Jesus the Fulfillment – The Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World

Fast forward to the New Testament. Jesus arrives on the scene, and John the Baptist’s first introduction of Him to the public is: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, KJV​). Every devout Jew hearing that would think of the sacrificial lambs of their worship – especially the Passover lamb. John was essentially saying: This is the One all those lambs were pointing to.

Indeed, Jesus fulfills the symbolism in every detail:

• Sinless Perfection: Like the Passover lamb had to be without blemish, Jesus was without sin. He is the only human who has ever lived a morally perfect life. The New Testament emphasizes that He “knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21) and was “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). Peter directly connects Jesus to the lamb image when he says we were redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19, KJV​). Jesus’s moral perfection qualified Him to be our spotless sacrifice.

  
  

• Sacrificial Death: Like the lamb’s blood shielded Israel from wrath, Jesus’s blood saves us from God’s judgment on sin. On the cross, Jesus poured out His life as the ultimate Passover Lamb. The Apostle Paul explicitly wrote, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7, CSB​). Just as the lamb in Egypt had to be killed, Jesus had to die to accomplish our salvation. He absorbed the punishment that we deserved. The wrath of God that should have fallen on us fell on Him at Calvary. When we, by faith, apply Jesus’ blood to the “doorposts” of our hearts – trusting in His sacrifice – God’s righteous judgment passes over us. We are spared, not because we are better, but because we are covered by the blood of the Lamb.

  
  

• No Bones Broken: In the original Passover, the Israelites were instructed not to break any bone of the lamb (Exodus 12:46, cf. Numbers 9:12). This too was a prophecy of Christ. In His crucifixion, unlike the two thieves crucified beside Him, Jesus’ legs were not broken (John 19:33). John notes that this fulfilled Scripture: “Not one of His bones shall be broken” (John 19:36), pointing back to the Passover lamb requirements. Even in seemingly small details, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment.

  
  

Willing Sacrifice: A lamb brought to slaughter is typically silent and submissive. Isaiah 53:7 prophesied of the Messiah, “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (KJV​). Jesus fulfilled this too. During His trial and suffering, He largely stayed silent and did not resist His oppressors. He willingly laid down His life. As Jesus said, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself” (John 10:18, NKJV).

The Lamb of God was a willing offering, motivated by love for the Father and for us. How do we know this? How did this “tragedy” become a love story, established before the beginning of time? As we continue, we gather again for part 4. Saints and sinners will know the love of God - for it is said Romans 5:8-10 (KJV)  “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."