The Lamb of God
One
God Promised to Provide the Lamb
When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But what does it mean to call Jesus the Lamb of God?
When we lead pilgrimages to Jerusalem, we always visit the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple once stood until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and never rebuilt. This sacred place stands atop Mount Moriah, the very mountain where God commanded Abraham to offer his beloved son Isaac in sacrifice (Genesis 22).
Abraham took Isaac up Mount Moriah. Isaac himself carried the wood for the burnt offering, just as Jesus would carry the wood of the Cross. On the way, Isaac asked a haunting question, “Father, I see the knife, the wood, and the fire; but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham gave a prophetic answer, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.”
Yet when the moment came, God provided not a lamb, but a ram, caught in the thicket. Abraham called the place, “The Lord Will Provide,” saying, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” A promise remained: the Lamb would yet be given.
God’s promise, made almost 2,000 years before Christ, pointed forward to a greater provision on that very mountain.
Two
God’s Lamb Is the Messiah
When did God fulfill His promise? You could point to the Exodus, when Israel sacrificed the Passover lamb, or to the daily lambs offered in the Temple, but those lambs were provided by the people. God Himself had yet to provide the Lamb.
Centuries after Abraham, when Israel was in exile, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah of a mysterious Servant who would bear the sins of many, described as a lamb led to the slaughter. “He was pierced for our transgressions…like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house…By his sufferings shall my servant justify many” (Isaiah 53:5-7, 11).
Written over 500 years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah’s prophecy describes only one person, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Three
Jesus Is the Lamb God Provided
Now the pieces come together. Abraham had foretold that, “God will provide the lamb.” John the Baptist sees Jesus and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” And where does Jesus offer His sacrifice? On Calvary, the very summit of Mount Moriah. The place where Abraham said, “On the mountain of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Jesus is the Lamb God promised to provide. He takes away the sin of the world. Without Him, there is no salvation, no forgiveness, no hope of heaven. In Him, God’s love is poured out to the end. Let us behold the Lamb and offer Him our gratitude.
Four
The End of the Temple, the Beginning of the New Worship
The Jewish Temple was the only place where they were allowed to worship God through sacrifice. A Synagogue is a place of prayer and teaching and community, but not a place of worship through sacrifice.
When Jesus, the Lamb of God, died on the Cross, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), signifying the Temple sacrifices had come to an end. Jesus had come to replace them. Jesus came to replace the worship of God in the Temple with the worship of God in the Catholic Mass.
Jesus Himself had foretold this: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” He was speaking of the Temple of His Body (John 2:19-21). The Body of Jesus is now the Temple of God.
The old Temple worship is fulfilled in the Body of Christ. And where is the Body of Christ made present? In the Eucharist at every Mass. That is why the priest holds up the Host and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”
Five
The Mass: Worship for All Nations
Jesus came to replace the worship of God in the Temple with the worship of God in the Mass. Why? Because God wanted to give everyone everywhere in the world a way to worship him and receive him in the Eucharist. Not just on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem.
The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and has never been rebuilt. In 363 AD, Emperor Julian the Apostate tried to rebuild it, but earthquakes and fires stopped the work. Later, in 692 AD, the Dome of the Rock was built by the Muslims, and the Temple Mount has been under their control ever since. The Jews pray at the Western Wall, mourning the Temple’s loss and praying for its return.
One day, their prayer will be answered, when Jesus returns in glory, the true Temple and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. But we do not have to wait. In the Eucharist, Jesus is already present: the Lamb who was slain, the Temple where God dwells, the Sacrifice that takes away our sins. And through Holy Communion, we become living temples of God.
Suggested Resolutions:
Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
When Abraham went up Mount Moriah, he was willing to sacrifice whatever God asked. What are you afraid to offer to God? How can you practice cutting it out of your life this week?
Practice patience this week, knowing God doesn’t work on our schedules and His answers aren’t always what we expect.
Christ came to make worship accessible to all nations. In gratitude, spend more time with him in daily Mass or thanksgiving after receiving Communion.