Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Tonight’s Study, Session 22: Lamb of God
Introduction: Most of us picture lambs as downy white animals frolicking in rolling green meadows or carried tenderly in the arms of their shepherd. Lambs represent gentleness, purity, and innocence. Though it is one of the most tender images of Christ in the New Testament, the phrase “Lamb of God” would have conjured far more disturbing pictures to those who heard John the Baptist hail Jesus with these words. Hadn’t many of them, at one time or another, carried one of their own lambs to the altar to be slaughtered as a sacrifice for their sins, a lamb that they had fed and bathed, the best animal in their small flock? Hadn’t the bloody sacrifice of an innocent animal provided a vivid image of the consequences of transgressing the Mosaic law? Surely, John must have shocked the listeners by applying the phrase “Lamb of God” to a living man. Jesus is the Lamb of God who voluntarily laid down His life to take in His own body the punishment for our sins and for the sins of the entire world.
The key Scripture verse where the name Lamb of God is found is John 1:29.
Scriptural Context Where the Name Lamb of God is Found
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.” And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
(John 1:29-36)
Understanding the Name
It is impossible to understand the title “Lamb of God” without understanding something about the practice of animal sacrifice in both Old and New Testaments. The sacrificial system provided a way for God’s people to approach Him even though they had violated the Mosaic law. When an animal was offered, its blood was shed, and its flesh was then burned on the altar. When the animal was completely consumed by the fire, the sacrifice was called a “holocaust.” When only part of the animal was burned, it was considered a “peace offering,” intended to restore communion with God. The animal being sacrificed was a symbolic representation of the people’s desire to offer their own lives to God.
To the Jews the lamb represented innocence and gentleness. Because the sacrifice was meant to represent the purity of intention of the person or people who offered it, lambs had to be without physical blemishes.
The New Testament uses two Greek words for Christ as “Lamb” or “Lamb of God”: Arnion (AR-nee-on) and Amnos tou Theou (am-NOS tou the -OU). The phrase “Lamb of God” is only in John’s gospel, though Jesus is often referred to as “the Lamb” in the book of Revelation, where he is portrayed as the Lamb who, though slain, yet lives and reigns victorious. The New Testament also refers to Christ’s followers as lambs (sheep).
Connecting To The Name
1.Biblical Context:
John the Baptist’s Testimony:
In John 1:29, 36, John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as the Lamb of God, highlighting His role as the ultimate sacrifice.
Old Testament Foreshadowing:
The Old Testament contains several foreshadowings of the Lamb of God, one such is the Passover lamb (Exodus 12). Exodus 12:11-13* is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Those for whom He died are covered by His blood, protecting us from the angel of (spiritual) death.
*Exodus 12:11-13: And thus, you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So, you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Revelation’s Depiction:
The Book of Revelation portrays Jesus as the Lamb, both slain and triumphant, emphasizing His authority and victory over sin and death.
2.Significance of the Title:
Sacrificial Substitute:
The Lamb of God title emphasizes Jesus as the perfect, sinless sacrifice who atones for the sins of humanity.
Redemption and Reconciliation:
Through Jesus’ sacrifice, believers are redeemed from sin and reconciled to God.
Innocence and Purity:
The image of the lamb also evokes themes of innocence, purity, and gentleness.
Worthiness and Power:
Revelation portrays the Lamb as worthy of all honor, glory, and power.
While the idea of a sacrificial system might seem strange to us today, the concept of payment or restitution is still one we can easily understand. We know the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and that sin separates us from God. Therefore, the only hope we can have is if God provides a way for us to be reconciled to Himself, that is what God did in sending His Son Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who would die for the sins of the world on the cross.
Conclusion: It is through Jesus’ death on the cross as God’s Lamb, the perfect sacrifice for sin and His resurrection three days later that we can now have eternal life if we believe in Him. The fact that God Himself has provided the offering that atones for sin is part of the glorious good news of the gospel that is clearly declared in 1 Peter 1:18-21: “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” Jesus was the last and only sacrificial lamb needed because He, being the Son of God is the perfect, sinless Lamb of God.
Next Week, Session 23: The Word