The imagery of a "lamb" is taken from the Old Testament to convey certain thoughts about the Messiah.
John the Baptizer introduced Jesus as the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The Passover lamb of the Old Testament was clearly a "type" (see) of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:7). There are several important truths associated with this idea.
- Christ was a spotless lamb with no blemish (cf. Exodus 12:5; 1 Peter 1:19). It was this sinless character that allowed him to die as a sacrifice for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- Christ was submissive to the will of God. "He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). His faithful obedience is an abiding example for us (1 Peter 2:21ff).
- Jesus was a sacrificed lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). His voluntary offering of himself (Galatians 1:4) was the necessary price for man's redemption (Matthew 20:28; 26:28; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
- Christ is portrayed as a victorious lamb in the book of Revelation (twenty-eight times) -- a lamb that was slain (5:6, 9, 12; 13:8), but that stood up again (5:6), and is "alive for evermore" (1:18).
In this final book of the New Testament, the lamb is a leader of his people (Revelation 7:17; 14:1-4) who were purchased by his blood (Revelation 5:9-10; 14:4).
