The Lamb of God, Part 2. Isa 53:1-13; Joh 1:29

The Lamb of God, Part 2. ISA 53:1-13; JOH 1:29.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

The book of Revelation uses the title Lamb for Christ at least twice as often as it uses the name Jesus for Him.

ACT 8:32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: “HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.”

ACT 8:33 “IN HUMILIATION HIS JUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS LIFE IS REMOVED FROM THE EARTH.”

In God’s fantastic plan, this Ethiopian just happened to be reading Isa 53, which gives the gospel with such clarity and detail.

What is absolutely breathtaking about the Bible study of this Ethiopian is the fact that in Isa 53 there are 24 parallel statements about our Savior.

The exact center of these 24 parallels is ISA 53:7b. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter.

The Lamb is the unifying factor that ties together the Old Testament sacrifices with the Old Testament predictions of the Savior.

In the verses preceding the Lamb of God there are 7 expressions of the vicarious atonement from the human side (the substitutionary sacrifice).

Then in the verses following after the Lamb of God there are just 7 expressions of the sacrifice from the divine side.

1TI 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

JOB 9:32 “For He [God] is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together.”
JOB 9:33 “There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both.”

The lamb was to be without spot and without blemish and was actually tied down to the horns of the altar.

Then an individual would come to the priest and the priest would put one hand on the man’s head and another on the lamb’s head which represented a transfer of sins. Then the priest would lift up his knife to the nose of the lamb and slit his throat.

HEB 9:22 and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

JOH 1:29 He is the Lamb FROM God who takes away the sin of the world!
[Greek - genitive of source]

Behold - ide = used to denote surprise =
“Look, don’t miss Him!”

The Lamb of God ties the cross into the Levitical sacrifices and indicates that Jesus Christ is the one who would be the Lamb.

Takes away -
pres-act- part - airo =
to lift up, to bear, to carry

ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because our sins have been judged there is no longer a barrier between God and man.

The “sin” of the world is in the singular and is a reference to the unlimited atonement.

2CO 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

2CO 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

TIT 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

1JO 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

1. In Gen 4 there is the account of Abel and his lamb, GEN 4:3-7.

In GEN 4:3-7 the emphasis is upon the necessity of the Lamb.

2. In Gen 22 there is the incident in which Abraham offers the lamb in place of Isaac,
GEN 22:6-8.

2CH 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah,

“God will provide Himself a lamb for the burnt offering.”

In this incident the emphasis is on God’s provision of the lamb; He will provide.

MAR 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Abraham was so impressed he named the place Jehovah Jireh = Jehovah will provide.

The emphasis here is not upon propitiation (like Gen 4) but upon the substitution of the lamb and TLJC who is our substitute.
1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust,

3. In Exo 12 there is the Passover lamb which was to be slain on the night before the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.

In Exo 12 the emphasis is on the slaying of the lamb. Even though the lamb was without blemish it was of no efficacious value while it was alive.

EXO 12:13 “And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

4. The book of Leviticus is filled with instructions about the sacrifices which were to be offered and all the way through the book, the emphasis is upon the character of the lamb.

LEV 22:21 “It must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.” In the book of Leviticus the emphasis is also upon complete absolution from guilt and condemnation.

5. Isa 53 is the big step forward in the developing revelation of the lamb; up to this point the lamb has been an animal, but now for the first time we learn that the lamb that God would provide is a person.

ISA 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

6. In JOH 1:29, the Lamb is identified as the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. In Act 8, Philip explained to the Ethiopian that the Lamb of God is Jesus Christ and also the promised Messiah and the Son of God.

8. 1PE 1:18-21 - where the resurrection of the slain lamb is portrayed.
9. Rev 5 - the Lamb Who is now on the throne of heaven, the very throne of the universe.
REV 5:12 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.”

10. REV 21:22 - what a climax of never ending glory is portrayed in these last two chapters of the N.T., the final picture of the Lamb is that of His everlasting kingship.
REV 21:22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

Abel reveals the necessity of the lamb.
Abraham reveals the provision of the lamb.
The Exodus reveals the slaying of the lamb.
Leviticus reveals the character of the lamb.
Isa 53 reveals the lamb would be person.

Joh 1 identifies the lamb.
Acts 8 gives us the Christ-hood of the lamb.
1Pe 1 reveals the resurrection of the lamb.
Rev 5 reveals the enthronement of the lamb.
Rev 21 reveals the endless kingship of the lamb.

1) In the case of Abel, we are told simply that lamb was offered.
2) In the Abraham and Isaac incident the lamb was offered in the place of one person, namely Isaac.
3) In the Exodus passage, in the case of the Passover, each family must have its own lamb.
4) In the book of Leviticus on the day of atonement we see the lamb for one nation.
5) In Isa 53 we have a great picture of the suffering lamb, the Messiah, and we are told that He shall sprinkle many nations i.e., beyond Israel.

6) In Joh 1, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”
7) In Acts 8 He is the lamb for each individual, not for the Jew only, but also for the dark-skinned gentile Ethiopian. It is the lamb for whosoever.
8) 1Pe 1 - the lamb foreordained from before the foundation of the world. That is the lamb for all history.
9) In Rev 5 where the lamb is enthroned, we see the lamb for the universe.
10) In Rev 21-22 where He reigns in endless glory in the new heaven and new earth, we see the Lamb for all eternity.

ISA 52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, {My people,} So His appearance was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men.

ISA 50:6 I gave My back to those who strike {Me,} And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.

MAT 26:67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,

MAT 27:30 And they spat on Him, and took the reed of thorns and began to beat Him on the head.

MAT 27:31 And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

MAT 27:32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.

LUK 22:63 And the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and beating Him,

LUK 22:64 and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?”

MAR 15:19 And they kept beating His head with a reed, and spitting at Him, and kneeling and bowing before Him.

PSA 22:14 All my bones are out of joint;

LUK 22:44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

PSA 22:16 They pierced my hands and my feet.

PSA 22:17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

ZEC 13:6 And one will say to him, “What are these wounds between your arms?” Then he will say, “{Those} with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

MAT 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”