Jesus: the Good Shepherd or the Lamb?
While studying this week, I found a peculiar passage in Helaman chapter six referring to "the Lamb," which set me on quite the mental adventure. It all started when the Lamanites were preaching vigorously to convert the wicked Nephites, which they achieved. Many Nephites became "humble followers of God and the Lamb."¹ Who's the Lamb? I looked to the New Testament to answer that question: when Jesus went to John the Baptist to get baptized, John sees Him and says, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."² So, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the Lamb. In this post, I wanna focus more on His role as the Lamb and how we can more deeply understand this metaphor.
Before I get into it, I found John's testimony of Jesus to be highly fascinating. He said, "Behold the Lamb of God." If we interpret that "of" to mean possession or some other association, Jesus is God's Lamb. I think we can agree on that. "Of" can also denote origin, as in "Jesus is the Lamb 'from' God," which is also true, given that God sent Jesus. Though a bit of a stretch, it could even be said that "of" in this case is referring to material or substance, meaning Jesus is the Lamb made from godly substance.
Anyway, let's go back to the metaphor of Jesus as the Lamb. In the Old Testament, lambs were very important and symbolic, especially pertaining to sacrifices. The law of sacrifice is defined thus: "A lamb, a male of the first year, without blemish, was to be slain. Its blood was to be shed, but no bones were to be broken,"³ following which the lamb was to be burned on the altar. This was a reminder of the sacrifice that God would give of His Lamb, who had neither blemish nor imperfection. His blood was shed on the cross for us, just like those thousands of lambs from so long ago.
This is all fine and dandy, but how does this become real to us? How do we come to understand what sacrificing animals is all about and how it compares to the Savior's atoning sacrifice? Well, I'm a rather inexperienced young millennial, but I'd like to share one thing in my life that has helped me gain greater understanding regarding this subject, namely, pets.
Throughout the years, my family has gone through a lot of animal friends: cats, dogs, rodents, finches, goldfish, chickens, cows, pigs, horses - the list goes on. Some pets are just for fun, others are for food. I guess you could say I'm an animal lover, though I'm not one of those people who lets their dog jump all over them and drown them in slobber. But pets are great! They're almost like having kids - you sometimes get them when they're babies so you can watch them grow up; you get to name them, bathe them, play with them, not to mention they're so stinking cute! (Well, most of them.) Then they become your playmate. Whenever you come home, they're always there. They always listen, they never talk back, they never complain, they never tell you how to live your life. Then suddenly, they're gone. Your trusty companion gets ran over, gets old, gets sick - whatever it is - and you've lost a friend.
It happens to every single one of them. I remember Bowser, my white furry rat, whose spine was crushed by an ignorant toddler's grip; Thumper, our rabbit, who died of either old age or starvation; Bear, the best dog ever, ran over by a neighbor; and Faith, the painted pony, who got sick and keeled over right where she stood. With each death ended yet another friendship, but not all pets are just for companionship.
Other "pets" have a different purpose: to provide food for you. My cousins discovered this one night while sitting at the dinner table eating their pet chicken named "Clucky" (or something like that). As they happily ingested the succulent morsels of farm fowl, one of them chirped, "This is weird. I've never ate anybody I actually knew."
I learned about this the first time I watched our cows get butchered. Let me tell you, I thought it was so cool. How often does a kid get the chance to watch a cow get dissected right before their eyes? The coolest part was when they pulled out the gut bag so I could see all the cow's intestines - talk about neat! Then we got to eat them, and there's nothing more delicious than homegrown beef. Months later, I remember asking my dad what his least favorite part of cattle ranching was, to which he calmly replied, "Killing the cows." I think it was then that I started seeing those cattle a little differently, with more compassion. As time passed, I became more and more involved with the cattle and helped my dad more often. One crisp fall afternoon, we got together at the barn to slaughter three or four cows to stock our freezers with. This time, I felt different. Instead of feeling like I was in a fascinating anatomy class, I was sad. I was almost moved to tears as I witnessed - and participated in - the skinning, gutting and quartering of these cows.
Looking back, I wonder why I got so emotional. These were beef cattle - they were specifically raised from a young age to die for us to eat. Their entire reason for being was to be used - killed - for the benefit of man, and they fulfilled their purpose. Why would that make me sad?
Jesus had much the same purpose. He came to this earth to die that we might eat the bread of life and live. His purpose was to be killed for man. As He said himself, "[M]y Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross."⁴ He did that so you and I could be lifted up, and I love Him dearly for it.
So there you have it: Jesus is the Lamb, through and through. He's also the Good Shepherd. Perhaps a good way to think about it is that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and God's Lamb. Two metaphors that describe two of His roles as Savior of mankind. I'm thankful for that reality, and right now I'm also particularly thankful for animals for helping me understand Him a little bit better.
