Who is Jesus?

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).

There is something deeply tender in the way Jesus is introduced here. He is not portrayed as a conquering king or a powerful leader (even though He is both of those things), but as the Lamb of God...a gentle and humble being with a love for us so profound that He chose to surrender His blood and His life for us.

The people listening to John the Baptist would have immediately understood the weight of the words he spoke. For generations, lambs had been offered as sacrifices to cover sin and restore relationship with God. However, those sacrifices were temporary and had to be performed repeatedly.

Then came Jesus.

He didn’t come to shame you for your past or overwhelm you with rules. He came to take what you could never carry on your own…your sin, your guilt, your brokenness, and He quietly, willingly, and completely placed it upon Himself. Can you imagine that kind of love?

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect,” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

When I was a young girl, I had this thick, illustrated children’s Bible. I enjoyed reading all the well-known biblical tales. However, I vividly remember the story of Abraham and Isaac from Genesis 22 because the illustration scared my child mind so badly that I would purposely skip that story.

The picture was this realistic scene of Abraham looking menacing while holding a knife above his head with young Isaac tied down to a stone altar with this look of complete betrayal on his face. It was terrifying.

I had a hard time understanding the story, specifically the part when God asked Abraham to take Isaac to a mountain and sacrifice him. Even though the Bible explains that God was testing Abraham, I still wondered why God would ask such a thing and why a child’s father would perform such a terrible act.

For me, as a mother, that would be unimaginable. The faith it would take for someone to do that is beyond my comprehension. The Lord knows I could never do it, and I’m so grateful that I don’t have to.

Thankfully, Abraham didn’t have to either. As he prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God, our merciful Father intervened. As Abraham raised his hand, the angel of the Lord stopped him. God then provided a ram caught in the thicket to take Isaac’s place.

Think about how difficult it must have been for Abraham to walk up that mountain, knowing God had asked him to sacrifice the very son he had waited so long to receive. Isaac was the child of promise, the son Abraham loved dearly. Yet Abraham trusted God, even when he couldn’t understand what God was asking of him. He even demonstrated His love and gratitude to God after the event. “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided’,” (Genesis 22:14).

This event foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice that would one day happen-the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Just as Abraham was willing to offer his beloved son, God the Father willingly gave His only Son for the salvation of the world. Additionally, Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain, and Jesus carried His own cross to Calvary. Despite the many similarities, there is one significant difference in these two instances: Isaac was spared, but Jesus willingly gave His life for us.

God provided a substitute for Isaac, but Jesus became the ultimate substitution for you and me. He took the punishment for our sins so that we could receive forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. The Lamb of God didn’t resist the cross; He embraced it for you and for me. For our healing. For our freedom. For every hidden hurt and every whispered prayer that we feel no one hears.

John 3:16 reminds us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Let that truth sink in for a moment. God didn’t simply tell us He loved us; He demonstrated His love through the greatest sacrifice imaginable. Jesus willingly went to the cross because of His love for us.

The word love is tossed around so much these days that I feel it has lost its true meaning. I recently experienced this, and due to past occurrences, I shouldn’t have been so naive. Real love isn’t determined by words but by actions and choices. Anyone can tell you they love you, but when their actions reveal otherwise, it can be heartbreaking. Repeatedly saying harsh words, being quick to anger and fight, choosing to quit rather than work through issues, withholding forgiveness, ghosting, lying, cheating, abuse…that’s not love, no matter what has been professed.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a explains, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

As women, we often carry so much upon our shoulders-expectations, regrets, silent prayers, and the weight of trying to be everything for everyone. Consequently, we can sometimes struggle to understand just how deeply we are loved. We may measure our worth by what we accomplish, how others treat us, or whether we feel worthy of love.

The cross reminds us that our value is never determined by those things. Our worth is determined by God alone and is demonstrated by the price Jesus was willing to pay for us. In the middle of our strife, Jesus meets us not with pressure, but with peace. He comes as the Lamb.

One of my favorite Bible versus is this: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends,” (John 15:13). Jesus, the Lamb of God and our greatest friend, did that for us.

The next time you question God’s love, remember the mountain where Abraham trusted God and the hill at Calvary where Jesus gave His life. The ram was provided for Isaac, and Jesus was provided for us. Abraham’s story reminds us that God provides, but Calvary reminds us just how far His love was willing to go to save us. We are loved with a love that was willing to sacrifice everything.

Sometimes, we still live as though we need to earn that love and forgiveness. We replay our mistakes. We strive to “do better” and try to “clean ourselves up” before coming to God. We think we need to be stronger, better, and more put together. We carry guilt that Jesus already died to remove. The Lamb was given precisely because we can’t fix ourselves. His sacrifice is not a reward for perfection; it’s a gift for the weary.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth,” (Isaiah 53:6-7).

Rest in the truth-the Lamb has already paid the price for our sins. You don’t have to carry shame because He has taken it upon Himself. You don’t have to prove your worth because you are already worth dying for. You don’t need to seek love from any person because you are already deeply loved by your Savior. You don’t have to earn grace because it has already been poured out. The Lamb of God has taken your place, and in return, He offers you peace.

Whatever you’re holding onto today…fear, guilt, weariness, anger, pressure, loneliness, betrayal, sadness…bring it to Him. Lay your burdens down at Jesus’ feet and repent of your sins. The Lamb of God is not distant or condemning. He is near, full of grace, and ready to cover you and all your shortcomings in His love.

“In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’” (Revelation 5:12).

Have a blessed week!

-Becky