For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.”
A majority of the children’s movies that have come out in recent years have featured animated animals who are able to talk and walk like humans. “Happy Feet”, for instance, has a dancing and talking penguin who goes to the humans to try to get them to quit eating all of their fish. Long before this phenomenon Gary Larson made millions of dollars on this concept of talking animals from the comic strip called “the Far Side.” The idea of walking and talking animals is not a recent invention however, and the previous examples were no joke. We could go all the way back to the Garden of Eden to see Satan speaking through a snake. Years later we hear the talking donkey of Balaam asking his master why he was being unjustly beaten. It shouldn’t surprise us then to also see animals be used throughout the Bible as symbols of countries, people, and even our Savior. The book of Revelation picks up on this usage of animals as it uses them to symbolically represent our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Today is
Good Shepherd Sunday. When we think of
shepherds, our minds are most typically drawn back to David – a young stud of a
man who fought off lions and bears in defense of his defenseless flock. So if we were to think of an animal we could
symbolically pick to defend and lead the flock – we would tend to pick a
powerful animal. Revelation chapter 5
uses the symbol of the Lion of the tribe of
Yet in today’s text for this Good Shepherd Sunday, John uses the symbol of a Lamb – yes, a Lamb! At first glance, this might seem like the most worthless and weak symbol that could be used as a shepherd. Who would want a scared and timid animal to be leading them? Unbelievers would rather try to lead themselves rather than have a lamb lead them. Even believers have a hard time with it. Yet as we thoroughly examine this picture through the eyes of faith – we will see it to be the most beautiful animal he could have given us.
The Lamb Pictures a Beautiful Shepherd
I. The significance of the Lamb
What is the significance of the Lamb? Those with no knowledge of the Scriptures might simply think of the Lamb as a cute, soft, harmless, loveable and cuddly little animal. This is true and nice in and of itself. Yet the significance of the Lamb in this vision is that it draws on the imagery and usage of the lamb throughout the Old Testament. The first and most prominent usage that we probably remember is in that of the Passover. Exodus 12 describes it:
The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you
may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the
fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of
The lamb’s blood was used as a marker to the angel of death to pass over the house without judgment. The lamb’s meat was used for sustenance of the people for the journey ahead. Every year – in the first month and on the 14th day of the Jewish festival they were to commemorate this deliverance with the slaughter of the lamb in remembrance of God’s delivery from slavery to the Egyptians.
Yet lambs were used much more often than just once a year. Listen to this regulation from Exodus 29:38-43:
“This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight . . . a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.”
Over 700 lambs were sacrificed over the course of a year. They were used as a means of consecration for the Israelites - reflecting the fact that their God was holy and demanded that blood be shed. Since they were sinful they could not approach their holy LORD without a complete burnt sacrifice.
Isaiah spelled out the fulfillment of this usage of the lamb in his 53rd chapter.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
The lamb without blemish or defect – in its purity and gentleness was symbolic of the Savior that was to come to be slaughtered on behalf of the sins of the world.
So, when we see a LAMB at the center of the throne the significance is obvious. This is not just a symbol of our Savior as being a cute and cuddly Savior. The Lamb is symbolic of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God. His sacrifice causes God’s wrath to pass over us. The partaking of His body sustains us on our journey through the desert of this life.
Is this Lamb good enough for you? It may not be the most powerful animal in the world. It may not be the most majestic. Many Christian based religions would rather just cling to Jesus the lion – who will fight all their battles for them, heal their diseases, overturn the money changers tables, call out the hypocrites, and boldly give them victory and success at every turn in their life. Yet the Scriptures continue to remind us of the Lamb – the sacrifice of Christ – that needs to be at the heart and core of our faith – in the CENTER of the throne – not to the left, the right or underneath the throne. For without the Lamb – each and every one of us would stand before God as guilty. Without the Lamb, God would sit on His throne and send each and every one of us to hell to suffer under His eternal wrath on Judgment Day. But with the Lamb at the center of the throne in this picture of heaven – we see that it is not a dead Christ – but a living Lamb whose blood continues to eternal cry for our pardon. This resurrected Christ continues to live and plead for us sinners into eternity. This living Lamb continues to come to us through the Lord's Supper and sustain us through life. This living Lamb continues to give us access to our holy God. You need to have his blood over the doorpost of your faith – or you too will perish under God’s wrath.
