The Lamb
The shepherd leading his flock across the Judean hills,
calling each sheep by name, and leading them to good pastures and fresh streams,
even placing himself between the flock and lurking dangers -- whether from man
or beast... all this, as we have seen, is a lovely series of pictures of
redemption.
But as we observe in our mind's eyes this idyllic scene, the
pictures of redemption are by no means exhausted by contemplating the work of
the shepherd. There is also... the lamb!
From the very beginning the lamb was a symbol of man's hope
and God's salvation, of forgiveness of sins, and the covering of nakedness, and
the restitution of fellowship with God. It must be so, for in the Book of
Revelation Jesus is referred to as "the Lamb that was slain from the foundation
(or the creation) of the world" (Rev 13:8). This suggests that Jesus and his
redemptive work were to be seen, typically, in the very earliest chapters of
Genesis. The slain lamb is found, for the first time of which we may be certain,
in the life of Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep who offered to the LORD the
acceptable sacrifice from among the firstlings of his flock (Gen 4:4). A slain
lamb may also be inferred, even earlier, in the garments of skin with which the
angels clothed Adam and Eve, after their initial sin in the garden (Gen
3:21).
The lamb was also the offering of choice in various Mosaic
ordinances, but most notably in the Passover:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt
saying, 'This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the
first month of the year to you. Speak unto all the congregation of Israel,
saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb,
according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house. And if the
household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his
house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his
eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a
male of the first year...' " (Exo 12:1-5).
The KJV translation offers a compelling progression of thought
in these last three verses:
- Verse 3: 'You shall take... A lamb!'
- Verse 4: 'And if the household be
too little for... THE lamb...'
- Verse 5: 'YOUR lamb shall be without
blemish..."
For this was just how the preparation of the meal was supposed
to work: first of all, the Israelite was to take... A lamb, any lamb, out of his
flock -- of course, it must be of the first year, and without outward blemish...
but, apparently, any lamb meeting these qualifications would suffice.
Then, secondly, it becomes... THE lamb, special now because it
has been set aside, and consecrated for this special purpose. In fact, as Exo 12
goes on to explain, the lamb was to be kept close at hand, and inspected, and
watched carefully from the tenth day (v 3) to the fourteenth day (v 6), to make
sure that it was in fact healthy and without blemish.
But more than this, by virtue of its being chosen and set
aside, and its being certified as "perfect", and its close association with the
household, almost as a "pet", for these four days, THE lamb has now become
something greater still; it has become... "YOUR lamb". It is not only chosen and
unique -- God tells Israel -- but now it also belongs to YOU!
Understandably, it would be with some sadness, and some
feeling of loss, that the family would slay its own special -- perhaps even
cherished and loved -- lamb. But this sense of loss, and pain would only
heighten the emotions at this time of Passover deliverance -- for it was
something that was close to them, virtually a part of the family, whose death
was essential to the salvation of the family. Only those families which remained
in houses whose doorposts and lintels were sprinkled with the blood of their
special lamb -- only they would escape the visitation of the dreaded Angel of
Death!
And this lamb, innocent and blameless, without defect or
imperfection, was Jesus. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and
said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!' " (John
1:29; cp v 36). "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed... for us!"
(1Co 5:7).
And so Jesus saw himself when, at Passover time, he brought
his disciples into the upper room in Jerusalem, and took bread and gave thanks
for it, and broke it, and passed it to each one of them. "This is my body, given
for you!" There was no passover lamb at this special feast instituted by our
Lord; for it was just then the day of preparation, on which the lambs were yet
to be offered. But how providential: for in the believers' true "passover meal"
there need be no other lamb than Jesus -- he was (and is still) the lamb! In
partaking of the unleavened bread, they were, symbolically, eating of Jesus the
passover lamb. In giving heed to his words of love and encouragement and hope,
they were, symbolically, sprinkling his blood on the doorposts of their hearts
(cp Heb 9:13,14; 10:22; 12:24). And, because they were "in him", the angel of
death would pass them by!
