The Names Of Jesus - “The Lamb Of God”

The Names Of Jesus - “The Lamb Of God”

The first time Jesus is called the Lamb of God is when Jesus is on His way to be baptized by John the Baptist. The Apostle John relates that story:

John 1:29

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Can I make a confession to you? I have never been comfortable with the whole idea of animal sacrifices. It just never made any sense to me. Why in the world would God take a little baby lamb and ask His people to lay it on an altar and kill that animal?

I mean can you think of anything more helpless and cute than a baby lamb? There is a purity and an innocence to that little critter. It never did anything to me so why should it die on my behalf?

But, there, of course, is the answer. Think about this for a minute. What did our sin do to the rest of creation? I mean, we know what it did to us but what about the entirety of God’s creation? Romans gives us a clue.

Romans 8:20-22

For the creation was subjected to futility … in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption … for we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

We underestimate the impact of our sin. All of creation suffers because of us. All creation is out of order because of our rebellion. What the sacrifice of the lamb is about is this: our sin cost the life of that little innocent animal. Every time a baby lamb is led to the altar, you and I should be thinking, “That animal is going to die because of me.”

THAT is the cost of our sin. THAT is the consequence of our rebellion. It’s to reminder us that we are the cause of all suffering and pain from the biggest to the smallest of its creatures.

Now, picture that lamb on the cross. That image is intentional. Our sin brought death to all but the Lamb of God changed it all! Amen!!

1 Peter 1:18-19

“You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life … but with precious blo