Lamb that Was Slain

As we reflected in yesterday’s devotional, Jesus didn’t always meet the expectations of people. His ways were often counter-cultural and unpredictable.

When John called out “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) it was likely that many people around him wouldn’t have understood.

Remember, the Jews in that time were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their Messiah. They were expecting someone to swoop in with a triumphant entrance of might and power, someone to free them from the oppression of the Roman Empire.

Instead, here is John, announcing Jesus as the One who will “take away the sins of the world” and referring to Him as a lamb.

So why did John refer to Jesus as a lamb? And what are the characteristics of a lamb that line up with the Man of Sorrows?

In the Old Testament, a lamb was used as a sacrifice. It had to be spotless, pure and free of blemish. Jesus was perfectly pure and at the cross took humanity’s darkness and brokenness into Himself.

The prophet Isaiah prophesied the sacrifice Jesus would made on the cross when we wrote: “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).

Jesus willingly laid Himself down as a sacrifice, yet scripture describes what Jesus went through as he faced the agony of the cross. Although He was fully divine, He was also fully man, and there was part of Him that didn’t want to walk that narrow road. He begged God to take the cup of suffering away from Him (Matthew 26:39).

The cross was a choice. A painful choice. It cost Jesus everything.

Yet it also restored union for you and me.

It was a price Jesus was willing to pay because of the depth of His love.

Once you meet the kind of love that Jesus showed as He poured out His life on that cross, you’ll be marked forever. It’s a love that gives, not takes. A love that serves, not demands. A love that welcomes, not withholds.

His love is the antidote for all the brokenness in our world.

Reflection

How does the reality of Jesus willingly laying down His life for you make you feel?

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for the gift of the cross. Your sacrifice set us free from a life of separation and the only response left is gratitude. Help us to remember this truth every day and transform us more into your likeness so we will learn to love those around us with the kind of radical, self-giving love that you have shownto us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.