Jesus: The Lamb of God
God had a big, important rescue plan for His people, and this plan involved a lamb. That's what we're going to explore today when we hear John the Baptist point to Jesus and declare, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" What did he mean by that, and why is it so powerful?
The Old Story: The First Passover Lamb
To understand John the Baptist's words, we need to go back in time, way before Jesus, to the story of the Passover from the Old Testament. God's chosen people, the Israelites, were slaves in Egypt, suffering greatly. God sent many signs to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let His people go, but Pharaoh refused.
Finally, God told Moses that He would send one last, terrible plague: the death of the firstborn son in every Egyptian home. But God also gave the Israelites very specific instructions to protect them:
Each family was to choose a perfect, unblemished (no flaws) male lamb, one year old.
They were to sacrifice this lamb and put some of its blood on the doorposts and lintel (the top part of the doorframe) of their houses.
Then, they were to eat the roasted lamb together as a special meal.
God promised that when the angel of death saw the blood on the doorposts, it would "pass over" that house, and their firstborn would be saved. This act of faith and obedience saved them
The Passover was a pivotal moment: the lamb's blood protected them from death, and eating the lamb was a sign of their freedom and new life with God. From that day on, God commanded the Israelites to celebrate the Passover feast every year to remember how He saved them from slavery and brought them to freedom. It was all about salvation through a lamb.
Israelites Celebrate the Passover
Each year afterwards, the Jewish people would remember and celebrate the Passover. Over time it developed into a ritual practiced at the Temple in Jerusalem.
The ritual of sacrificing the Passover lamb took place on the 14th day of the Jewish month Nisan, in the late afternoon.
The Location and Timing: The sacrifice was mandatory to be performed at the Temple in Jerusalem. It was done in the Temple courtyard, typically starting after the daily burnt offering (Tamid) around 3:00 PM(the ninth hour of the day).
The Blood Rite: This was strictly the duty of the Priests
Priests caught the blood in gold or silver basins.
The basins were passed down a line of priests until the last one tossed the blood against the base of the altar.
Preparation: The animal was then hung, skinned, and the fat portions were removed and burned on the altar. The rest of the lamb was taken back to the family's house or rented room in Jerusalem to be roasted whole and eaten that evening as the Passover Seder meal with unleavened bread (matzah) and bitter herbs.
Specific Rules: The ritual demanded that no bones of the lamb be broken (Exodus 12:46) and that the entire roasted lamb be consumed that same night.
The New Story: Jesus, the Lamb of God
Now, fast forward over a thousand years. John the Baptist, a prophet chosen by God, sees Jesus walking by. He points to Him and declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" This wasn't a random statement; it was a huge, deep message that would have immediately made Jewish people think of the Passover Lamb.
Just as the first Passover Lamb saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and from physical death, Jesus, the "Lamb of God," came to save all of humanity from a much greater slavery: slavery to sin and spiritual death.
Jesus gives us His very Body and Blood in the Eucharist (Holy Communion). When we receive the Eucharist, we are truly eating the "Lamb of God," allowing us to share in His sacrifice and His new life, just like sharing in the Passover meal.