The Lamb of God
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January 13, 2024Welcome back to Ordinary Time! It is the longest of the seasons in the liturgical calendar - 33 weeks! It starts the day after the Baptism of the Lord (January 8th this year) and runs up to Ash Wednesday (February 14th this year). Then, after a “Lenten interruption,” it returns after Pentecost and continues all the way through the Feast of Christ the King.
What’s special about this season is that it is, well, ordinary. It is the time when we are not focused on Christ’s birth and death or the beginnings of the Church. Instead, we cover most of the story of Jesus’ life, preaching, parables, and miracles – his day-today struggles and successes. As Ordinary Time focuses on the public life and ministry of Jesus, our Gospel today tells us who he is and what he will do for us: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”
Christ as the Lamb of God is a title that is used 29 times in the Book of Revelation. In the Eucharist, we proclaim in word or song what John the Baptist said. Our traditional fraction anthem is the Agnus Dei – “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us/grant us peace.” In this prayer we give expression to our deepest understanding of the identity and purpose of Jesus Christ as our Lamb and Lord. By His life of love and sacrifice, we believe and affirm that He is the One who came, and continues to come, into a broken world to take our sins upon Himself.
The Jewish understanding of the “Lamb of God” can help us put this into perspective. To a Jewish listener, the Lamb of God brings to mind at least two images. The first is the “lamb of atonement.” On the Day of Atonement, a lamb is brought to the Temple. Placing his hand over its head, the high priest “transfers” all the sins of his people on to the animal. It is then sent into the forest to be killed by some wild animal. The second is the “Paschal lamb.” In the Book of Exodus, we are told of how the blood of the lamb saved the first-born of the Jewish families in Egypt from the last and tenth plague, the Angel of Destruction. This saving moment is celebrated and commemorated in the annual Passover Feast, in which a lamb is killed.- No doubt, the Lamb of God is the most meaningful title given to Jesus in the Scriptures. It sums up his love, sacrifice and triumph on the Cross - for our sake. This puts upon us the challenge to be like him – to live and die like Jesus, the Lamb of God. To live like a lamb is to lead pure, innocent, humble and selfless lives. To die like a “sacrificial” lamb is to share our blessings of time, talent and treasures to others in the family, church and community. We cannot do this unless we have an intimate relationship with him. We cannot be a disciple of Jesus at a distance. To be like him is to be drawn close to him – to know him, love him and serve him. Amen.
