![]() He expected that the Lamb of God would come and drive the Romans out, just as everybody else did. The problem was that he had his own expectations. This question indicates that John had not fully understood the identity of Jesus, despite his dramatic testimony to Jesus' identity. John the Baptist, who here said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" later was thrown into prison and sent messengers to Jesus, asking, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (Luke 7:20). The words of John the Baptist were informed by his knowledge of the Old Testament, the sacred Scriptures of the Jews at the time of Christ.ĭespite the abundant use of significant titles for Jesus in the first chapter of John-"Lamb of God," "Son of God," "Messiah," "Son of Man," and so forth-I don't believe that John the Baptist, Andrew, Nathanael, or any of the disciples had a comprehensive understanding of the meaning of these titles. Given this imagery in Genesis 22, Exodus 12, and other passages throughout the Old Testament, it's foolish to say that the title "Lamb of God" is an invention of the apostle John. ![]() ![]() Just as the blood of those lambs caused the people of Israel to be spared from God's wrath, the Lamb of God redeemed His people from the penalty that was due for their sin. God promised to pass over all the houses where He saw the blood of the lambs on the doorposts (Ex. When God prepared to bring His final plague on the Egyptians, the death of every firstborn male of the Egyptians, including the crown prince of the Pharaoh, He instructed His people Israel to slay lambs without blemish and to spread the blood on their doorposts. Likewise, the Lamb of God is certainly prefigured in the Passover. God pours out His wrath on account of our sin onto Jesus instead of us. God, then, provides a Lamb of His own and accepts the life of that substitute. Jesus acts as our substitute, and God pours out His wrath on account of our sin onto Him instead of us. Nevertheless, it was a substitutionary sacrifice, and that is the idea that underlies the atonement of Christ. Of course, it is never stated in Genesis 22 that the ram Abraham caught and offered in the place of Isaac was an expiatory sacrifice. God provided a lamb as a sacrificial substitute for Abraham's son. Then there was a ruckus behind Abraham, and he turned to see a ram that was caught in the thicket by its horns. Abraham, in obedience to God, was prepared to do just that, but at the last possible moment, after Abraham had tied Isaac to the altar and was preparing to plunge the knife into his heart, God stopped him, saying, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me" (v. It can be traced all the way back to Genesis 22, when God called Abraham to go to Mount Moriah and offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. ![]() This idea of the Lamb of God is a strand that runs throughout the history of redemption. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |