John 1:29, The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

The pastor had finished blessing the bread and the cup for communion. It’s a little weird, Adam thought. The bread is supposed to be Jesus’ body and the cup is supposed to be filled with Jesus’ blood. And then we’re supposed to eat it. He had never thought much about it before. He just went along with everybody else because that’s what you’re supposed to do. Eating his body and drinking his blood. What’s up with that?

A few days later the group gathered as they continued working through the Gospel of John. Adam was really diving in. Last week was amazing as the book began with the Word being with God, and creating everything that is and then becoming flesh. What’s next?

The group read John 1:19-34. It told the story of John the Baptist causing a stir by baptizing people in the Jordan River. And then Jesus shows up as if he were just part of the crowd gathering around John.

But John then calls him out. He makes a really big deal about him. He calls Jesus, “the Lamb of God” and tells everybody that Jesus is going to “baptize with the Holy Spirit” (whatever that means.) And then he tells everybody he’s the Son of God. After last week Adam had a strong sense of what that meant. He wasn’t so sure about the other two things.

Ben gathered his small group together after Henry’s talk.

“Anybody got any questions about the passage tonight?”

“I got one,” Adam said. “What does it mean that Jesus is the ‘Lamb of God’ and how does it fit in with Jesus taking away the sin of the world? I get that Jesus died for our sins, but how does the ‘lamb’ fit in?”

“Oh that’s because of the Passover,” Nick answered jumping in.

He saw Adam’s confusion so he continued.

“You know, The Passover, when God got the Hebrews out of Egypt. Ever see The Prince of Egypt? God sent Moses to get the Hebrews and there were a bunch of plaques and stuff but Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go. (They were slaves you know.) And then God sent the Angel of Death to kill all the first-bornsons in Egypt, but he protected his people by telling them to kill a lamb and put the blood over the front door of their homes so the Angel of Death would pass over them. Get it, “Passover?”

Adam was wide eyed with amazement. What a story!

“Where is that in the Bible?”
“That’s in Exodus,” Pete said. “We make a big deal out of that every Easter at church. You know, Good Friday, when Jesus died.”

“Let’s take a look at that,” Ben said. “The story is in the first part of Exodus.” He was flipping through the Bible looking for the passage. “Here it is, Exodus 12. Here’s first verse 7,

Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.

“What’s a ‘lintel?’” Schuyler asked.

“That’s the top of the door.” Nick answered.

“That’s right,” Ben said. “Then get this. This is verse 12 and 13:”

For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Wow! What a story, Adam thought. He had no idea that kind of stuff was in the Bible.

“See? The blood protected God’s people from the Angel of Death,” Nick said, jumping in again. He loved sharing what he knew.

“So, John the Baptist is saying Jesus is like the lamb that was killed to protect God’s people in Egypt,” Adam said thoughtfully.

“That’s it,” Ben affirmed. “The story is letting us know what’s coming up for Jesus later.”

“Got it,” Adam said.

“Hey, here’s a good one.” Schuyler looked up from his phone. He searched “Lamb of God” in in his Bible app. “Get this, this is cool, from Revelation 5:12,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

Adam was dialed in.

“Here’s another good one, Revelation 7:13-14,

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”  I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Adam didn’t have a clue what all that meant, but he got that whoever they are had been washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

“And one more from Revelation, this is 21:22-23,”

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

That’s cool, Adam thought. There’s the glory of God and the light from last week.

“Oh, and get this. Revelation 21:27,

But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The Lambs blood, the Lamb’s lamp, the Lamb’s book of life. Adam was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.

“I guess ‘the Lamb of God’ is kind of important.” Adam said hesitantly.

“Don’t worry about,” Ben said, picking up on Adam’s uncertainty. “That’s why we’ve got all week to meet with the Lord and journal through this stuff. I can’t wait to hear what the Lord opens up to you.”