Can you imagine anything more ridiculous than the almighty God having a lamb-like nature? And yet that’s exactly what we must conclude if, in fact, Jesus reveals the nature of God1. He not only died as the lamb of God,2 he lived as the lamb of God to show us what God is like.3
This presents a real problem. No one wants a lamb for a hero, much less a God. Calling someone a sheep is a derogatory term meaning they are a mindless wimp without their own convictions. We want a God of power, not one of meekness.
And yet, God’s essence, the Christ of God, is revealed as a lamb.
In a desperate attempt to avoid this conclusion, some cling to the story of Jesus turning over tables in the temple. To be sure, he was angry, but who was he angry with? Harsh, religious people who refused his way of love and peace! Leaders who wanted to stone adulterers and control others with threats of social exclusion. Jesus rebuked such individuals sharply for their lack of love.4 As many have noted, meekness is not weakness.
Repulsed at the idea of having a non-violent Saviour or God, some turn to the book of Revelation. They prefer another image of Jesus, the “lion of the tribe of Judah.” I heard one preacher rail about how it would not be a “meek and mild Jesus” that returns but rather a terrifying lion. A careful reading of Revelation tells a different story. Ironically, in this book renowned for its violent scenes, lamb imagery applied to Jesus reaches its height .
The key to understanding Revelation comes in the very first verse which tells us the book is “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The word translated “revelation” is the Greek word, apokalypsis, from which we get our English word, apocalypse. It simply means “unveiling.”
In chapter five, John sees Jesus unveiled. The elder says to him, “Behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” When John looks for the lion, however, what does he see? The next verse leaves us in no doubt. “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne . . . stood a Lamb.“
The lion turns out to be a lamb!
This is the only time Revelation refers to Jesus as a lion, but he is spoken of as a lamb 27 more times.
In the climactic battle of the ages, Jesus conquers as a lamb whose “clothes are dipped in blood.”5 In ancient times, having one’s garments spattered with your enemy’s blood was considered heroic. Once again, Revelation turns violent imagery on its head.
As Greg Boyd points out,6 Jesus’ robes are stained with blood before he goes into battle and they’re stained, not with his enemies’, but with his own blood! Furthermore, he doesn’t slaughter with a steel sword, but rather one that comes out of his mouth, a clear reference to the Word of Truth which he speaks.
God has no need to exercise violence. The judgement depicted in Revelation is simply a consequence of God unveiling himself. The same presence that draws those who love him horrifies those who oppose. To one God’s presence is the savour of life, to the other, the savour of death.7
Those who cling to evil hate God’s presence. In Rev. 6 we see them in caves crying out for the mountains and rocks to hide them from the face of God. “Face,” in the bible is a metaphor for “presence.” They beg to be hidden from the Lord’s presence.
There comes a time of judgement when God says, “If you don’t want to be in my presence, I will let you have your way.” Violent images in Revelation are metaphorical. They depict poetically the disastrous results of choosing to abide outside of God’s presence.
But what will the unveiling of Jesus mean for those who welcome him?
Peace
Swords will be beaten into blades for plows and spears into gardening shears.8 In other words, scripture invites us to imagine a time when war will be no more and technology will only be used for the good. Can we conceive of the hundreds of billions of dollars spent annually on warfare going instead to the development of artificial intelligence or other amazing technologies, all for the benefit of everyone?
In conclusion, do we want a gentle, humble God? As mentioned in a previous post, we are now in a war, but what will we do when the war is over? Will we lose respect for a non-violent God who has no one left to conquer? Will we miss having an enemy?
A.W. Tozer says the most important thing about us is what comes to mind when we think the word, God. Furthermore, what comes to mind, we will tend to become.9
So does conceiving of a harsh God make you more harsh? Is it possible to think of God having a lamb nature? If we did, would it make us more like Jesus, the lamb of God?
- Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3 ↩︎
- Isa. 53:7; John 1:29,36; Acts 8:32-35; 1 Pet. 1:19 ↩︎
- N.B. the abundance of verses concerning Jesus’ meekness, peace etc., qualities naturally associated with lambs:
-he is prophesied to be the “Prince of Peace”(Isa. 9:6)
-he will guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79)
-angels proclaim peace to the earth at his birth (Luke 2:14)
-his gospel is called “the gospel of peace” (Luke 2:9-14; Luke 10:5-6;Acts 10:36;Eph. 2:17; Eph. 6:15)
-Jesus himself is our peace Eph. 2:14
-Jesus calls himself gentle and humble in heart. Mat. 11:28-30.
-He is described as being so gentle he could never hurt even the weakest or most vulnerable amongst us. Mat. 12:17-21
-Jesus’ bodily death destroyed enmity and established peace between hostile groups (Eph. 2:14-16)
-Jesus proclaims peace to everyone (Eph. 2:17)
-Jesus is so committed to peace he says something that was never conceived of before he came, “Love your enemies” (Mat 5:43-48)
-He then models his conviction by dying for his enemies rather than hurt them in any way even asking the Father to forgive them (Luke 23:34). ↩︎ - John 5:42 ↩︎
- Rev. 17:14;19:11-16 ↩︎
- https://reknew.org/2022/05/does-revelation-belong-in-the-bible-podcast/ ↩︎
- 2 Cor. 2:14-16 ↩︎
- Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10; Micah 4:3 ↩︎
- Psa. 115:8; Psa. 135:18 ↩︎
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