April 1: Jesus Died for Us

We owe the Holy Spirit a special debt of thanks for inspiring the Apostle John for injecting the phrase "Lamb of God" into our theological dictionary. From the first introduction of Jesus as the Lamb of God in John 1:29, expounded throughout his Gospel, and emphasizing the reign of the Lamb in both history and eternity in the Book of Revelation, John ushers us into the realm of the sublime. In a series of snapshots in today's study, we see John's presentation of the Lamb in His sacrificial death for sin.

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

•John begins his account of the Holy Week by unveiling the Lamb in His formal presentation (12:12-15). We Christians call this event "Palm Sunday" as it marks the countdown of the final week of our Lord's earthly ministry. It also fulfills an Old Testament ritual. In preparation for the sacrifice of a sheep on the day of atonement, the law required the priests to set aside a choice animal on the sixth day before Passover, the Jewish tenth of Nisan, to be displayed from the tenth to the fourteenth of Nisan. The public could verify that the sheep was free of blemishes (Exod. 12:3-6). On "Palm Sunday" God arranged a public display of His Lamb. As Jesus descended toward the city riding a donkey, the people shouted, "Hosanna!" No wonder Jesus said that if the people did not mark this day, the stones would cry out (Lk. 19:40).

•In the next section of our study, John presents the Lamb's betrayal (13:21, 26, 27). Judas Iscariot continues to intrigue and mystify us. How could a man who had been chosen by Jesus and who walked with Him as a disciple sink to the level of betraying Jesus to the religious and legal authorities? Two verses throw some light on his actions. First, before the Supper began, the devil had already put the thought in Judas's mind to betray Jesus. Some moral defect in his character caused him to give himself to evil intentions. Second, Satan, having gained access to the man's will, entered into him after Jesus identified Judas as the betrayer. We can try to soften the words to mean that Judas surrendered to evil impulses, but if we take them as written, Satan stood before Jesus in the stolen body while God incarnate in the person of Jesus opposed him. We must all learn the tragedy of giving evil an access into our being.

•We turn now to the saddest event up to this point, the Lamb's crucifixion (19:16b-19). Those who have seen Mel Gibson's depiction of the sufferings of Christ cringe at the sight. Yet, the Bible never describes the scene. John says "they crucified him," as did Luke 23:33, Matthew 27:35, and Mark 15:25. John 19:34 reports the piercing of His side with a sword. We know about the nail prints only from our Lord's invitation to the disciples in the upper room to thrust their hands into His hands and side (John 20:20, 27). The Bible reverently handles the physical aspects of the crucifixion.

•All of the Gospels are careful to verify the Lamb's death (vv. 33-37). He did not "swoon" on the cross as some skeptics argue, nor did the disciples steal His body and then concoct some outlandish story to perpetuate the image of a dead teacher. They only gradually realized that on the cross He atoned for sins. Even the guards and chief priests realized they could not account for the missing body (Mt. 28:11-15).