The Lamb – May 1, 2022

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain.”
Revelation 5:12

The Lamb

What comes to mind when you think of God? Perhaps words like “big,” “powerful,” maybe even “angry with me” come to mind. I doubt you would say “an animal.” But in the book of Revelation, Jesus is called “the Lamb.” And we’re told he was slain.

In the Old Testament, thousands upon thousands of lambs, goats, bulls, rams, and other animals were slain. Why? In directing his Old Testament people of Israel to bring animal sacrifices, God was teaching them that disobeying God is extremely serious. In his holiness, God’s justice demanded the thing of ultimate value: one’s soul for one’s sin.

But in his tremendous mercy, God provided substitutes. He allowed animals to be sacrificed in substitution for sinners. These animals pointed to Jesus, “the Lamb, who was slain,” in substitution for us. Jesus allowed his life to be taken in place of sinners’ lives so we could have a God who is not “angry with me” but a God who is at peace with us. The Bible says that “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Why would Jesus do that for us—give up his own life to save ours? The Bible says that Jesus could bear our sins more easily than he could bear the thought of our eternal hopelessness. He could endure the dishonor of being damned for sin if it meant we would not be.

It’s astounding that he would do that for us! This is why the Bible says, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive . . . honor and glory and praise . . . for ever and ever!”

Prayer:
Lamb of God, comfort my troubled conscience with the truth that you were slain to forgive all my sins. All glory and honor to you for dying in my place so I could live eternally! Amen.