It really is a great advertising campaign, that lamb one. I found myself ordering Australia Day lamb cutlets for the first time last week, along with anything that sounded like ‘lamb’: lamingtons, lambrusco, lamborghinis (had to cancel that last one). It also triggered my Christian brain into thinking about the ‘lamb’ imagery in the Bible. It’s a potent metaphor throughout, all the way from Abraham’s sacrificial lambs in Genesis through to the enthroned Lamb of God image in the last chapter of the Book of Revelation.

The lamb is a fairly unlikely symbol for religious triumph, but the Bible uses it to indicate that Jesus was a humble sacrifice for the sins of the world and now rules as king in the heavenly realm and will one day be revealed as Lord of all. The slaughtered lamb is the ruler sitting on the throne, according to the startling imagery of Revelation 5:6.

What does this image suggest to Christians about the nature of rulership, authority and power? What kind of message does it send that a slain Lamb is Lord of all?

First, it indicates that true greatness comes from sacrifice. Those whom God lifts up are those who serve him completely. The pathway to the throne is a costly one.

Second, it suggests that might is not right; gentleness, humility, purity, love, care and beauty (lamb-like qualities) are the true instruments of power. These are the qualities that properly align with the contours of the universe.

Third, the kind of rule that God intends will surprise us. It’s a surprise to see a lamb on a throne, let alone a slain lamb. It’s an image that confuses and delights us. As Paul Barnett notes*, when John the Baptist announces Jesus’ arrival (“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”), he was also announcing that the temple system of Judaism was no longer necessary: this one perfect Lamb would be a sufficient ‘payment’ for sin. That was, and still is, stunning and hard-to-accept news.

I am always deeply moved by how in the Bible much symbolic power is invested in plain, earthy things: trees, wine, bread. The lamb imagery is a superb example of how God’s plans for the universe can be made clear using straightforward images that everyone can understand.

If you are enjoying lamb on Australia Day, give it some spiritual significance as well as national significance. It’s not just a clever ad campaign, but also a reminder to Christians of the kind of God we worship.

*Paul Barnett, John: the Shepherd King (Aquila Press, 2005), p.19.

Feature image: Flickr_manthatcooks

lamb chops image: Flickr_alxyz

Jesus lamb of God image: Flickr_nickinexsilio