Tuesday, July 7, 2009
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD
Many of the Old Testament pictures of the Savior were selected for special attention and emphasis long ago--selected by the Holy Spirit through John the Baptist, Isaiah the Prophet or Jesus Himself.
When John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God, his original hearers surely did not think of something cute and cuddly but rather of blood and death--and rescue from death. There were the morning and evening sacrifices at the Temple. There was the Passover Lamb.
The Passover Lamb was truly God's Lamb, wasn't it? A lamb selected and handled according to the LORD's specific instructions. A lamb sacrificed, put to a bloody death, so that people whose doorways were marked with its blood would not die--so that the Angel of Death would pass over.
A memorable night teaching a truth even more striking: It will take the shedding of the blood of a Sacrifice of God's choosing to save sinners from eternal death. Furthermore, the benefits of this divine intervention are received by faith.
Many a picture bears an inscription or title that focuses the mind on the meaning the artist has in view. The Spirit of God entitled the Passover Lamb with an unforgettable inscription when Isaiah wrote of the coming Savior: "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
