This lovely name with all its accompanying glories has been called the “Master Theme of the Bible” for it fills the Scriptures with the wonder of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Interestingly, it’s only John who records the name in his Gospel and in the book of Revelation, but the backdrop of the truth of the Lamb is traced from the opening chapters of Genesis in its progressive development.
The Question of the Ages
Genesis 22 and the “Drama on the Mount” underlines for us the great question of the ages. As Abraham and his son Isaac moved up the mountainside, Isaac suddenly realized that the vital and necessary object for sacrifice was missing: “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (v7).1 His question is a reminder of the necessity of the lamb. It’s the same truth that Abel faced as he and his brother Cain themselves approached God by way of sacrifice. Abel understood that the lamb was an indispensable necessity and so he brought the “firstborn of his flock” as his offering, and he was accepted, teaching us that the first biblical truth of the lamb is its “necessity.” No lamb, no acceptance.
But Genesis 22 gives us the eternal answer to Isaac’s question as Abraham responds, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (v8) – and in that singular response, the provision of the lamb is revealed. It’s not hard to appreciate that it all foreshadowed the ultimate gift when the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world (1Jn 4:14) as the “provided lamb.” Abraham called the name of the place “Jehovah Jireh” – “God will provide” – for salvation comes only on the basis of what God Himself has given.
The Passover scene in Exodus 12 gives us a further truth, for the emphasis is now on the slaying of the lamb. Each household was to select and examine their lamb and then kill it on the 14th day and apply the blood to the doorpost of the house. The lamb was to be without blemish, but that by itself could not bring deliverance. It was only when the lamb was slain and the blood applied that there would be protection from the coming judgement. God had solemnly stated, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (v13), and, wonderfully, it was all a picture of the “smiting of the Lamb” at Calvary when “Christ died for our sins.”
Isaiah 53 is a chapter of revelation; for the first time in Scripture, we’re made aware that the lamb who would die is not an animal but a Person. His name is not given but it’s now obvious that Isaiah was speaking about an individual who would be “wounded for our transgressions … bruised for our iniquities” (v5). He must have wondered at the far-reaching realities of the sufferings of this Person who would be led “as a lamb to the slaughter” (v7).
The Wonderful Declaration
John 1:29 stands as the focal point of the Scriptures, for John the Baptist’s declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” identifies the Lamb as Jesus Christ Himself. What a moment for John – and what a moment for the world! All the earlier pictures were now seen in a Man who had come into the world to deal with our greatest problem. Israel was looking for a military deliverer, but the problem was greater than political bondage. We needed a “sin-bearer,” and so God sent His Son as the Lamb of God. The lovely features of the Lamb are worth noting.
His Character
Lambs are non-aggressive with no sharp claws or fangs. In like manner, our Lord came not to condemn the world but to save it (Joh 3:17). He was “moved with compassion” as He saw people wandering as “sheep without a shepherd.” He graciously invited people to take His yoke upon them for He is meek and lowly in heart (Mat 11:29).
His Submission and Suffering
Isaiah’s record focuses on the ultimate truth concerning the Lamb for it involved an altar, death, and the shedding of blood. There is nothing humanly beautiful about Calvary, for He was “brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth” (53:7). The “slaughter” was real – painful, vicious, brutal, hateful – but quietly, the Lamb endured all with silence and submission.
His Death and Payment
John’s declaration revealed the supreme feature of His coming, that He would “take [bear] away the sin of the world.” At Calvary, in the darkness and depths of those awful hours, He “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb 9:26). He died as our substitute, as the guilt-bearer, as the Lamb who willingly shed His blood as the payment for our sins. We will never know or fathom the cost involved when a righteous God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” but thankfully His atoning sacrifice has satisfied every claim that God had against us.
His Exclusive Claim
In the midst of thousands of lambs down through the centuries, our Lord Jesus Christ stands alone as “the Lamb of God.” His mighty miracles, gracious words, mighty claims, omniscience and sinless purity all bear witness to His unsurpassed greatness.
His Eternal Acclamation
Remarkably, it’s in the book of Revelation that the title “the Lamb of God” appears at least 26 times (as opposed to only two times in John’s Gospel – 1:29,36). There is good reason for this. “As the Lamb, Christ was the rejected One, slain in unresisting meekness. Therefore, it is as the Lamb that He will be invested with universal rule, will know the joy of His marriage feast, will triumph over all His foes and will reign forever and ever. Men despised the beauty of His character; they must learn God’s appreciation of it.”2
In Revelation 5, John sees the Lamb in the midst of the Throne and the only one found worthy to open the book. He is the focus of eternal worship as heaven’s multitudes begin to sing, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (v12). By Revelation 21 and 22, the Lamb is seen in His eternal glory. There’s a new heaven and a new earth, and the center of everything is the Throne of God and of the Lamb, for worship and service will be ascribed to Him forever. It’s no wonder that we love to sing, “The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel’s land.”
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
2 H.C. Hewlett, The Glories of Our Lord (Kilmarnock: John Ritchie Limited, 1994), 129.
