, John's gospel shows Jesus to be a full and complete Passover Sacrifice offered for the sins of the world.

Third, when Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the way from Jerusalem, Philip explains a passage from the prophet Isaiah:

'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent'
(Acts 8:32)

Even at this early moment in the Apostles' ministry, Philip could identify Jesus fully with the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (53), the one who is 'lifted up' 'very high', and yet who is 'marred', a 'man of sorrows' and 'acquainted with grief'. 'He was bruised for our iniquities', and 'the Lord has laid the iniquity of us all on him.' Jesus is the Lamb of God who was led to slaughter, who remained silent in the face of his accusers, and who was raise up on the cross for our sins. This character and his death on the cross presents a backwards logic, as St. Paul said, 'to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God' (I Corinthians 1:23-24).

Finally, the book of Revelation is chock full references to the Lamb 'who was slain', before whom stand a great number of those saved and sealed wearing 'white robes' that have been made white by being washed in the blood of the Lamb. Here, Jesus, the Lamb of God, becomes the Shepherd of those who are saved, leading them to springs of living water -- which, as we discussed last Wednesday, is John's picture of the Holy Spirit, flowing from within us. The whole story culminates in the marriage supper of the Lamb, in which Christ, the Bridegroom, marries his Bride, the Church, the New Jerusalem. And the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the midst of that place, with the river of life flowing from the throne, watering the tree of life, and the fruits of it are for 'the healing of the nations'. And there shall be 'no more curse', and the triune God will be in the midst of the faithful, and God will be their light (see Revelation 21 and 22).

'And they shall reign forever and ever.'

Yours in Christ,
Justin