Christology Through Imagery
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
This week we continue thinking about the person and work of Christ through another of the common images the Bible uses to speak of Him. Last week we looked at the image used by the Apostle John in the opening words of his Gospel, Christ as the “Word of God.”
This week we look at the introductory image used by John the Baptist when directing attention to Jesus at the outset of His public ministry. His declaration was, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Qualities of a lamb
With a lamb as our subject, we might deduce several ideas about Christ that ordinary people could have extracted from their observations of lambs. Such qualities as meekness, harmlessness, gentleness or approachableness are suggestive in the application to Christ.
However, the Bible is much more specific in using the lamb image with reference to Him. Christ came to be the sin-bearing Lamb for those who trust Him as personal Savior. Prior to Christ’s coming animal sacrifices were offered by those who sinned.
However, the language of Hebrews 10:1–4 makes clear that animal sacrifices being repeated annually did not do what Christ the perfect sacrifice accomplished: “For it is not possible that blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (v. 4).
In fact, the very repetition of animal sacrifices served as “a reminder of sins every year” (v. 3). It remained for God’s Lamb to become the perfect sacrifice that achieved the permanent taking away of the sins of repentant believers.
Christ, the sin-bearing Lamb of God, was foreshadowed in the prophesy of Isaiah 53:7: “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.”
Also foreshadowed in the sacrificial lamb of the annual Jewish Passover celebration, Christ’s perfect sin-bearing sacrifice stands forever memorialized in the declaration of 1 Corinthians 5:7: “For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.”
Not only is He the sacrificial Lamb of the gospel message, Christ also is portrayed as the triumphant Lamb who is worshipped in heaven. Repeatedly the Book of Revelation contains visions and images of this Triumphant Lamb.
One such passage sets Him forth as the object of heaven’s praises: “I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing’” (5:11–12).
Later Revelation 17 describes the victory achieved by the Triumphant Lamb: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen and faithful” (v. 14).
‘Be glad and rejoice’
Revelation 19 further describes the final triumph Christ’s followers share with Him: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready” (v. 7) to which is added the benediction, “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (v. 9).
The Triumphant Lamb will be the light of the New Jerusalem and will be joined by those “who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Rev. 21:23, 27).
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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