The Lamb of God: Jesus Christ
When John the Baptist stepped forward in John 1:29 and introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God, he did so as the final Old Testament prophet, the son of a priest, and as the chosen forerunner of Christ. He identified Jesus as the Passover Lamb of God, how powerful, complete and transforming is that truth. Think of the dramatic sequence God had planned just on the day of Christ's crucifixion. On the day Christ died on the Cross - for our sins, it was the fourteenth day of Abib, A.D. 33.
At the third hour (9:00 AM), Israel's high priest tied the Passover lamb to the altar for sacrifice. At that exact moment outside the city walls of Jerusalem, Jesus, the Lamb of God, was nailed to the cross.
For six hours both the Passover lamb and Jesus the Lamb of God, awaited death. Finally, at the ninth hour (3:00 PM), the high priest ascended the altar in the temple and sacrificed the Passover lamb.
At that exact moment from the Cross Christ's words thundered out over the city of Jerusalem, "It is finished!"
On Calvary's stark mountain, God the Father, the final High Priest of all creation, placed His holy hand on the head of His only begotten Son, allowing the total sin of the world to descend upon Jesus. Barely able to lift His blood-spattered face toward heaven, Jesus shouted in triumph, "It is finished!" (John 19:30).
Jesus as the Lamb of God summarizes God's Word completely. It is the greatest summary of Who Christ WAS, What HE DID, and how we participate.
Taken from "Jesus is the Lamb of God" by Discover the Book Ministries (used by permission).
Jesus and the Passover Lamb: Biblical Connection
When God gave Moses and Aaron the rules for the Passover, some might have sounded unconventional—for example, the clear prohibition against breaking any bones of the lamb that was sacrificed and eaten by each household. Why did God insist on this?
This command—that the Passover lamb not have its legs broken—carries symbolic weight. When Jesus, whom John the Baptist proclaimed to be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), was crucified, not one of his bones was broken. John 19:31-34 tells us that when the soldiers came to Jesus to break his legs to hasten his death, they found that he was already dead, so they pierced his side with a spear but did not break his legs.
As John testifies, “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken’” (John 19:36). The Exodus 12:46rule is also echoed prophetically in Psalms 34:20: “He protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” To the last detail of his death, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah, verifying that he was, as John the Baptist claimed, the sacrificial Lamb of God.
This excerpt is from the NIV Case for Christ Study Bible by Zondervan. Used with permission.
Origin of Passover Lambs to Jesus Christ
Did you know that for centuries Passover lambs were raised in Bethlehem? In those shepherds' fields outside Bethlehem, a very special breed of sacrificial lamb was raised and nurtured to be brought to Jerusalem at Passover to be slaughtered to cover the people's sins. How fitting that Mary's Lamb, God's perfect Lamb, the Lord Jesus, would be born there! And He was born in a stable. How fitting that a sacrificial Lamb would be born in a stable! This Lamb came to be the final Passover lamb, the one sacrificed for sin forever. Your destiny, my destiny, the destiny of the world was wrapped up in Mary's little Lamb.
He did not have His beginning that night in Bethlehem, however. Mary's Lamb is the Lord of heaven, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), prophesied centuries before His birth.
In Exodus God said, "Take the lamb's blood and put it on the doorposts and lentil of the house. My angel of judgment is coming through the land of Egypt, but when I see the blood, I will pass over you." Now, they could have put a perfect living lamb outside that door, but it would have done no good. Salvation does not come from the life of Christ but from the death of Christ. Salvation is not learning lessons from the life of Christ, but receiving life from the death of Christ. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you," for the Bible says, "without shedding of blood, there is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22)
What a wonderful Savior we have in Mary's Lamb, the Son of God born that first Christmas night!
Jesus came as He did, born of a virgin, to be what He was, sinless. He was what He was, sinless, to do what He did, die for our sins. And He died for our sins so that He, being what He was, might make us what we were not: children of God! He was a special Lamb, a slain Lamb, a saving Lamb, "...Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Taken from "Mary's Little Lamb" by Love Worth Finding Ministries (used by permission).
