Lamb of God
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The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ -John 1:35
Covid kept me from getting out my Christmas tree decorations this year. A box of candy canes did the whole job. But usually, one of my favorite ornaments is a tiny wooly sheep with thin wooden legs that I call the lamb of God. It always goes on one of the top branches. (the picture above is not of my own lamb. Mine is still buried in some Christmas box, hopefully awaiting next year.) Putting the lamb of God onto the tree makes the tree feel complete for me - even more than putting the angel on top does.
What did John the Baptist mean by calling Jesus the Lamb of God? It’s a strange phrase, that hearkens back to the time of animal sacrifices in the temple. Lambs were sacrificed to God on the altar for the appeasement of sins. It also brings to mind the Passover, when families were told to slaughter a lamb and put its blood over their doorframe so God would know to pass over their households during the worst plague of Egypt. Lamb has always been a traditional dish at Easter and remains so to this day. We sacrifice a lamb (or, go to the grocery store and buy some…) and eat it together to remember Christ’s death and resurrection. So wrapped into this imagery of Jesus being a Lamb of God are notes of sacrifice, protection, nourishment and even resurrection, just to name a few.
The more you think about the name, “Lamb of God,” the more references to Biblical phrases and layers of meaning you can discover in it. And even though John the Baptist used that title for Jesus way back at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, it has been used has been remembered for many centuries. I think this is because it has a way of bringing up so many potent references and images with just three little words.
If you were one of John’s disciples, and heard him repeatedly point out certain man and call him the Lamb of God, what would that name conjure up in you? Would a certain image come right to your mind? Would that strange name make you curious to know more, as the disciples back then were?
