The Lamb that the Prophets Foretold

Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” (Acts 8:32-34).

If we are willing, the Holy Spirit will help us to experience the curiosity of the Ethiopian Eunuch. Unlike contemporary disciples, he did not know that Isaiah was describing Jesus Christ. If we put aside our knowledge of the answer to his penetrating question, I believe we can receive a beautiful picture of the amazing glory, grace, and truth of God that is expressed in the Messiah... “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  Here we get a wonderful glimpse of the Lamb that the prophets foretold.

We see God’s glory in Christ’s humiliation. I used to think of the resurrection as the moment of God’s greatest glory. Indeed, Christ’s victory over the grave assures us of victory over sin and its deadly consequences. But when Jesus spoke of the hour of His glory, He pointed clearly to the humiliation of the cross… “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:23-24). Indeed, the Spirit inspired Paul to write about the power and glory of the cross… “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:13-15). John the Baptist recognized the Lamb of God after Christ humbly submitted to baptism… “The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). You see, our blessed hope was secured by the resurrection, but it was purchased through the glorious humiliation of the Lamb of God.

We see God’s grace in Christ’s silence. How hard it is to keep silent when we believe we are right, when we have a strong argument and a sacred cause. Imagine Christ, the Son of God, with all authority and sovereignty, keeping silent in the face of the anger and hostility of His accusers. The night before, in the garden betrayal, Jesus revealed the power that was watching and waiting to be released upon His word… “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). But this battle would not be won with words or swords. Sin and death would be overcome by God’s grace working powerfully through the silent Lamb of God.

We see God’s truth in Christ’s injustice. When we look at the crucifixion through natural eyes, we are deceived because we see the justice of the Jewish council carried out against a blaspheming criminal. Jesus was a threat to the centuries old religious order. He broke all the rules and upset all the traditions that the elders were sworn to uphold. But when we look closely, the Holy Spirit guides us to the truth and we see the Son of God on the cross, executing divine justice in exchanging His life for ours. Christ was submitting to a higher justice, the justice of God… “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:23-24). While crowds demanded the crucifixion of an innocent man, God’s truth was being revealed in their injustice toward the Lamb of God.

As we grow up into Christ, we see and appreciate God’s glory, grace, and truth as revealed in Jesus, …

The Lamb that the Prophets Foretold.

The Grace that Pursues Us

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him (Acts 8:26-31).

An angel told Philip to leave the excitement and success of the Samaritan crusade and go off to… “a desert place”. This was an unattractive, illogical command. When I put myself in Philip’s place, I am ashamed to say that I would probably have raised some major objections with this angel. Then there was the Ethiopian official. We know… “he had come to Jerusalem to worship”. The Spirit shows us that as He worshipped the Lord, something got a grip on his heart. He was searching the scriptures and reading about the Messiah as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. Something was shaking up these two lives and driving them to a glorious convergence. God was at work, compelling His servant to leave the large flock of sheep in Samaria to go after a lost sheep from Ethiopia… “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing” (Luke 15:4-5). Luke remembered this parable of Jesus, and gives us here a wonderful glimpse of the grace that pursues us.

Grace called to the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian official’s heart is revealed here. He had traveled miles to Jerusalem to worship God. His desire to be near God also compelled him to study the scriptures on his way home. Jesus taught that God’s grace works to draw lost children to Himself… “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:44). God’s grace revealed through Christ still calls us to Him… “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). Because we are in Christ, we are called daily into a closer, intimate fellowship with our precious Father.

Grace connected Philip with the Ethiopian. I believe the Spirit inspired Luke to intentionally mention that the angel directed Philip to… “a desert place”. We are impressed that even though things were really going well in the Samarian revival, Philip… “rose and went” to this lonely, hostile, desert place without hesitation, question, or objection. God did not pick Philip up and supernaturally transport him into the desert. God’s grace moved on Philip’s pure, obedient heart, and he was compelled to obey. That’s what God’s grace does. Beyond saving us, God’s grace sets us apart from the world, makes us available to Him, fills us with anticipation for the appearance of Jesus, and makes us eager to do His work… “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14). God’s grace is working in our lives today, just as it did in Philip, to connect us with those Christ wants us to love and serve into a saving relationship with Him.

Grace compelled Philip to speak to the Ethiopian. The grace that connected Philip and the Ethiopian also compelled Philip to speak to him. God’s grace moved and empowered Philip to share understanding that would lead the Ethiopian to Christ. The Spirit of grace wants us to share His gospel too… “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). We enjoy the blessing of leading others to Christ as we are compelled to speak His gospel into their lives.

As we grow up into Christ, we have been saved and we are compelled to share His gospel by…

The Grace that Pursues Us.