“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29
Early one morning, before the sun had begun to rise and while the evening desert chill was still at its coldest, the elderly Abraham woke up from his sleep and began to prepare for the journey. He saddled up his donkey and loaded up everything he would need in the next several days. He brought with him two servants to help him along the way, and he brought his son.
Abraham didn’t know where exactly he was going and wasn’t sure how long it would take. But he knew why he was going – to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac as an offering to the Lord. Isaac, the only son of Abraham and Sarah, the offspring through whom Abraham was to be the Father of a great nation, was to be killed by hands of father at the command of his God.
After three days Abraham saw the place he knew God had led him to. He asked the servants to stay behind while he and his son went to worship the Lord. Abraham carried his knife and the flint, while Isaac was given the burden of carrying the wood that he was to be sacrificed on.
Isaac was familiar with sacrifice. He had probably gone with his father before and helped him lay stones for the altar, cut the wood for the burning, and he there was always an animal to be sacrificed. And he knew that the animal was the most important part because it was the shedding of blood that brought forgiveness for their sins.
But this time there was no animal with them to be sacrificed. Confused, Isaac looked to his father and said, “My father! Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” And the bewildered and weary Abraham responded, “God will provide for himself the lamb.”
Today we are able to read that God did provide the Lamb. For Isaac, it was the ram caught in the thicket. For us today, it is Jesus Christ, God’s own Son. We read in the first chapter of John that when John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching he prophetically said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus is the one that God has provided so that we don’t have to face eternal death.
My prayer in this season is that we would look to the Lamb; that we would think about the Lamb and the shedding of His blood for our sins. I pray that we would worship the Lamb, even as they do in the book of Revelation, ascribing to Him all the power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing that are due Him. Worthy is the Lamb!
I hope you will join us for our Good Friday service this evening at 6:30. Together we will remember He who was led to the slaughter for our sins, and celebrate new life that is found in Him.
Scripture to Claim:
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." Revelation 5:11-13
