Who Is The Lamb
Who Is The Lamb
March 12, 2000
Genesis 22:1-18
Who? Who must be sacrificed? Who must be slain? Who must be offered according to God’s command? The answer is definite, “the one who sins shall die.” All the more then we need to know, Who Is The Lamb?
The goal of today’s meditation is that we grow by the power of God’s Spirit so that instead of blaming our problems on others, we may follow God’s example of demonstrating love for everyone through self-sacrifice.
Often in difficult times, we look for someone or something to blame—a scapegoat, someone or something to carry our sin. Earlier this week someone mentioned to me about a problem with kids in an honors class taking an answer guide and then tried to conceal it. During questioning they used the famous disclaimer of youth, “I didn’t do it!” Or, better yet, “I didn’t mean anything by it!” Oh Really!
It is a naturally human thing to want blame to fall on someone else when difficulties arise. Nothing has changed since Adam and Eve started the blame game. When queried by God, Adam said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” Then Eve, not willing to accept the blame for evil says, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” In other words, it is like they were telling God, “I didn’t do it.” “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Abraham could have done this, asking God: “Did I ask to come to Canaan? Did I ask to have my son, Isaac? Was I not content with Ishmael? Why should I have to kill this child that you yourself promised me?” Who among us would not consider doing the same. Yet, Abraham does not do that. Doesn’t it make you wonder why? Why was he able to do what we find so difficult? Why was he not deterred by unbelief in this moment of human crisis?
Crucial in difficult human situations is the willingness of someone to make a sacrifice for the good of all. I remember my high school days when teachers would say, until someone owns up to this we are not going anywhere. I remember thinking, “Why should I take the blame if I’m not guilty?” “Why should I “rat” on someone else?” I remember some people making a pseudo confession saying, “I confess, she did it.” Then, there were also those who tried to take the blame even though they had not done the dirty deed.
Seriously, are you a person willing to blow the whistle, step into the breach, plug the hole, or fall on the grenade—or do you leave problems up to someone else to deal with?
Looking out for oneself destroys a people’s character, for it influences others to be selfish as well.
The willingness to sacrifice helps make a community and nation great, inspiring others to sacrifice for the general good.
Illustration: The movie Schindler’s List tells the story of German businessman Oscar Schindler, who while exploiting the war for personal gain had a change of heart and saved many Jews from the work and death camps. In gratitude, some freed Jews presented Schindler a gold ring inscribed with these words from the Talmud: “He who saves a single life saves the world entire.” That human demonstration of selflessness made a community of people great and served to inspire more good.
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac was an expression of true faith. James describes it this way: Jas 2:21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. True faith always trusts God who is its author.
Abraham here exemplifies total, unquestioned obedience, the result of true faith, whereby difficult decisions are made. Following Christ today may also present difficult choices for us. We may have to disobey a certain divine commandment in order to be obedient to God. It may involve disobeying one’s parents or spouse, for example. Remember the words of the Lord who says, “Anyone who loves his father or mother … his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Mt 10:37-38. One can easily see the conflict Abraham faced because our human understanding just doesn’t get it. Only by God’s Spirit are we enabled to do God’s will.
However, it is not sacrifice or special offerings that God desires of us. Again, the Word of God is clear: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart.” That he will not despise. Such a heart has set God and his Word above all else in life. So, Who Is The Lamb? Is it any of us? My friends, we all fall way short of the goal because we sin. We are not the lamb. Yet, a perfect sacrifice is required for our sin. God himself provides all that is needed and necessary. God did no less than Abraham was prepared to do, He actually did sacrifice his only Son—and that for our benefit. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we might be the righteousness of God in Him.” The greatest of all possible self-sacrifices is made in our behalf so that we might have fulfilled in us all the righteous requirements of law.
Can we make the supreme sacrifice to God? No, we cannot. The one supreme sacrifice has already been made by Christ for us all. Thus the only “sacrifice” we can make to God is to offer ourselves, as God’s creation, for His purposes. Paul says it this way: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Why does Paul say this? It is only because of God’s mercy that we are “holy and pleasing to God.” That is what he makes us through the sacrifice of His own dear Son.
Who Is The Lamb? It is Jesus, of course. But, is it not also us in whom he has been born. Does not Scripture say? “Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” Even so, nothing in all creation is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Abraham obeyed God because he correctly “reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” Abraham’s sacrifice is a “whole-life” sacrifice. He would forsake all for the sake of the one who promised.
Whole-life sacrifice today leads some to full-time church work, or other missionary service. Others, are chosen to serve beyond the call of one’s normal duties, through sacrificial service in one’s occupation, in the use of one’s spare time, in one’s demonstration of love in their family, in one’s circle of friends and neighbors, or even in the nation or world. My friends, we are not our own so as to tell God what we think is right and wrong according to our sacrifices. We are His to do His will. And by the pure, undefiled grace and mercy, that comes to us through the ultimate sacrifice, we are enabled to do just that. Our sin is already paid for. Therefore, let us turn from evil to do the will of Him Who Is The Lamb! In true faith, let us be the living sacrifices the world can not know. Amen.
