Behold the Lamb of God

In the Gospel reading today, John the Baptist draws the attention of his followers to Jesus as the true Messiah by identifying him as ‘the Lamb of God’. In this way, right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John associates Jesus with the Passover and the spotless lambs sacrificed to redeem God’s people from their slavery and ensure their safe passage to the Promised Land.  In Christian terms, Jesus’ death on the cross as the innocent Lamb of God will redeem us from our slavery to sin and open up for us the way to our Promised Land – heaven. But is there more we can draw from the symbolism of the Lamb of God?

It may seem remote now, but I am writing this on the day the news has come through of a review of the murder of the ten-year-old Sara Sharif by her father and stepmother. Sara was murdered after being subjected to the most horrific acts of torture and sadism. As video clips and photos of Sara playing her guitar, singing, dancing, smiling are shown on our TV screens, it seems inconceivable that any human being could have inflicted such cruelty and brutality on such a beautiful, innocent little girl.

With monotonous predictability, once again, the review finds catastrophic failures by the statutory authorities and those charged with the protection of vulnerable children were contributory to Sara’s death. Time and again the same findings follow every one of these cases – Victoria Climbié, baby Peter, Alfie Steele, Finley Boden, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes…the list goes on, and after each death an enquiry identifies mistakes by authorities and makes recommendations for urgent changes – but it seems that nothing ever changes and we await with a chilling inevitability hearing of the next horrific case.

These children have no way of protecting themselves; they are ‘lambs to the slaughter’; they are innocence betrayed. And we can add to the mix the child victims of war, the child labourers in sweat shops, children afflicted by poverty, malnutrition and neglect, the street children abandoned in cities around the world, the child soldiers trained to kill and the alarming catalogue of vulnerable children sexually abused by those entrusted with their care and ,of course, the casually aborted.

 According to John, Jesus, the Lamb of God, dies at the moment the paschal lambs were being slaughtered in the Temple and in this way identifies with all those human ‘lambs’ sacrificed as a result of adult wickedness, cruelty, exploitation and neglect from the Innocents slaughtered by Herod to Sara Sharif. As the innocent lamb sacrificed for the sins of others, Jesus stands as a symbol of divine solidarity with all those innocent human ‘lambs’ who also suffer and die for the sins of others. He is the guarantor that their names are written in heaven and their souls held in the heart of God.

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“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” We are now in a liturgical transition moment. From the festive celebrations of recalling the birth and epiphany of Jesus Christ to ‘Ordinary Time.’ Like anything good in life, it takes time, and Ordinary Time allow us the space and time for the mystery of Christ, to unfold before us. Even though we are reading from Year A, with Matthew being the focus, today’s Gospel is taken from John. This allows for the placing of Ordinary Time in continuity with the mysteries of the manifestations of Christ, celebrated at Christmas, Epiphany, and at the Baptism of the Lord. A logical sequence is unfolding in front of us. John the Baptist points the way to Christ. We hear the same invitation at Mass right before Communion, when the priest genuflects, takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above the chalice – “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world (cf. John 1:29). Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb (cf. Revelations 19:9).” The term “Lamb of God” may be lost to our modern mentality but think of it as Jesus taking everything on to himself through his Incarnation. The invitation at Mass highlights the paschal nature of the Eucharist and the acclamation that Jesus is the Lamb of God who came into to the world for the remission of sins. The second part of the invitation highlights the eschatological nature of the Eucharist. The supper of the Lamb points to the marriage supper with the Bridegroom. The bride, that is the Church, prepares eagerly for this full realization in life to come. Our partaking in the mystery of Holy Communion now is reality here-and-now and a foretaste in the loving and everlasting union with Christ.  

Prayer of the Faithful

For Christians everywhere –

may the light of faith dispel the darkness of doubt around them, and the warmth of their Christian love overcome the world’s hostility and apathy to the saving gospel of Christ.

For leaders in our government – 

may their service to the public always be based upon justice, peace, reconciliation, and equality, being mindful of those marginalised from society for whatever reason.

For a greater openness to the working of the Holy Spirit –

may all Christians come alive to the workings of the Holy Spirit and be released from the fears which hinder them from living a fully Christian life.  

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Note: These hymns have been chosen from different sources:

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God has chosen me (CFE212, L858)

Hail to the Lord’s anointed (CFE241, L102, LHON314, TCH3)

Oh living water (CFE566, L931, LHON527)

The Spirit of the Lord (CFE716, L308, LHON673)

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Key

CFE - Celebration Hymnal for Everyone

L – Laudate

LHON – Liturgical Hymns Old and New (Mayhew, 1999)

TCH – The Catholic Hymnbook (Gracewing)

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