And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain

— Revelation 5:6a

The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

— John 1:29

3 Tell all the congregation of Israel … take a lamb …for a household.

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,

6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire;

11b … And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.

13b … I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

— Exodus 12:3, 5, 6, 8, 11b, 12, 13b

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and peace to you from Jesus Christ.

While John heard an elder in God’s throne room announced the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David had triumphed and is qualified to open the scroll, he looked to the center of the throne and discovered the answer to his profound sorrow. He beheld a Lamb standing before the assembly, bearing the wounds of sacrificial slaughter. In Revelation, the Lamb appears many times. The Lamb points back to God’s redemptive plan.

When God redeemed His enslaved people in Egypt, He directed all Israelite families to sacrifice a spotless lamb to atone for their sin and spare the lives of their firstborn male children. This looked forward to the one perfect sacrifice offered by God: His own Son, Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb of God. The Apostle John had stood near the cross when the Lamb was crucified . At Jesus’ resurrection, John had entered the empty tomb. Now John saw the Lamb standing at the center of the throne encircled by the living creatures and elders—revealing the Lamb’s equality with God. The Lamb is the victorious Son of God, Jesus Christ.