II.O.T.(A)     Is 49. 3: 5-6; I Cor 1: 1-3; Jn 1: 29-34

A tourist visited a church in Germany and was surprised to see the carved figure of a lamb near the top of the church's tower. He asked why it was there and was told that when the church was being built, a workman fell from a high scaffold. His co-workers rushed down, expecting to find him dead. But to their surprise and joy, he was alive and only slightly injured. How did he survive? A flock of sheep was passing beneath the tower at the time, and he landed on top of a lamb. The lamb broke his fall and was crushed to death, but the man was saved. To commemorate that miraculous escape, someone carved a lamb on the tower at the exact height from which the workman had fallen.  That expresses a tiny bit of what John means when he says, "Behold, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world". The same sense is indicated in Isaiah's Servant song in the first reading, which prophesies that God will make Messiah, his Servant a light to the nations, that God’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."  There are four servant songs in Second Isaiah which connects the Messiah’s mission to die for the sins of the world. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter" (53:5). 

The phrase 'Lamb of God' runs through John’s gospel from beginning to end.  John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jews as the “Lamb of God”. "Lamb of God" is the most meaningful title given to Jesus in the Bible.  It is used 29 times in the book of Revelation.  It sums up the love, the sacrifice and the triumph of Christ.  John’s introduction probably brought several pictures of the “lamb” in the mind of his Jewish listeners. 

1) The Paschal Lamb (Ex. 12: 11ff), whose blood saved the first born of the Jewish families in Egypt from the Angel of destruction."  This lamb reminded them also of the Paschal Lamb which they killed every year on the Passover Feast.  The Pasch dinner consists of eating a lamb.

2) The Lamb of Atonement (Lev. 16: 20-22).  A lamb was brought to the Temple on the Day of Atonement.  Placing his hands over its head, the high priest confessed over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and sending it away into the wilderness by means of someone designated for the task, to be killed by some wild animals.

3) The Lamb of Daily Atonement (Ex. 29: 38-42; Numbers 28: 1-8). This was the lamb sacrificed on the “Black Altar” of the Temple every morning and evening to atone for the sins of the Jews.

When Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac on mount Moriah, Isaac asked him we have the fire and the wood, where is the lamb of sacrifice. Abraham responded, God will give us. And Jesus was that lamb of sacrifice God gave to take away our sins. The book of Hebrews says no sins will be forgiven without shedding blood. We don’t know why ? But it is. That is why Jesus had to become a lamb to save us from our sins.

In the Eucharist, at "the    breaking of the bread", which signifies the death of Jesus on the cross, we proclaim in word or song what the Baptist said, the Agnus Dei. He emptied every drop of his blood through the wounds in his body to save us. That is why at that very moment we sing the Lamb of God. Then after that the celebrant breaks a piece of bread and mingles in the sacred wine, signifying, the resurrection of Jesus- which is called co-mingling, blood joined with the body, getting life back. And we receive the resurrected Jesus as our companion to come with us and live with us the rest of the day.

Even in the beginning of the Mass, in the Gloria, the song of the angels, we sung: lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. So the Mass is all about celebrating Jesus as the Lamb of God.  It is said that shepherds used to rear special kind of lambs in Bethlehem to be offered in the temple. Because they had to be without faults. And it is said that Jesus was born in a manger that had this special faultless kind of lambs housed. He became like us in all things, except sin.

In John's gospel this theme is expertly woven into the story.  The ancient instructions for killing and eating the Passover lamb said, "You must not break any bone of it" (Exodus 12:46).  And so, John says, the soldiers did not break Jesus' legs as he hung on the Cross but pierced him instead with a lance. John also mentions that Jesus was hung on the cross exactly the same time the Pascal lamb was slain in the temple.  Later, near the end of the century, in John's apocalyptic vision he saw "between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered" (Rev. 5:6) -  that is, dead and raised up again.  

It is interesting to see Jesus through the eyes of these two men named John – the Baptist and the Evangelist. Both of them depict Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

When we say or sing, “Lamb of God” we are challenged by the Church to remember what Jesus did for us and what he has empowered us to do for others.  We are reminded that joining Jesus in sacrificial love is the only way we can be his followers. We are also challenged to die like a sacrificial lamb by sharing our blessings of health, wealth and talents with others in the family, parish and community. 

 Jesus Christ is the lamb who takes away the sin of the world, which has been immolated to give us Grace. Let us fight to always live by Grace, to fight against sin, and help the lamb to save the world of its sins.