Friday, March 13, 2009
Exodus 29:38-39 Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
PORTRAITS OF THE PASSION: OUR MORNING AND EVENING LAMB
The portrait before us is very familiar. It's a lamb. A yearling male lamb. A perfect lamb. You get the picture right away! You know what the Holy Spirit is painting on your heart. It's Christ, our spotless Passover Lamb, Who kept the law in our stead, and Whose shed blood has washed away all sin. John the Baptist connected the dots for you long ago: "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).
But look at our Bible verses from Exodus a bit more carefully. Notice that there are two lambs, one for a morning sacrifice, and one for an evening sacrifice. Are you thinking? What's the point? Why a morning and an evening sacrifice? And why do they need to be offered day by day, continually?
Isn't the picture speaking to you about your daily need for the Lamb? Yes, Jesus only had to die once to redeem the world. But don't our guilt-plagued hearts need to be told again and again and again that "the Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me"? Don't we, with more troubles than we can count, need to know the Lamb is close by our side, day and night. Don't we frail creatures (more helpless than lambs) need the reminder to begin and end our day with prayer?
Jesus went uncomplaining forth to slaughter, not so we could give him a brief and casual nod from time to time. He came to be our very life -- today, tomorrow, and forever! He wants His Word and Sacrament to be a living part of our day-to-day lives.
If you could paint a picture of your today, would Jesus the Lamb be in it? Would it show you thanking Him? Loving Him? Serving Him? It would certainly show His everyday love for you! How blessed we are to have a morning and evening lamb, Who died for us, and Who loves us everyday the same!
