January 21
God’s Love for Us
“Behold the Lamb of God” —John 1:29
Read John 1:19-43
Behold the Lamb of God! What great depth is revealed in the following words: The Son of God was led as a lamb to the slaughter. This means that He endured suffering patiently, without murmuring. He bore much scorn and derision: He was spit upon and stricken; a crown of thorns was placed upon His head and a flimsy reed in His hand. On the cross, the Lord Jesus hung between two murderers as if He was the worst criminal. He died the accursed death and underwent all this as a lamb.
He did all this for our sins, for unclean ones. As we saw in our last meditation, we are all children of wrath. And yet the Lord Jesus went the way of the cross. Do you see Him hanging there upon the cross? His arms were stretched out when He was nailed to the cross. This is a sermon in itself: Christ on the cross with outstretched arms! They beckon us to go to Him with our baptized foreheads. There, at the baptismal font, the Lord declared that He has no pleasure in your death. “Look unto me and be ye saved!”
Once again, see Him hanging on the cross, stretching out His arms towards us. When we refuse the Lord Jesus’ invitation, we multiply our sins, and our judgment will be made all the heavier.
What does a lamb symbolize?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.