Lamb of God

Biblical Text

The title appears twice in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The next day, seeing Jesus walking by, he said again, "Behold the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36). Two of John's disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus; one of them was Andrew (John 1:37–40). The New Korean Revised Version writes the Korean phrase as two words (eorin yang), but when it is used as a title in church usage, it is commonly written as a single word (eorinyang).

Background

The Greek word translated "lamb" in the Gospel of John is amnos, a term for a lamb offered in sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the lamb was one of the principal offerings used in a variety of sacrifices (Old Testament sacrifices). The following passages are especially often cited as background:

• The Passover lamb: the blood of the lamb applied to the doorposts when Israel came out of Egypt (Exodus 12)
• The Suffering Servant: a figure who suffers in silence, "brought as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7)
• Mount Moriah: "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8; the burnt offering on Mount Moriah)

Significance Across Scripture

The New Testament describes the death of Jesus in the language of sacrifice. Paul wrote, "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). 1 Peter 1:18–19 says that believers were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." In Acts 8:32–35, Philip interprets the lamb passage of Isaiah 53 as referring to Jesus. The Gospel of John links the fact that none of Jesus' bones were broken to the Passover regulations (John 19:36; compare Exodus 12:46).

The Book of Revelation uses a different word, arnion, to call Christ "the Lamb" more than twenty times. This Lamb appears "as it had been slain," yet stands in the midst of the throne and receives worship (Revelation 5:6–12). In the closing chapters, the Lamb appears in connection with "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9) and as the lamp of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:23). For this reason, the title is understood to unite the themes of sacrifice and victory.

Interpretation and Debate

• The primary background: Scholars differ over whether the Passover lamb, Isaiah's Servant, or the daily sacrifices should be regarded as the primary background. Many hold that several of these backgrounds converge.
• The scope of "the sin of the world": This verse is frequently cited in discussions of for whom the atonement was made. In the Calvinist tradition, Christ's atonement is held to be actually efficacious for the elect, and "the world" is often read as referring to people throughout the whole world rather than to the Jews alone. In Arminianism and Wesleyan theology, the verse is read as evidence that the atonement was made for all people.
• Distinguishing the text from later tradition: These words are often presented as having been spoken at Jesus' baptism. The Gospel of John, however, does not narrate the baptism itself; it records that John gave this testimony "the next day." Likewise, the image of a lamb carrying a banner comes from the tradition of Christian art and does not appear in the biblical text.

In the Life of the Church

In the Mass of the Catholic Church and in the Eucharistic rites of liturgical churches such as the Anglican Church of Korea and Lutheran churches, a prayer beginning "Lamb of God" (Latin Agnus Dei) is sung or recited. In Korean Protestantism, the title is frequently cited in sermons during Holy Week and at Communion services. The choruses "Behold the Lamb of God" and "Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain" from Handel's Messiah are also widely performed by church choirs around Christmas and Easter.