If this doesn’t seem clear to you –
just look at the picture that John draws through is vision. Could it be any more graphic? Revelation
II. How does the lamb shepherd?
It is one beautiful picture to sit back and see the Lamb slaughtered for sins and resurrected from the dead - sitting on his throne. But the picture that John draws takes it a step further. Not only does he picture the Lamb sitting at the center of the throne to be adored and worshiped – but he also calls the Lamb down from the throne and installs him as a Shepherd. This is different indeed – a lamb being a shepherd!
How does a lamb shepherd? Consider this: according to some farmers – lambs will follow not only the voice of the shepherd – but also the lead lamb. In other words, if one lamb which happens to be in the lead goes walking off of a cliff – the others will follow. Might this show us the significance of the lamb becoming the shepherd? In order to lead us – the Lord Jesus became one of us – a seemingly helpless little human. He walked in front of us into the most terrible and terrifying places this world has to offer. He faced the devil, blazed a pathway through hell, and suffered God’s condemnation – being slaughtered on a cross. None of us would have the power or strength to follow Christ there. But thank God we don’t have to! God raised the dead and lifeless Lamb from the dead. After his resurrection – this sacrificial Lamb then comes back to us and says, “it has been finished. The pathway has been blazed. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I offer you a free salvation. I am with you to the very end of the age.” Our fellow human then says to us, “Follow me through the valley of the shadow of death – through this narrow passageway of faith.”
This picture in Revelation seems to take place in the middle of heaven. This symbolism seems to indicate that we don’t need the lion anymore – that the battle is done. In heaven we will not need Jesus to be a mighty warrior – because the battle will be finished. The Lamb shows that there is now peace with God – tranquility under this gentle and soft shepherd. This is seen throughout the verses prior to this.
Revelation 5:4-6 See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. . . they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”
The Lion turned Lamb portrays for us a picture of victory and peace. It is easy to follow this Lamb, because we know that He already went through hell for us and raised from the dead. We know through this vision of heaven that He is and will be ruling as the victorious King. He promises us that His pathway is as safe as it can be.
If you are yet afraid of following this Lamb – if He still seems to weak and helpless - look at the wonderful promise that we have of heaven. He will lead them to springs of living water. Later on John describes this spring as a river as clear as crystal, flowing down the middle of the Heavenly Jerusalem and producing fruit to the tree of life. Here we have the fulfillment of the “still waters” promised way back by David in Psalm 23. In contrast to the fires of hell – where the rich man begged for just one drop of water to touch his tongue, the believer will be led to springs of living water.
Way back in the Gospels – in a meeting of Nicodemus and Jesus – Jesus promised Nicodemus in John 7:38 Whoever believes in me, streams of living water will flow from within him. He said this to Nicodemus after telling him to be born of water and the spirit. It is the water of baptism that quenches our need for forgiveness – our thirst for perfection in this life. Unlike the death pot of Elisha’s time, this water is filled with a Living and Eternal Entity – the Holy Spirit – who breathes spiritual life into every believer. With this living water having been poured on us and in us, every day that we live we thirst for forgiveness more and more – we quest to experience Christ in every way. When we get to heaven – that living water that has been poured in our souls through the Word and sacrament will then come flowing out as water from the rock in the desert. Our thirst will be more than quenched. The righteousness that only covered us through faith and came trickling out will then pour through our bodies and souls. The Christ that we could only see hidden through the eyes of faith will live and radiate before our very eyes and penetrate our inmost being. We can’t imagine what a wonderful existence this will be. This is where the Lamb is shepherding us to – springs of living water.
When people buy pets – they do so based on what they want. If they want an easier maintenance animal – they might pick a cat over a dog. If they want more attention and love, they might pick a dog over the cat. It all depends on what you want.
If you had the choice of a shepherd – none of us would have chosen the Lamb. It is not flashy. It is not powerful. Like it or not – God chose the Lamb. The Lamb may not be flashy. It may not be what people would ask for. It may not be what you would expect or want. But the Lamb is what you need. In the Lamb you see a beautiful picture of sacrifice. In the Lamb you see what a loving and gentle Shepherd you have – who leads you to springs of living water. He’s everything you never wanted, yet everything you’ll always need. Amen.