In Pursuit of Jesus - Week #9 "Jesus, the Slaughtered Lamb"

The Names of Jesus

- What names of Jesus can you remember?

Jesus “The Lamb of God”

- Isaiah 53:7-8 “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 living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.”

- John 1:29: “The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ ”

- 1 Peter 1:18-19: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”

- Revelation 5-7 (excerpts): In the vision John records in the book of Revelation, he hears a mighty angel ask, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (5:2). He goes on to observe: “Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders” (5:6) And then ends this portion of his vision with: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, he will lead them to the springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (7:17).

Two views of the slaughtered lamb (to discuss with the teens)

1. Study, for five minutes, the copy of the painting Angus Dei by the artist Francisco Zurbaran.

- What do you notice?

- What do you see that supports your perceptions, knowledge, and experience of Jesus?

- What do you see that does not support your perceptions, knowledge and experience of Jesus?

2. Study the “death” of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.

- What do you notice in this scene that sheds lights on Jesus as the “Lamb of God”?

- What in this scene supports your perceptions, knowledge, and experience of Jesus?

- What in this scene does not support your perceptions, knowledge, and experience of Jesus?

The Upward/Downward Path to Slaughter

Jesus gave up his life of his own will; no one took it from him.

Going Up: Jesus reveals himself, but consciously does things to delay his arrest and execution. In John 8:20-21, Jesus reveals his true identity. But the authorities don’t seize him “because his time had not yet come.” This happens many times on his upward journey to a turning point in his public ministry. (See John 7:1-30 and John 10:39)

John 8:20-21: “ ‘You do not know me or my Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come. Once more Jesus said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.’ ”

The Turning Point: Jesus determines when the time is right to move toward death. In Matthew 12:9-15a, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath. He appears to do this to purposely antagonize the powerful Jewish leaders of Jerusalem. Only when Jesus enters Jerusalem – the seat of political power – does he become a real threat. This is the start of his downward journey to the cross.

Matthew 12:9-15a: “Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’ He said to them, ‘If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and life it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place.”

Going Down: Now Jesus intentionally does things to get himself killed. In John 11:47-50, the high priest Caiaphas hatches the death plot against Jesus, saying, “It is expedient for you that one man die for the people” (NAS). Later, in John 18:19-24, Jesus seals his own death by purposely provoking the high priest. He answers the high priest’s questions with what the guards take as insolence, so one of them slaps him. Finally, in Matthew 27:11-26, Pilate tries hard to release Jesus. But Jesus outsmarts him and ensures his own execution.

John 18:19-24: “Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ‘I have spoken openly to the world,’ Jesus replied. ‘I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.’ When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. ‘Is this the way you answer the high priest?’ he demanded. ‘If I said something wrong,’ Jesus replied, ‘testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?’ Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiphas the high priest.”