In today’s first reading the seer John has a heavenly vision. “I had a vision of an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpetlike voice that had spoken to me before, saying, ‘Come up here and I will show you what must happen afterwards.’” (4:1). He sees the throne of God and a “scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with the seven seals.” At first “no one is found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it.”
Then John saw Jesus standing by God the Father: “I saw standing in the midst of the throne…a Lamb that seemed to have been slain.” All the creatures of heaven sang a new hymn:
“Worthy are you to receive the scroll and to break open its seals, for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God and they will reign on earth.”
John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the Lamb of God: “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). Jesus takes away sin through the blood of the cross. In Jewish sacrificial ritual blood was a “ritual detergent” that cleanses or removes the harmful effects of sin. The high priest sprinkles blood on the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies on Yom Kippur to purify the Temple. Jesus’ own blood now expiates or removes the harmful effects of sin and thus the Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world.
John also pictures Jesus as the Lamb of God at the end of his Gospel. Jesus is put to death on the day before Passover, the day the Passover lamb was slain. Like the Passover Lamb Jesus’ bones are not broken:
“Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath…the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down…But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs…For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of it will be broken.” (John 19:31, 33, 36; Exodus 12:46).
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins so that we might live in freedom as the children of God. We have been freed from the slavery of Sin and we are empowered by the Spirit to follow the way of Jesus and to do the will of God.
Image: “Lamb” by GrahamPics1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.