WATCHWORD:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin!” John 1:29
He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. Isaiah 53:7
I looked and saw a Lamb standing there before the twenty-four Elders, in front of the throne and the Living Beings, and on the Lamb were wounds that once had caused his death. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God, sent out into every part of the world. Revelation 5:6
and cried to the mountains to crush them. “Fall on us,” they pleaded, “and hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb. Revelation 6:16
Meditation:
Lamb of God
Let your imagination play on this thought: You hear a knock on your front door, when you answer there stands a man. An ordinary man, dressed in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. He smiles. You say to him, “How can I help you?” He answers, “I am the Lord and I desire a conversation with you. May I come in?”
What would you think? What would you say? What is your immediate impulse? There is nothing about him that tells you, “I am God”? He seems friendly enough. What would you do? I think I would say, What?, with my mouth agape? Would you stammer a “Come in, Lord”?
When Jesus walked this earth, people didn’t recognize. They were expecting the Messiah as a powerful lion, bringing judgment on their enemies. They had forgotten the prophecy of Jesus coming as a lamb.
John repeatedly refers to Jesus as the Lamb. Even to the point in Revelation where Jesus appears as a lamb bearing the wounds of our transgressions, wounds that caused his death. Charles Spurgeon said, “it was as a lamb that Jesus fought and conquered and it is as a lamb that will He will appear in paradise.”
I have a certain picture of lambs as a result of my time volunteering at Heifer International Ranch and Learning Center in Arkansas. My impression is that lambs are very dependent, friendly, and they’re attracted to calmness and affectionate touches. They are soft and non-threatening. They are social and despite what you might think, they communicate with one another and if you are with them long enough you would understand.
Jesus appearing as a lamb may seem a picture of weakness. But suddenly, in Revelation, men are hiding themselves from the “anger of the Lamb.” As Randy Alcorn reminds us, “The magnificent Lamb of God is also the powerful Lion of Judah.”
Steven Lawson makes this statement: Is the solution to the world’s problems? A lowly lamb? Precisely. Jesus Christ. The Lion-Lamb. What a combination of meekness and majesty!
To complete this imaginary encounter, the Stranger is now sitting there on the couch with you, hands folded peacefully in His lap — the Lamb of God, the God-Man, the King of the Universe, who knocked on your door. With faith, you bid Him “come in and let me be with You.”
Meditate on this: What would you say? Could you even speak? The sacred possibilities are endless.
I Can Only Imagine
I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk, by your side.
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When your face is before me.
I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You, Jesus, Or in awe of you be still?
Will I stand in your presence
Or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine
I can only imagine
when that day comes,
When I find myself standing in the Son.
I can only imagine when all I would do is forever
Forever worship You.
I can only imagine.
Closing Prayers:
In one form or another, the Agnus Dei has been part of the Western Rite since the seventh century. It is a prayer-chant:
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,
grant us peace.
Father, I thank You for the spotless Lamb of God who is without blemish or defect. It is I who deserved to die for my sins were many, but Jesus, Your Son, died in my place. You have washed me with Your sinless blood and now I am whiter than snow, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Keep us faithful and ever grateful for the blessing of having our sins forgiven. In Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
