Lamb
of God – Lutheran Service Book #550
John 1:29; Revelation 7:14
Your only Son, no sin to hide,
But You have sent Him from Your side
To walk upon this guilty sod,
And to become the Lamb of God.
O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God,
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in His precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
John the Baptist, seeing Jesus coming toward him
proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world.” John makes it clear that this is no
ordinary man. He is the Son of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
“Lamb of God”
is a very churchy sounding title, especially if you grew up in a liturgical
church. A modified version of John the
Baptist’s pronouncement is used in almost every communion service. The “Agnus
Dei” (Latin for Lamb of God) is said or sung as the bread is prepared for
distribution. “Lamb of God, you take away
the sin of the world, have mercy on us.”
John in his preaching is making reference to the lamb
of the Passover. The blood of this
sacrificial lamb was painted on the doorposts of the Israelites when they were
slaves in Egypt. The tenth and final
plague, The Angel of Death, killed the first born of every household in Egypt
that did not have blood on their doorposts.
The Gospel of John presents Jesus’ death against the background of the
Passover, with the crucifixion occurring at the same time that Passover lambs
were being sacrificed in the Temple. St.
Paul makes the link crystal clear by reminding us, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” - I Corinthians 5:7
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world, grant us Thy peace.[1]
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