16th August

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. Isaiah 53, 7

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1, 18 & 19

The lamb statue

The story of this lamb statue deserves to be told. While the cathedral in Köln was being built there was a lamb which juddered quietly between the scaffoldings. Suddenly, a worker looses his balance and falls among the rubble. He is believed to be dead. But no, he fell on the lamb whose thick fleece absorbed the fall. The animal is dead, but the man is saved.

I don't know if this story is true, anyhow it illustrates a great truth which appears since the beginning of the Bible: Easter which was first celebrated by Israel when leaving Egypt required the sacrifice of a lamb in every house. The door frame was covered by it's blood to preserve the place from the passing by of the exterminating angel. God himself had supplied the Israelites with the means to protect themselves from his own anger.

The New Testament enlightens everything: Jesus is designed as the Lamb of God who by his death on the cross takes away the sin of the world (John 1, 29 & 36). However this was not an accidental death like in our story. Christ willingly substituted for us to undergo the condamnation which our sins would have deserved. By the sacrifice of himself he wanted to obtain salvation for lost men. Under one condition: men have to recognize that they are guilty and they have to accept his sacrifice for themselves. Has everyone of us done this?