What did the Lamb Do?

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.'

John 1:29

Isn't it good news that Jesus takes away our sin? That he covers it, atones for it and ransoms us from it's penalty and power. It's the shed blood of Jesus, and His substitution death and resurrection that makes the good news good.

When John the Baptist sees Jesus and calls Him the lamb of God he is speaking fluent Old Testament . What was the purpose of the lamb? To die, to shed blood, to cover the sins of God's people. Once a year on the day of atonement, the priest would enter the most holy place, sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat, and when he came out into the daylight again Israel breathed a sigh of relief knowing that another's blood had been accepted as a sacrifice for their sin. Their sin demanded death, and death had occurred.

Those lambs didn't die as an example. They didn't die to show people how to obey, or how much it costs to follow God. They died to cover sin. And Jesus is the ultimate one who died to cover sin. The death of a lamb can not pay for the sin of a man. If i write off your car, you're not satisfied when i draw you a picture of a car and give that to you. Justice has not been served, and God is just.

It's good news that Jesus didn't come to set us an example. It's good news that we're not supposed to have faith in God like Jesus had faith in God. Good, good news.How monumentally depressing it would be to sit in the side room off my kitchen, cradling my coffee, trying to warm my heart up with the news that Jesus was my example. That's awful news, bad news, heart cooling news. Imagine saying, every morning, today, you must be holy like Jesus, you must be pure like Jesus, you must love God like Jesus, you must love man like Jesus, and if you don't, you've no hope. I just wouldn't get out of bed.

Instead, much better news the Gospel brings. Jesus purity paid for my impurity. His white hot devotion covers my mumbled inattentiveness, His obedience covers my disobedience and His love my selfishness. What extraordinary news! What liberating news! I'm not supposed to have faith in God like Jesus had faith in God, i'm supposed to have faith in Jesus.

In His life lived for me, His body broken for me, His blood shed for me, His resurrection won for me. In His wounds i find comfort, because they don't say 'do better,' they say 'job done.' The risen Christ doesn't say 'go thou and do likewise,' He says 'come and have breakfast.'

Then, and only then, if my service worth a rip. When i remember the 'dones' of the Gospel, my 'dos' are the overflow of love, of joy at the death Christ died for me. To take the substitution of Christ out of the call to obey is to gut the Gospel of it's goodness and power. Christ has come to take away your sin, rejoice, and have faith in Him.