The  Lamb of God

John the Baptist was baptizing in Bethany beyond the Jordan with his disciples and looked up to see Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

He goes on to reflect on the baptism of Jesus and declares,

"And I have seen and have born witness that this is the Son of God."

This year as we focussed on the Names of God, when we talked about Jehovah-jireh the provider; it was a powerful discovery that Jehovah-jireh who provides our salvation through the sacrifice of an unblemished lamb is also Jesus the Lamb who was our sacrifice.

Jesus who was briefly recognized as the ‘King’ on Palm Sunday and accused with blasphemy when admitting to be the ‘Messiah’ is now the ‘Lamb’

Good Friday is the Day we see Paul’s description of Jesus in Philippians 2 so clearly illustrated.

He "who although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being in the likeness of men…. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." And it was always about us.

So much happened to Jesus in those last days.

It would seem that all that He did and all that He taught were contradicted by those who had hung on his every word.

But what parent, or teacher, or preacher has not felt that way?

It can be truly said that Jesus identified with every human being who ever loved.

It is ironic that Jesus dispersed a mob that was about to stone a young woman accused of adultery by confronting them with their own sinfulness.

When Pilate tried to do the same thing by declaring, "I find no fault in him." He was beaten down by the same mob who had greeted him as their expected King.

When Pilate relented and finally pronounced the death sentence he taunted the crowd, "Behold your King!"

They had already turned from "Hosanna" to "Crucify him!"

This Jesus who was the very incarnation of the Faithful God of whom the Psalmist wrote, "The steadfast love of God is from everlasting to everlasting."

Who wrestled with his humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane and cried, "Your will not mine be done." was betrayed, denied, and deserted by his closest students.

This Jesus who taught that love was the basis of every relationship from neighbour to enemy, was scourged, beaten, spat upon and perhaps worst of all mocked with a crown of vicious thorns pressed on to his brow, a tattered cloak draped on his bleeding shoulders.

This Jesus who lived out God’s message of inclusive love by hanging out with fishermen, and Pharisees, prostitutes and nobility, tax collectors and the poverty stricken, Jews and Roman soldiers was labelled a "friend of publicans and sinners and crucified between two thieves.

Now he is on the cross.

His back is literally raw from the scourging rightly called the half death because it is administered by multi strand whips with bits of metal and bone tied to the ends of the leather strands.

Blood is running into his eyes from the thorns pressed deep into his head.

He can breathe only when he pushes himself up by his legs which are held to the upright by nails through his ankles.

But this is never about him; the first words he speaks are for others.

He looks out on his tormentors.

"Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing."

He turns to the thief

"Today you shall be with me in paradise."

He looks down at his mother.

"Woman behold your son."

"John behold your mother"

And then that awful moment that seemed like an eternity.

"My God, my God why have you forsaken me?"

This was also for us too because it was the moment that God turned his back because He could not look on the sins of the world lay on Jesus shoulders.

And only then after his work appointed by scripture was completed that he became sufficiently conscious of his bodily condition that he could cry out "I thirst!"

And then mercifully

"It is finished"

"Father into your hands I commend my Spirit."

He died for us with the weight of the world’s sin on him but not the slightest wrong in Him.

From the time when he told Mary and Joseph after they found him at the Temple talking with the Elders at 12 years of age,

"Don’t you know? I must be about my Father’s business."

To "My meat and drink is to do the will of my Father."

To "He set his face towards Jerusalem."

It was always about us!

Thanks be to God!