May 12th, 2018

Lamb with Blemish

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year.”  Ex. 12:5

The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron while the Israelites were still in captivity in Egypt.  Among the instructions given was to find a spotless lamb; a male, and that the whole congregation would kill it at twilight.   The blood the sacrificed lamb was to be sprinkled over the doorposts and the roasted meat of the lamb consumed by the people.  It was called the Lord’s Passover.

The blood of the lamb served as a sign to God to “pass over” those whose homes were covered by the blood.  All other homes in Egypt would come under the judgment of God.  After the judgment, the exodus of an enslaved people would be granted by Pharaoh.  He would have seen enough to be convinced that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the one true God.  The sacrifice of the lamb would provide for the safe release from captivity for Israel.

It is John the Baptist who in John 1:29 called Jesus the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  The Jewish people of the day would surely have noticed the reference to Jesus as a lamb – it would have brought them back to the days of the first exodus.  John refers to the carpenter’s son as not just any lamb, but God’s Lamb – the Lamb who will take away not just the sin of Israel, but the sin of the entire world.  It is a shocking statement – filled with controversy, and truth.

When Jesus shed His blood from the Cross, it was the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus brought the sacrifice and was the sacrifice.  His blood covered sin and provided a way out of captivity for all who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.  It was the second exodus.  It remains a shocking statement – filled with controversy and truth.