JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD
"For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." John 6:38
It was the will of the Father that the Lord Jesus should be " the Lamb of God"- the one who would die for the sins of the world. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he cried out,
"Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." John 1:29
** Jesus predicted His death**
"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death."
"And shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him; and the third day, He shall rise again."
Matthew 20:18,19
On several occasions it looked as though Jesus life was in danger, but He said, " My hour has not yet come." Jesus knew that the time of His death had not come.
The religion leaders hated Jesus and sought a way to capture Hm, so they might kill Him. They hated Jesus because He claimed to be God. On one occasion they took up stones to kill Him, and Jesus asked them, " Many good works have I shown you from My Father, for which of those works do you stone Me?"
They answered Him saying,"For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You being a man, make Yourself God."
**The betrayal and arrest of Jesus**
One of Jesus ' disciples, Judas, was a traitor. Judas went to the religious leaders and offered to deliver Jesus to them for thirty pieces of silver. Judas gave them a sign. He said that he would greet Jesus with a kiss and thus they would know Him.
Jesus, knowing that the hour of His death was at hand, had one last meal with His disciples. Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He thought about He would be made a sin-offering for us, the Lord Jesus fell on His face and prayed, " O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." So great was his agony that His sweat became as great drops of blood, but here, as always Jesus chose to be obedient to His Father. He prayed," Not My will, but Thine , be done."
After this Jesus told His disciples that the hour was at hand when He would be betrayed into the hands of sinners. While He was yet speaking, Judas came with a multitude of people who had been sent by the religious leaders to take Jesus. Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus with a kiss.
Jesus was taken before the religious leaders. When the high priest asked Him if He was the Son of God, Jesus said, "I am.". Because He claimed to be the Son of God, the religious leaders said that He should be put to death.
Jesus was taken before the Roman governor, Pilate. Pilate questioned Jesus concerning the things he was accused of and found Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing. Pilate brought Jesus out to the Jewish leaders and said," I find in Him no fault at all."
But the Jewish leaders stirred up the people so that, when Jesus was brought before them, they cried out. " Crucify Him! "Crucify Him!" Though he realized that Jesus was an innocent man, Pilate gave in to the crowd. He ordered Jesus to be beaten and crucified.
Jesus could prevented His death, however He chose to lay down His life as a sacrifice for our sins. He was willing to die even for those who hated Him. Jesus said,
" Therefore does my Father love Me, because I lay down My life... No man takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again.." John 10:17,18
Lord Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God. No blemish, no spot at all. The Lamb that paid our sins by His blood.
Can we imagine how grateful we should be for the great things that our Lord Jesus Christ the King of all kings , the begotten Son of God done for us?
