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Isaiah 49:3,5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34
We’re so used to hearing it and saying it (we do so every Mass) the shock value of John the Baptist’s statement has been lost. “Behold the lamb of God…” If you think about it calling somebody a “lamb” might not be taken as a compliment. Calling one the Lion of God, now that would be something. Lions are fierce, lions get their way, lions push the other critters around. Lambs on the other hand are small, they are weak, they go along with others in the flock. When we are looking for inspiration, we go to the biggest and baddest, with team names like Bears, Lions, Hawks, Eagles, Tigers. The Los Angeles team is called the Rams because that is much more intimidating that being called the Los Angels Lambs. We prefer those names which seem more aggressive because that is what we imagine leadership requires: assuming power, setting a direction, pushing others forward. Lambs don’t exhibit that kind of leadership. They go along and get along, they know sticking with the group keeps them safe, they do what they are told. Old Timers might remember the Wiffenpoof song, “We’re poor little lambs who have lost our way, Baa, baa, baa.” Not a good thing to be. However, when St. John calls Jesus a lamb he obviously means it as a compliment. “He ranks ahead of me,” says the Baptist. We have to look more closely at how the Bible talks about lambs if we are to understand what it means to call Jesus the Lamb of God.
Take, for example, the expression of “lambs being led to the slaughter.” It originates in the books of Jeremiah and Isaiah, emphasizing innocent suffering in the face of oppression. The Acts of the Apostles specifically cites the prophetic text of Isaiah in describing Jesus. And, of course, for any Jew the image of the lamb would recall the first Passover when the blood of the lamb was spread on the lintels of Jewish houses to save them from death. St. Paul in his first epistle to the church in Corinth and St. Peter in his first epistle use the image of the Passover lamb to talk about Jesus. For both apostles, just as the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites in Egypt, so the blood of Christ protects believers today. What this brief run through the Bible illustrates is that Jesus is the lamb of God because he gave up his life so that we who believe in him might have life. His death which looked like weakness was, actually, the means by which sin and death itself were conquered. The sacrifice of the Lamb of God was the ultimate triumph. In the Book of Revelation the lamb which was slaughtered is viewed as the turning fate upside down: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
When we profess at every mass the happiness of those called to the supper of the lamb of God we are being invited to reassess where real strength, real power lies. The first epistle of Peter says that the devil is like a roaring lion whom Jesus the Passover lamb has overcome. Not the lion but the lamb proved the stronger. In a world which pays attention to the roaring of the lion we have to learn a new way of looking at things if we are to share in the power flowing from the Lamb of God. Three things some to mind: first of all, to be like Jesus we must have as our one desire and choice to always and only do the will of God. Jesus as the Lamb did everything in obedience to the will of the one he called his Father. Even facing death in Gethsemane, he prayed that “not my will but thine be done.” Our temptation is to try to get God to go along with what we want. It is interesting to talk with young people about what they are looking for in life. They often had an impressive list. What is missing is the proper starting point: what does God want for me? It takes prayer, it takes counsel, it takes discernment but making every choice because we believe it is the will of God is how we follow the Lamb of God.
Second, we need to learn to look at things as Jesus did. Our society says you’ve made it when you are successful, when you have money, when you live in a big house, when you drive a nice car, when people look up to you, when we can do what we want to do. Jesus as the lamb of God gives us a new set of criteria for what makes life worth living. Are we kind to others, compassionate with the suffering, forgiving to the enemy, generous with the needy, attentive to the grieving, consoling to the hurting. Those are the hallmarks of a follower of the lamb of God.
Third, and most obviously, the Lamb of God gave his life in sacrifice and that is our calling too as his followers. Our lives must be characterized by sacrifice. Sacrifice is usually difficult and irksome. Only love can make it easy and perfect love can make it a joy. Because Jesus loved us he sacrificed his life for us. Couples sacrifice their individual live in order to share a life in common in marriage. Parents make all sorts of sacrifices for their children. How grateful we should be that so many of us are willing to sacrifice because of our love for St. James, or people who sacrifice their time to help their neighbors. As followers of Jesus we find our lives are not about getting but about giving, not what’s in it for me but how can I make a return for blessings received. What the Lamb of God proves is that when we sacrifice we receive back thirty, sixty and a hundredfold. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold our model, our inspiration, our hope.
