What Does It Mean That Jesus Is the Lamb of God?
By Frederick Spieker ·
When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he did not introduce Him as a teacher or a reformer. He said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). That single title gathers up the entire story of Scripture.
Every lamb was pointing somewhere
The lamb Abel offered in faith. The ram God provided for Abraham on the mountain. The Passover lamb whose blood marked the doorposts. The lamb led silently to slaughter in Isaiah 53. Every one of them was pointing forward. John is saying: here is where they were all leading.
Jesus does not offer sacrifice; He is the sacrifice
Under the old system, priests offered sacrifices again and again. Jesus is different. He does not bring an offering; He is the offering. "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed" (1 Corinthians 5:7).
God does not demand what He will not give
The title also reveals the heart of God. He does not demand a sacrifice He is unwilling to become. The One who designed the pattern walks it first, all the way to the end, voluntarily, for the sake of the sheep.
The Lamb who is also the Lion
In Revelation, John looks to see the Lion of Judah and instead sees "a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain" (Revelation 5:6). Real authority, it turns out, comes through surrender. The Lamb reigns because the Lamb was slain.