Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. Genesis 22:7-8, NIV
Prophetic words. Generations later, God would indeed provide the Final Lamb who would atone for the sins of all mankind.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29, NIV
He is the Lamb of God. He is the First and the Last. He is the Shepherd of his people and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is a Mighty Fortress. He is Comforter, Healer, Friend and Father to the fatherless. He is the Lover of my soul. He is the Torn Veil. He is Love and he is Light. He is the Burning Bush and the Still Small Voice. He is the Son of the Most High. He is the Bread of Life and the source of Living Water. He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night. He is Creator of the Universe. He is in all things, and all things are held together by him and through him. He is the Great I Am.
Sometimes it’s easy to get distracted by life, and sort of forget who Jesus really is. Because he is fully man, society routinely makes him into some sort of caricature that they can feel comfortable with. They think of Jesus as a tepid, sandal-wearing peace-loving hippie that wandered around Judea, spouting inspirational quotations that make us feel all warm and fuzzy about sharing on Facebook. And while he did talk about love, he also talked about sin, death, hell and eternal separation from God. The Jesus of the New Testament is the pre-incarnate Christ who repeatedly shows up in the Old Testament, battling on behalf of Israel and conversing with prophets. That Jesus, is the one worth following!
Because Jesus is also fully God, the reality of who he is gives us hope when our world is going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket. And lately, it’s been headed in that general direction on more days than naught. When we get discouraged, remembering who Jesus is, and standing on his promises, gives us strength to persevere and the courage to remain faithful during difficult times.
Recently I’ve been blessed by a song written by MercyMe and recorded on their Hurt and the Healer cd. Entitled “You are I Am” the lyrics poignantly remind us of just who Jesus is.
You’re the One who conquers giants
You’re the One who calls out kings
You shut the mouths of lions
You tell the dead to breathe
You’re the One who walks through fire
You take the orphan’s hand
You are the One Messiah
You are I Am
Jesus is the final atonement for sin. He is the Last Lamb; my Redeemer by choice. He purchased my soul with his own blood, not because of anything that I’ve done to make myself worthy, but because of his great love for me. He is my Savior and coming King. He is Messiah! Remembering who Jesus is this Easter… and standing in awe.
Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:16-17, NIV
On the journey toward Home,