In what way was Jesus the lamb? Well, in his death, of course,
for he WAS the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8) -- it was
in God's eternal plan that he lay down his life for the world, just as he did.
But more than this, Jesus was the lamb of God in that he was
harmless and blameless, sinless and pure (cp Heb 7:26), the perfect expression
of the Father's will. When Peter sets out to describe the character of the man
whom he loved and followed, he uses the language of Isa 53 (that monumental
prophecy of the man who becomes a lamb!): "He committed no sin, and no deceit
was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not
retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats" (1Pe 2:22,23, citing Isa 53:9).
"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his
mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" (Isa 53:7).
Likewise, the Ethiopian eunuch was brought to baptism by a
contemplation of Isa 53: "The eunuch asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, who is the
prophet talking about, himself or someone else?' Then Philip began with that
very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts
8:34,35).
The lamblike character of this perfect man was manifested in
two ways:
- his absolute refusal to fight back or in any way resist the evil that
ultimately took his life, and
- his utter dependence upon his heavenly
Father. In these ways, he was like the prototypical lamb: not resisting his
enemies, but relying totally on his shepherd: in this case, the Shepherd of
Israel -- his Father, Yahweh.
Such was the character of the lamb, in Bible figure, and such
was the character of the Son, writ large across his whole life: "Can any of you
prove me guilty of sin?" (John 8:46), he asked. From any other man whatsoever,
such a question might elicit raucous laughter. From him, such a question could
have had only one answer: "No one ever spoke..." -- or thought, or acted, or
lived -- "...like this man" (John 7:46). And all his life, and all his
character, and all his actions, made him the "lamb of God" before ever he
approached the cross.
But in his death on that cross, he fulfilled all the picture
of redemption that the Lamb was in the mind of God -- for then and there he
became the lamb slain, the token and seal of God's salvation promises to man, as
well as the covenant-victim and the memorial meal of that covenant.
In Rev 5 there is a scene in heaven, before the throne of
Almighty God. A scroll which is sealed -- wherein is contained the future, and
the keys to the kingdom, and the book of life, so to speak -- cannot be opened
by any man or angel or any other creature. And John, seeing this in vision,
weeps, because there could be found no one to open the great scroll. However, he
is reassured: "The Lion of the tribe of Judah... has triumphed. He is able to
open the scroll" (Rev 5:5).
Now comes one of those little twists that wonderfully
characterize the Bible, for the great conquering Lion of Judah -- announced by
the angel -- now comes forward to open the scroll. But he doesn't appear as a
"lion" -- not at all! Instead, John sees him as "a Lamb, looking as if it had
been slain" (v 6).
Thus we are reminded that it was as the lamb to slaughter led,
bruised and suffering and dying, and finally dead, that Jesus became the great
conqueror! He stooped to conquer. He humbled himself to be exalted. He emptied
himself before he could be filled. He knelt to wash the disciples' feet before
he sat as host at the table. He wore without complaint the crown of thorns
before he ever thought to wear the crown of gold. He laid down his life, in
abject and total self-denial, before he ever donned the mantle of victor and
lord and king. The secret strength of the Lion is, ever and always, that he is
first and foremost the Lamb of God!
"Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in white robes -- who
are they, and where did they come from?' I answered, 'Sir, you know.' And he
said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they
are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he
who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they
hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any
scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear
from their eyes' " (Rev 7:13-17).
Like newly-washed sheep, bright and lively and clean and
contented, the flock of Christ follow their Shepherd through great tribulation
-- walking through the valley of the shadow of death without fear, for he is
with them, and his rod and staff protect them. And at last they graze in wide
and fertile meadows, and drink from sparkling clear waters, before the throne of
God. They have walked behind and with the Shepherd who became a Lamb, and the
Lamb who became a Shepherd again. He is one of them, but he is so much more: he
is protector and physician, provider and companion and dearest friend -- in him
they live and have their very being.
And because of him, and through him -- and despite themselves
-- they who are his flock have become so much more than could ever be imagined.
And they will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
