Jesus was born among the lambs. The birth itself was clearly a miracle—Mary was a virgin. We profess this in the Apostles’ Creed when we declare that Jesus “was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.”

But was the place of Jesus’ birth merely the result of circumstances? Instead of choosing some plush, royal venue for the birth of His son, God chose a humble stable. We know from Scripture that this was partly to demonstrate remarkable humility on the part of Jesus. Truly, He “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant . . . . He humbled himself” (philippians 2:7–8).

But there is another reason why Jesus was born in a humble stable. The lamb stands out as of prime importance. Every Jew living in Jesus’ day would immediately know the significance of lambs in worship. Each day two lambs were slaughtered—one in the morning and another in the afternoon—as a general offering for the sins of the people.

God’s Law stipulated the requirement to sacrifice lambs as sin offerings (leviticus 4:32), guilt offerings (14:12), and other forms of offerings. But why?

These practices can be traced to the first Passover when God freed the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt (exodus 12). God, through Moses, gave instructions regarding His rescue plans. Every family was to slaughter a lamb and apply its blood on the doorposts. God visited Egypt in judgment that night. Wherever He saw lamb’s blood on a doorpost He would pass over that house. The Israelites were saved from death and led into freedom.

The lamb became a reminder of redemption and freedom. But all the sacrificial lambs of Israel were only symbols in anticipation of the one Lamb who would bring salvation to Israel and the nations. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah foresaw that when he wrote about the Suffering Servant: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (isaiah 53:7).

When we come to the New Testament, we note how John the Baptist declared who Jesus was and why He had come to earth: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (john 1:29). That statement sets ablaze the whole historical and liturgical tradition of Israel with the glory of God’s saving truth. It answers the longing of every heartfelt prayer and explains the motive of every divine act.

This theme of Jesus as the Lamb of God through whom the sins of the world are dealt with finds rich expression in the New Testament. Referring to requirements in Jewish religious rituals, Peter wrote about “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 peter 1:19). Likewise, Paul described Christ as “our Passover lamb” (1 corinthians 5:7). We see from the way the Last Supper is narrated in the Gospels that Jesus understood this.

On the day of Unleavened Bread when the Passover
lamb was sacrificed, Jesus had a meal with His disciples. As He offered broken bread and the juice of crushed grapes, He made it clear that He was the Passover lamb who was being offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (luke 22:7–20).

This truth of Jesus as the Lamb of God is of vital importance. Jesus is described repeatedly in the book of Revelation as the Lamb. The apostle John saw a vision of the Lamb that had been slain standing in the center of the heavenly throne (revelation 5:6). In his vision, the four living creatures and 24 elders fell down in worship before the Lamb (5:8). Then the grand angelic choir sang, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (5:11–12). Then there will be the glorious scene of a great multitude from every tribe and nation standing before the Lamb (7:9) who, as their Shepherd, will wipe every tear-filled face and quench every thirst of the soul (7:15–17).

History will end with the Lamb on the throne, bringing salvation and ultimate peace. And this Lamb was born that night in a humble stable of an unnamed inn in an obscure town in Judea. Besides Joseph and Mary, the only people who knew about this momentous event were poor shepherds keeping watch over their flocks.

The flocks of these shepherds certainly had lambs, some of which were destined to be temple sacrifices. But centuries of sacrifices had not taken away the guilt engraved in human hearts. It was time for the birth of the Lamb of God who would finally take away the guilt of the human race.

The shepherds hurried to find the Lamb. Renaissance paintings of the scene depict the shepherds carrying little lambs on their shoulders. They found the Lamb and praised God. The birth of little Lamb in the manger was to become the turning point in human history. The history of slain lambs was coming to an unexpected climax. The story of this Lamb was going to define and redeem history and all the tragic stories of human beings. Hope had finally arrived in a dark world. It was time to sing joyful songs and start dreaming of a glorious new day.