September 8 Jesus, The Lamb

Revelation 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
 
JESUS is the Lion of Judah. He is the Lamb who was slain. Lions and lambs are very different, aren’t they? One is all powerful. One is at the mercy of predators. Lions win. Lambs lose.
    But not Jesus. He is the Lamb who triumphs. Because he is the “lamb that had been slain” he is the “resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) Dead lambs do not stand in triumph alongside the Holy Father. He is risen. The slain Lamb is alive. He is holy and worthy to open the Father’s scroll, promising the victorious kingdom to come.
    Think of it. The Lamb first needed to die to be alive in God’s holy presence. The Lamb’s new life is the reason for the Lion’s power. There would be no Lion of Judah if there were no Lamb who was slain, risen and triumphant on God’s throne. The risen Lamb becomes the Lion to lead the war against evil. God’s salvation begins with God’s sacrifice.
    You may find it odd, even uncomfortable, to consider Jesus with seven horns and seven eyes. I don’t know of any artist’s rendition of this. Yet, this image perfectly represents the triumphant Christ. Horns symbolize strength and conquest throughout the Bible. For example, God commands four horns on the first altar in Exodus 27. They were to be covered with blood as priests were consecrated – set apart – to do God’s work. Christ is the High Priest. He has been covered in his own blood. God has set him apart to be Priest and King. See this image, too, in 1 Samuel 2:10 “those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
    The seven eyes again represent the Holy Spirit. This is our sovereign Savior, who lovingly and humbly died that you may have life. Through his death, we who believe will have life.
    Remember that Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Celebrate this truth! Know you worship the Lion of Judah because he was first the Lamb who has been slain.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet, we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, but he did not open your mouth. And though you made the Son’s  life a guilt offering, the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand (from Isaiah 53). Amen.