Reflectionary XVIII

Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

In John 1, we read this account of John the Baptist, and his testimony that Jesus is the "Lamb of God."

This declaration is noteworthy because it is one of the earliest accounts of Christ being introduced to the world, along with some description of His purpose.

Why did John, Jesus' cousin, (and the one that presided over the first public act of Jesus' ministry), when the time came to proclaim who Christ is, call Him "the Lamb of God"? Why not "King of Kings?" or "Son of God"?

I don't want to go over concepts that are already more than familiar to the reader. We know about lambs and sheep. We understand the significance in Hebrew culture. Go to maybe ten services in a row, at the same church, and you are almost certain to hear some reference to the Lamb of God, and of it's profound meaning.

My point today is that, as we move our study into the earliest time of Christ's ministry, let us be reminded that the title"Lamb of God" is a critical thing to keep at the front of our thoughts. When you look at Christ, don't ever stop seeing, along with the image of a lion, of a king, a healer, and a counselor, the image of a lamb. 

John was saying: "Here is Jesus. He will be slaughtered like a lamb is sacrificed in our temple. He will be brutally and bloodily executed. But the result will be the removal of all of our sins. Yes - - - that means that we will then be made eligible to live forever."

Always remember . . .