Notes:
1. Helaman 6:5
2. "The Message of the Restoration" by Elder A. Theodore Tuttle
3. John 1:29
4. 3 Nephi 27:13
Before I get into it, I found John's testimony of Jesus to be highly fascinating. He said, "Behold the Lamb of God." If we interpret that "of" to mean possession or some other association, Jesus is God's Lamb. I think we can agree on that. "Of" can also denote origin, as in "Jesus is the Lamb 'from' God," which is also true, given that God sent Jesus. Though a bit of a stretch, it could even be said that "of" in this case is referring to material or substance, meaning Jesus is the Lamb made from godly substance. Anyway, let's go back to the metaphor of Jesus as the Lamb. In the Old Testament, lambs were very important and symbolic, especially pertaining to sacrifices. The law of sacrifice is defined thus: "A lamb, a male of the first year, without blemish, was to be slain. Its blood was to be shed, but no bones were to be broken,"³ following which the lamb was to be burned on the altar. This was a reminder of the sacrifice that God would give of His Lamb, who had neither blemish nor imperfection. His blood was shed on the cross for us, just like those thousands of lambs from so long ago.
This is all fine and dandy, but how does this become real to us? How do we come to understand what sacrificing animals is all about and how it compares to the Savior's atoning sacrifice? Well, I'm a rather inexperienced young millennial, but I'd like to share one thing in my life that has helped me gain greater understanding regarding this subject, namely, pets.
Throughout the years, my family has gone through a lot of animal friends: cats, dogs, rodents, finches, goldfish, chickens, cows, pigs, horses - the list goes on. Some pets are just for fun, others are for food. I guess you could say I'm an animal lover, though I'm not one of those people who lets their dog jump all over them and drown them in slobber. But pets are great! They're almost like having kids - you sometimes get them when they're babies so you can watch them grow up; you get to name them, bathe them, play with them, not to mention they're so stinking cute! (Well, most of them.) Then they become your playmate. Whenever you come home, they're always there. They always listen, they never talk back, they never complain, they never tell you how to live your life. Then suddenly, they're gone. Your trusty companion gets ran over, gets old, gets sick - whatever it is - and you've lost a friend.It happens to every single one of them. I remember Bowser, my white furry rat, whose spine was crushed by an ignorant toddler's grip; Thumper, our rabbit, who died of either old age or starvation; Bear, the best dog ever, ran over by a neighbor; and Faith, the painted pony, who got sick and keeled over right where she stood. With each death ended yet another friendship, but not all pets are just for companionship.
Other "pets" have a different purpose: to provide food for you. My cousins discovered this one night while sitting at the dinner table eating their pet chicken named "Clucky" (or something like that). As they happily ingested the succulent morsels of farm fowl, one of them chirped, "This is weird. I've never ate anybody I actually knew."
I learned about this the first time I watched our cows get butchered. Let me tell you, I thought it was so cool. How often does a kid get the chance to watch a cow get dissected right before their eyes? The coolest part was when they pulled out the gut bag so I could see all the cow's intestines - talk about neat! Then we got to eat them, and there's nothing more delicious than homegrown beef. Months later, I remember asking my dad what his least favorite part of cattle ranching was, to which he calmly replied, "Killing the cows." I think it was then that I started seeing those cattle a little differently, with more compassion. As time passed, I became more and more involved with the cattle and helped my dad more often. One crisp fall afternoon, we got together at the barn to slaughter three or four cows to stock our freezers with. This time, I felt different. Instead of feeling like I was in a fascinating anatomy class, I was sad. I was almost moved to tears as I witnessed - and participated in - the skinning, gutting and quartering of these cows.
Looking back, I wonder why I got so emotional. These were beef cattle - they were specifically raised from a young age to die for us to eat. Their entire reason for being was to be used - killed - for the benefit of man, and they fulfilled their purpose. Why would that make me sad?
Jesus had much the same purpose. He came to this earth to die that we might eat the bread of life and live. His purpose was to be killed for man. As He said himself, "[M]y Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross."⁴ He did that so you and I could be lifted up, and I love Him dearly for it.
So there you have it: Jesus is the Lamb, through and through. He's also the Good Shepherd. Perhaps a good way to think about it is that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and God's Lamb. Two metaphors that describe two of His roles as Savior of mankind. I'm thankful for that reality, and right now I'm also particularly thankful for animals for helping me understand Him a little bit better.
Notes:
1. Helaman 6:5
2. "The Message of the Restoration" by Elder A. Theodore Tuttle
3. John 1:29
4. 3 Nephi 27:13
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