Jesus, the Lamb Who Takes Away the Sin of the World

I want to spend some time this week remembering Jesus sacrifice for us. Holy week begins on Palm Sunday and while I grew up Lutheran and we celebrated Palm Sunday more so than I have experienced in the non-denominational churches I have attended since. I think that’s kind of sad because Palm Sunday is really quite a remarkable event. Before I talk about what happened on Palm Sunday, I want to spend some time talking about the Jewish celebration of Passover.

We learn about Passover in Exodus 11 when God told Moses that he was going to kill all of the first born children in Egypt. He told Moses to have the Israelites put the blood of a lamb over the doorpost of their houses so that the Spirit of God would pass over their house and not kill the firstborn in the house.

God told the Israelites that this would become the first month of their year and that this would become a festival for them for all generations. The Passover was to occur on the 14th day of the month. But on the 10th of the month it was the designated day for the Passover lamb to be selected outside the city and would have been walked in to the city to the person’s home.

Exodus 12:3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

This was the day that Jesus chose to ride into Jerusalem even though he always walked everywhere. He did this to fulfill a prophecy.

Zec 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

In that day Kings rode on horses to show their power. Jesus rode on a donkey to show his humility.

John the Baptist introduced Jesus by saying, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29). The Jews had been celebrating Passover for 1,500 years. They would have understood the significance of John's statements.
Isaiah 53, written many years before Jesus was born, details the trials the lamb would experience.

Isa 53:7-10 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 her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

The High Priest would then take the lamb to the Temple, where it would be tied in public view so that it could be inspected for blemish. In the same way, Yeshua sat and taught in the Temple courtyard for four days. He was inspected and questioned as the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law sought to trip him up in His words and entrap Him. They could not, because He was perfect and without blemish (Lancaster1996).

Jesus is our Passover lamb. Hosanna in the Highest!