Lion of Judah, Calvary's Lamb

Lions are imposing. Awe-inspiring. There’s a magnificence about their massive heads and tawny manes and slow, regal movements that commands respect.

I’ve only ever seen them in a zoo. Even then, I was happy about the sturdy fence and deep moat that separated us. Sure, I would have loved to put an arm around that great mane and patted a huge paw, but I didn’t consider doing anything like that – not for a minute. Lions aren’t... approachable.

But a lamb. So non-aggressive, so lacking in self-protection. Lambs are gentle and vulnerable as they look at the world around them. Lambs invite laughter as they frisk clumsily about. They practically beg to be patted and petted and whispered to as they lay mutely on their straw.

Nobody laughs with a lion. Nobody giggles in his ear. He is a very serious beast.

The theme for worship at FAC during these weeks surrounding Easter is “Lion of Judah, Calvary's Lamb.” Those words tell the Easter story. We needed a Savior, and God sent Jesus to conquer sin and death, and lead us into eternal life:

As our Lion, he took sin and Satan very seriously, and engaged them in a cosmic showdown. With relentless intent He set His face toward Jerusalem, and when He got there He dragged evil outside the city gate and mercilessly disposed of its power over mankind.

As our Lamb, our Savior became vulnerable to us. His betrayer easily came close to kiss Him. His executioners met no struggle. “He was led... to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). He did not recoil from the sin that was heaped upon Him, and He died without a snarl. Lambs don’t snarl.

In Revelation 5, the apostle John is shown a scroll filled with writing. It is sealed, however, and there is no one worthy to open it. He begins to weep at the impossibility of the situation, until an elder says to him, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll.” When John looks through tear-dimmed eyes to see this Lion, there appears... a Lamb, looking like it has been slain. A Lamb Who is being worshipped by living creatures and elders and angels numbering ten thousand times ten thousand, and every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth...

The Lion of Judah, Calvary's Lamb, our Savior and Lord.

I realize afresh this Easter that I need a lion and a lamb. A Lion Who commands my respect and protects me and defeats my enemies... and a Lamb Who invites me to come close and laugh in His ear and know Him intimately.

As Holy Week draws near, I want to worship Jesus Christ as both Lion and Lamb. The Lion Who has become approachable, the Lamb Who has become Lord.