The Lamb, the Shepherd, and the Lion
“Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) What a strange thing for John the Baptist to say. He’s out in a wilderness area, baptizing people who said they wanted to TURN AWAY from their sin. One day when Jesus approached, John pointed his followers toward Jesus and told them that this was the one who would TAKE AWAY their sin. Why did John call Jesus a lamb?
We’ll start at Genesis chapter 22. God told Abraham to take
his son Isaac to a certain mountain and sacrifice him there. As Abraham and
Isaac traveled, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (verse
7). Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb.” If you’re not
familiar with the story, read Genesis chapter 22.
Now we’ll fast forward about 600 years to Exodus chapter 12.
The descendants of Abraham are in slavery in Egypt. God has promised to deliver
them. Nine plagues have already passed: water turned to blood, frogs, gnats,
flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness. Pharaoh has
refused to let the Israelites leave. God tells Moses of a 10th plague. About
midnight, an angel will go through the land of Egypt, killing the firstborn of
every family. This will include people and livestock. To save them from death,
the children of Israel are instructed to kill a one-year-old lamb that was
without defect. They are to spread the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and
across the top of the door frame. This will keep the angel of death from their
household. They are then to roast the lamb and eat it. The instructions are
very specific that they should eat the entire animal and leave none of it until
morning.
After this, Pharaoh sent the children of Israel away. God
instructed the Israelites to observe “The Passover” every year. On other
occasions, the descendants of Abraham were told to sacrifice lambs to pay for
the sins they had committed.
When Jesus came about fourteen hundred years later. He came
to be a permanent sacrifice for the sins of those who would accept his
sacrifice on their behalf. On our behalf. He came to be the lamb provided by
God as the sacrifice to save us from our sins. John 10:17-18 tells us that
Jesus said, “This is why the Father loves me, because I am laying down My life
so I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My
own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again:
I have received this command from My Father.” Jesus “volunteered” to be the
sacrificial lamb.
When sheep are in the field, they need a shepherd there that
can take care of them.
The shepherd provides for the needs of the sheep. In Psalm
23, David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me
lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.” He goes on to
say, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
The shepherd also protects the sheep from harm. Again in
Psalm 23, David tells us, “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no
danger, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff – they comfort me.” David
knew well about being a shepherd. In his younger years, David had been a
shepherd for his father. When David first met King Saul, they were discussing
the giant Goliath and David said he would fight the giant. King Saul wants to
know why he should trust David with this job. In 1 Samuel 17:34-36, “David
answered Saul, ‘Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a
lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it,
struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against
me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has
killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them,
for he has defied the armies of the living God.’”
Jesus told us that after he gave his life to be our lamb, he
would become our shepherd. John 10:11-15 tells us that Jesus said, “I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired
man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and
runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.
This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. I am
the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows
Me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.”
Peter tells us, “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary
the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone he can
devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Jesus (the Good Shepherd) places Himself between us (His
sheep) and Satan (a roaring lion). As our shepherd, He protects us. It’s
interesting that Peter describes Satan as “a roaring lion, looking for anyone
he can devour.” A lion on the prowl for food would normally be very quiet and
sneaky.
So first Jesus became our lamb, dying to save us from our
sins. Then, He became our shepherd to protect us from the attacks of Satan.
There is a beautiful passage in Isaiah 65 (verses 17-25),
where God says, “For I will create a new heaven and a new earth; the past
events will not be remembered or come to mind.” There’s more. Please go look it
up and read it. The passage concludes with this interesting verse, “The WOLF
and the LAMB will feed together, and the LION will eat straw like the ox, but
the serpent’s food will be dust!” (Emphasis mine.) Going back to the days of
the Garden of Eden, the serpent represents Satan.
The book of Revelation tells us of the vision of future
events that God gave to John. In Revelation 21:1, John tells us, “Then I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away, and the sea existed no longer.”
Earlier in the book, in Revelation 5:1-6, John relates this
event, “Then I saw in the right hand of the One seated on the throne a scroll
with writing on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. I also saw
a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll
and break its seals?’ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was
able to open the scroll or even look in it. Then one of the elders said to me,
‘Stop crying. Look! The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
been victorious so that He may open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw
one like a slaughtered lamb standing between the throne and the four living
creatures and among the elders.”
Jesus, the slaughtered lamb, is the Lion of Judah!
Jesus is our LAMB!
Jesus is our SHEPHERD!
Jesus is our LION!
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,
be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Timothy 1:17
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