Revisiting an Important Image
Are there photos that you look at a lot? I go back to the one above with some frequency because it reminds me of what a wonderful day our wedding was and what a wonderful woman I married. I think these kinds of reminders are helpful especially when the busyness and stresses of life pile up and tempt us to prioritize other things.
In a similar way, our upcoming Gospel reading gives us a metaphorical image of Jesus that is vital to remember and revisit in the midst of life's many distractions.
During the season of Epiphany, our readings quite naturally highlight different epiphanies related to who Jesus is. The Gospel text for this coming Sunday points to a significant one — the moment John the Baptist identified Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." What an insight for so early on! John said this shortly after Jesus' baptism when his ministry had just launched, somehow picking up on the nature of Jesus' purpose and what that would entail.
You see, "the Lamb of God" hearkens back to the Passover in the Old Testament, when God told the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts and the lentil (top) of their dwellings, so the Angel of Death would pass over them in the final plague against Egypt.
Whether or not John understood the full implications of his words, we don't know, but in that moment, he prophetically identified Jesus' purpose on earth and the means through which he would save his people from their sins. Jesus — God's own sinless Son — would shed his pure, precious blood on the cross to pay the sin debt we incurred. Interestingly enough, John revisits this truth again the next day, pointing out Jesus as the Lamb of God to two of his disciples. John, it seems, recognized the significance of this image and the need to come back to it again.
While this may not be a new epiphany for us as believers, it's one of the most important of all. Hence the reason that we remember it every week during Holy Eucharist as we partake of Christ's body and blood.
Friends, don't let the importance of this truth get away from you in all the bustle of life. This epiphany is at the heart of the gospel message. By believing in it, you entered the household of God whereby you were adopted into his family. God has granted you eternal life and everlasting fellowship with him because of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
So let us lean into this description of Christ as the Lamb, our sacrifice, and may this image of our loving Lord inspire in us a renewed love for him.
Darin+