Mark began his sermon today by playing a word association game with us: he gave us the word ‘lamb’ and the associations were all to do with food! (Mint sauce… lamb chops… donner kebabs etc… It’s good to see what we’re all thinking about on a Sunday morning!)
More seriously, we looked at John 1:29 where John the Baptist declares ‘Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’ John the Baptist, who recognised Jesus even when still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:39-45), declared the real identity of Jesus to all who would listen, including the principalities and powers. In choosing to name Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’ – rather than focussing on any of His other qualities – John recognised the sacrificial nature of Jesus’s ministry and destiny. As Isaiah says, Jesus ‘was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.’ (Is 53:7) The lambs used in Old Testament sacrifices had to be perfect and spotless; so too Jesus was sinless and perfect, chosen by God to be the perfect sacrifice who once for all took away (removed totally) the sin of all the world. As a result of this, all our sins can be forgiven and we can have right standing before God; now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)
What a Ssviour!