Behold the Lamb of God

January 17, 1993

John 1:29-37

Advent and Christmas begin the Christian year. The time immediately after Christmas is a good time to recall the way in which the glory of our Savior was revealed to the world in the early days of His life and ministry.

The first unfolding or revealing to the world one might say began with the angels song and the worship of the shepherds, but is usually associated with the visit of the Wise Men, when they brought kingly gifts and acknowledged the Babe as their own king of kings.

The third event we associate with epiphany took place on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Peter, James and John were astounded by a glimpse of the sheer majesty and holy glory of their Master after His actual ministry had already begun in Galilee. We will look at that scripture, Lord willing, in four or five weeks.

The second of the epiphany events took place at the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and is what we focused on last Sunday morning. We continue to look at that event this morning in the word of our text: "Behold the Lamb of God!"

I. A SERVANT AND A LAMB

  1. Last Sunday's text, from Matthew and Isaiah 42, was "Behold My Servant!" Jesus' baptism marked the beginning of his public servant-hood. We marvel at the mission and the spirit of the Lord Jesus. To some extent we can understand the Suffering Servant. We appreciate the gentleness and the promise of justice. But now, from John's account of the Baptism, we hear a different metaphor to describe our Savior: "Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the SIN of the world!"
    1. This symbol, of a LAMB, does not "compute" with moderns; (1) we are removed from the rural scene; (2) we do not grasp the full scope of the need for atonement.
    2. But this same symbol connected very powerfully with those who heard the Baptist that day. And it would be well for us to ask God to help us "connect" as well, and help us He will!
  2. Why of all things, "a Lamb?"
    1. The little animal itself is a living symbol of innocence. Have you ever been privileged to watch a field of sheep in the spring time? The figure of a Lamb speaks of the innocence, the sinlessness of the Savior. Christ IS the Pattern for a new race.
    2. But these Hebrew people knew a much deeper, more poignant meaning to this word. For every Jew knew that a Lamb is the symbol of atonement, as well as the designated Passover sacrifice. To the devout Hebrew the Paschal Lamb was a physical reminder of the reality of sin and the terrible cost of guilt, but at the same time a symbol of salvation through sacrifice.

II. A LAMB AS BURDEN BEARER

"Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the SIN of the world!" Right HERE we have jumped into the heart of what real salvation is all about. Jesus came to DIE! All the gentleness and mercy and teaching and healing and Servant-hood are incomplete and unavailing unless Jesus, the Lamb of God, can take away our sin!

  1. A Lamb of God to take away sin is "unnecessary" according to what many otherwise intelligent people believe today. Sin is a "God-word" and God is the great Irrelevancy. "SIN" implies accountability or blame, and in our modern times no one really is to blame! We are a generation of victims! It isn't our fault!
  2. But the Bible is old-fashioned. It doesn't excuse lying and adultery and stealing and cheating. It calls gossip and back-biting and evil speaking and slander "sin!" And it says that the wages of sin is DEATH! People may say "I don't believe in a God that would send people to hell! I don't believe that is a sin!" But the strange thing is that God IS! He is NOT the God of our making. It is important that we believe in God, but His existence certainly does not depend on whether or not we think He is "this way" or "that."

    Whether or not we call it "sin," the fact remains that this world is under a sentence of death, because we all have sinned and have earned sin's wages!

  3. To speak about "sin" is somehow to be "out of touch with reality." We are not sinful, but rather poorly adjusted, or victims of abuse, or otherwise disadvantaged. There is no question that innocent people are victims, and that people need healing and help— the ministry of the Suffering Servant! "A bruised reed Her will not break..." But why is it that the most powerful weapon against many of the more flagrant evils of our day is still the atoning power of the Blood of the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world?

    A cultured, brilliant, ruthless lawyer rises to the
    highest circles of power in our nation and the world—
    willing as he put it to walk over his own mother if she
    got in the way— and he ends up in prison where he
    acknowledges that he is a sinner. He beholds the Lamb
    of God who takes away the sins of Charles Colson! And
    from that transforming touch perhaps more good is done
    for suffering prisoners than from any other movement of
    our century!

  4. The very idea of sacrifice, especially blood sacrifice, is somehow made to seem "abhorrent" to the modern mind. But we are out of touch with the way life really IS! And in the meantime the way life is lived out in the streets of our cities grows increasingly violent— and still we think that we are 'a sin-less society' — we are not to blame; we are victims— and yet there is no balm in Gilead to cure our wounds.
  5. God is NOT an angry God seeking reasons to destroy us. He is not the creation of ancient cultures. God is a load-lifter; the Psalmist says the Lord "daily bears our burdens;" Peter writes that you should "cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you."

    But we are not simply victims, helpless pawns, falling down into hell with no recourse, either. The heaviest load any man or woman knows is GUILT. We may not recognize it. If we do recognize it, however, we soon come to the realization that there is nothing we can do to expiate, expunge, erase, eradicate, remove it. We can cover it, or make excuses for it. But only a sinless Sacrifice can deal with it.

  6. God in His love has made us capable of reaching out for atonement from the guilt and power of our own evil nature and deeds! We are created in God's own image— and we are GOOD! But we are also testimony, each one of us, to the fact that God's image is marred.

    All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned
    every one to his/her own way. And the Lord has laid on
    HIM the iniquity of us all!

    We have been looking this morning into the very heart of what real salvation is all about. Jesus came to DIE! All the gentleness and mercy and love we need to make a part of our own servant-hood can never take place until we have beheld the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

III. A LAMB THAT IS ALSO A LION

This same apostle, John the Beloved, that wrote these words of the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God!" at the beginning of Jesus' ministry was the only one of the twelve apostles not to die a martyr's death. As an old man he was exiled for his faith in severe circumstances on an island, at least for a period of time, according to tradition. But while John was on the island of Patmos, he received a vision we call The Apocalypse, or The Revelation.

All Christians agree that John's Revelation is scripture, and that it has visions of conflict and ultimate victory of God and Christ over the forces of darkness and evil. Not too many of us agree on too many of those details— the book is like a surrealistic painting.

But two things or perhaps three are strikingly easy to understand in John's vision. I say "three" because Chapters Two and Three, the messages to the churches, are strikingly relevant and need to be read and heeded.

But the other two powerful facts from Revelation are these: First, in Chapter One, the lowly Nazarene, the Suffering Servant, the Lamb of God is revealed to John the Beloved in His full post- resurrection glory. There is no doubt that this is the Lord Jesus Christ, that John knew so well. But the glory is overwhelming! John falls at Jesus' feet like a dead man!

But the glorified Son of God puts his right hand on John and says, "Don't be afraid! I am Alpha and Omega!"

In other words, the epiphany of Jesus Christ is not over yet!

But the second is this: The chief figure or symbol of the conquering Christ throughout this last Book of the Bible is that of the Lamb! It is the Lamb that conquers evil!

The hymn of heaven is recorded in part in Revelation 5. Some of it goes like this:

And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the
throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number
of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,
saying with a loud voice:

Worthy is the LAMB that was slain to receive power
and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
blessing.

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and
under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard
saying, To him who sits on the throne, and to the LAMB, be
blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.

And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the
elders fell down and worshiped.