Monday • April 30
The Lamb of God
Read John 1: 1:29, Revelation 5:12, 13:8.
1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
What is the one image that these texts have in common, and what is the importance of that image in helping us to understand the plan of salvation?
It is the suffering and death of Christ that when we behold, we shall be transformed into His image (character). In order to have our sin removed, we must trust Jesus with the whole heart. This can only happen when we know Jesus intimately. We must yield to the Spirit when it is pointing us to look upon Christ uplifted upon the cross. Jesus was the Lamb which was slain to take away our sins. It is be beholding His stripes which were ours that He gladly took that we might live. This is grace, the grace that saves.
When John the Baptist called Jesus the “Lamb of God”, he was making an unmistakable reference to the sanctuary. Even more directly, he was making a reference to Christ’s death for sin as the one and only fulfillment of all the lambs (and every other sacrificial animal in the Hebrew sanctuary ritual) that had ever been slain as a sacrifice for sin. Indeed, the four Gospels, whatever else they teach, ultimately tell the story of what Jesus did in His role as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
But the story of Jesus and His work for our salvation does not end in the Gospels, even with His death and resurrection.
From the beginning, the book of Hebrews touches on the theme of Christ as the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary after His work as the sacrificial Lamb. From the first mention of Him in this role after the cross (Heb. 1:3), succeeding chapters in the book make reference to Jesus as High Priest. The depiction of His work in the heavenly sanctuary is fully developed in detail in Hebrews 7:1-28.
Amen. And, from Genesis to Revelation we are being pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Abel understood, David knew, and Daniel tells us that Jesus entered the Most Holy Place in heaven to begin the judgment of all who professed to love God.
Read Hebrews 7:1-28.
7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
7:4 Now consider how great this man [was], unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he [receiveth them], of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
7:10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
7:11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need [was there] that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
7:12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
7:13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
7:14 For [it is] evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
7:15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,
7:16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
7:17 For he testifieth, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
7:19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
7:20 And inasmuch as not without an oath [he was made priest]:
7:21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)
7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
7:23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:
7:24 But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
7:26 For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
7:28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
What is the author saying here about Jesus?
That He is our High Priest who makes intercession for us so that we can be saved. He is the Son of God without beginning and without end.
Though these verses are so deep, so rich, the essence of what they are saying is that Jesus Christ has a better priesthood than did the priests from the line of Aaron in the earthly sanctuary service. But now, instead of an earthly priesthood in an earthly sanctuary, we have a heavenly High Priest ministering for us in the sanctuary in heaven. So, when we focus our eyes on Jesus now, we can focus them on Him as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
Amen. And if we will learn of what He is doing in the heavenly Sanctuary, we will benefit from His ministry. What is He doing today for us?