The Lamb of God … what is it? Aren’t we all lambs? Lost & Found? Is the Lamb of God something special … something different than the rest of us? Is there something special about a lamb as far as God is concerned? I asked what is it, but what if it should be asked Who is it?

Lamb is a meat that some people eat. I am not a fan of it, but that doesn’t matter. Being a meat that some people eat means that lambs are slaughtered.

When Adam and Eve sinned they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. We say it was an apple, but the bible doesn’t say what kind of fruit it was. Having eaten the fruit of the forbidden tree their eyes were opened to things that were hidden from them before. For instance, they realized they were naked and so they tried to cover themselves up using leaves of a tree. When God came looking for them they hid themselves, but of course we can’t hide from God. He confronted Adam and seeing the leaves covering him God asked him what was going on. Adam answered Him and tried to deny what had happened. That, of course, would not work. God saw that the leaf covering they made was insufficient so God made them a much better covering … out of animal skin. Guess which animal God used? Yes, it was a lamb.

That is important. The lamb used was innocent. It had not done anything wrong, but it had to shed its innocent blood to cover Adam and Eve’s sin. As time went along God was dealing with Israel and Egypt. He told the Jewish people that they would be leaving Egypt for their Promised Land (Israel), but before that He was dealing with the hard hardheartedness of Egypt’s ruler, the Pharaoh, who was refusing to allow the Jews to leave. He was told to let them go and if he didn’t the first born child of each home would die. This would happen by sending a death angel thru the land and visit each home. God instructed the Jews to take a hyssop branch and dip it in the blood of the a lamb and smear it on the doorposts … on the sides and above the door. Then when the death angel passed by he would see the blood applied to the doorposts and “pass over” that home.

As time passed by God started the practice of animal sacrifice in the Jewish religion. The innocent blood of animals were used to satisfy God in the forgiveness of their sin. It was shed and placed on an altar in their religious ceremonies by the high priest. God told them that this would only be a temporary thing as He had another plan … to provide His perfect sacrificial Lamb to shed His blood once and for all time … eliminating the need for the ongoing animal sacrifices. In time God carried out His plan, but the Jews missed it. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching he said “Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world”. They didn’t understand when the Lamb of God was among them. They were looking for their Messiah Who they thought would deliver them from captivity. They rejected Him and even went so far as having Him executed as He upset their religious apple cart. It didn’t change God’s plan. In fact, it fulfilled it.

When God instructed Abraham to take His son, Isaac with him up to the place where God instructed him to go to perform a sacrificial offering unto God on an alter he was instructed to build he obeyed in faith. Isaac asked his father Abraham, where the animal sacrifice was as they had everything else needed. Of course, Abraham knew that his son was to be that sacrifice, but his answer to his son was “God will supply the lamb”. And as Isaac was placed on the altar and the knife was raised God stopped him as God was simply testing him to see if he would obey. A ram was caught in a nearby bush and it was the lamb God provided. Yes, it has always been innocent blood needed for the forgiveness of sin.

Those who have had the blood applied to their lives have been forgiven and have eternal life with God. Those who have not had the blood applied are unforgiven and as a result on their way to hell.

The Jews meanwhile who reject God’s Lamb find themselves still subject to their religion which requires an ongoing animal sacrifice on an altar conducted by a high priest in the Jewish temple. They have a problem … they haven’t had a temple for hundreds of years and these animal sacrifices haven’t taken place since their last temple was destroyed. Yes, this is a concern to them … a huge concern. They are gearing up to build a new temple and restart the animal sacrifices.

I am pleased to be able to say that such animal sacrifices are not needed since God provided the sacrificial Lamb some 2000 years ago. The idea of frequently providing my own lamb … one of perfection … without any blemishes to be slain by a high priest to atone for my sin does not sound like something I would like to do. I love God’s perfect unblemished Lamb slain once and for all to provide permanent forgiveness of sin.

Are you washed in the blood, the shed blood of the Lamb of God? O the Blood of Jesus, it washes as white as snow.

One man talking to anther man (a late comer) about what is happening here in this picture above.