Today, John the Baptist reminds us of who Jesus is. He is the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. The word “sacrificial lamb” is used to refer to an innocent person who is made to suffer for other people, who may themselves be innocent or guilty of some offense, and whose suffering saves those others from having to suffer themselves. The expression has got its origin in the bible. The lamb was a much-cherished animal in biblical times. It was the preferred animal of sacrifice. It was the animal that the Israelite slaughtered and ate on the night before their exodus from Egypt, and whose blood on their doorposts saved their firstborn sons from being struck down by the angel of destruction. This foreshadows Jesus as the “quintessential sacrificial Lamb” who though sinless died in order to save us from eternal damnation. The salvation Jesus won for us is there for the taking, but we must reach out and take it. If not, it will not be-come our own. The way to reach out and take the salvation Jesus has won for us is by being obedient to him, or as he himself put it, “keeping his word”. This is living in accordance with the Scripture and Gospel message, all of it, and not just any part of it. Only then will the salvation Jesus won for us become really ours. Only then will the sacrifice of the innocent Lamb of God for the world result in our personal salvation.
HOLY SPIRIT: INSPIRE US
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