J. van Eyck, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (part of The Ghent Altarpiece),
c. 1432,
St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent (Belgium).
...
The
Christmas season is over. Now we move on
with the very beginning of Jesus’ public life, usually referred to as his
ministry. We come upon John the Baptist
seeing Jesus and pointing to him. “This is the Lamb of God,” he says. “Lamb of God.” We use that term so often, that it is easy for us to overlook the deep
theology and the profound love of our God contained in His sending His Son to
be the Lamb. The first place we come upon the concept of the Lamb of God is in
the Book of the Prophet Isaiah[1]. Although this was written six hundred years
before Jesus, it describes the feelings of God’s people as they look at Jesus
on the cross. It’s short, so let me quote it: «It was our infirmities that he
bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken, as
one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed
for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes
we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way;
But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all. Though he was harshly treated,
he submitted and opened not his mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a
sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. He is
wounded for our sins, bruised for our iniquities. He has taken upon himself the chastisement
that makes us whole». That is what John
the Baptist meant when he said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.” The question
comes: why? Why did the world need a Savior? Why did God’s son become a man to
suffer and die for us? Did the Word have to become Flesh? Was Christmas necessary? Well, we can’t tell God what is necessary or not
necessary. But we can try to come to an
understanding of God’s plan. From the very beginning of the world, all creation
was entrusted to human beings. Sadly, man, in his selfishness perverted the
whole purpose for creation. Instead of
glorifying God, creation was used to satisfy man’s selfish needs. But, God
still did not take the gift of creation away from man. A man would once more
restore creation to God’s original plan. And Jesus Christ is this man. Some
people continue to pervert the purpose of creation. Sadly, sometimes, we join
them. We become so wrapped up in ourselves that we push God aside. We turn the
good things of the world into the purpose of creation, being more concerned
with our selfishness than seeing God’s gifts as a means of glorifying Him. As long as we live like this true love cannot
not exist in the world. We cannot give ourselves to others or to another if our
main concept of how to live is to take, not to give. This is the reason why for some people life
is meaningless and frustrating. Jesus came to live as the Father wants us all
to live. He sacrificed himself
completely for others so that we could experience sacrificial love. He called
us to use creation as the Father meant creation to be used. God’s plan for mankind could once more be put
into effect since the Son of God became a man.
Entrusted with creation, a man restores the world. In the visions of the
fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation a book is brought out sealed with seven
seals. The book is God’s plan for
mankind. But the plan is sealed. “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break
its seals?", a voice cries out.”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the
scroll or to examine it. The visionary sheds many tears because no one was
found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. But then one of the elders
said, "Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has
triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.[2]"
Then the visionary saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living
creatures and the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have been slain. Only the Lamb
was worthy to once more restore God’s plan for mankind. And John the Baptist
saw Jesus and proclaimed, “Look, there is the Lamb of God.” The One who became
a man was the Lamb slain for us. His
death opened up the Book of God’s plan for mankind. He restored our life with God. He conquered sin. Every time we say or sing,
“Lamb of God” we are remembering what Jesus did for us and what he has
empowered us to do for others. We are remembering his sacrifice to make God’s
love real on earth. We are reminding
ourselves that joining Jesus in sacrificial love is the only way we can be his
followers. John the Baptist found his reason for existence. He was to point out
the Lamb of God to the world. His mission is the mission of every
Christian. We are to point out the Lamb
of God to the world. There is nothing
greater that any of us can do in our lives than to reveal Christ to others,
first to our children and then to all we encounter. John the Baptist was not a
typical person of his time. He was
extraordinary. It really was not John’s
dress or diet or even his preaching that made him extraordinary[3],
it was the fact that he found the purpose for his life. He looked to Jesus and said, “There is the
Lamb of God.” Our lives can also be extraordinary. May we have the courage, like John the
Baptist, to reveal Christ to the world.
May we join the Baptist in saying with our lives, “Look, there is the
Lamb of God.” • AE
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