And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Revelation 5:5-6
This morning one of the devotionals I read was about God the Father’s joy in Christ as both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God. Later as I was working around our house, my IPod shuffled to “Come Unto to Me” (by Nicole C. Mullen) which is a favorite of mine. Consequently, throughout the day I pondered these two images of Christ and what they mean for us as Christians. On the one hand, we have the powerful conquering Lion while on the other we have the meek, yet perfect Lamb of God.
Christ the Lion, who has conquered sin and death, stands ready to sustain us and provide for us. It is the power of the Son of God that makes Him able to supply all our needs. He affords us ample shelter and a ready defense both spiritually and physically. Christ the Lamb is the Son of Man who knows us. He appreciates our fragility physically, spiritually, and emotionally. He understands sickness, pain, death, temptation, fear, mourning, rejection, and difficult relationships in a very personal way. He recognizes exactly what we need and when we need it. However, when Christ’s deity and His humanity are brought together, we see how He truly seeks to provide for us and appreciate who He is and what He does so much more. Let’s look at a few more of the contrasts as they come together.
He is God and He is man. His righteousness, strength and power lie in His deity. In His humanity, He understands what it is like to live on earth, be subjected to ungodly rulers, live with sinful humans, and endure constant temptation. He can fully appreciate the anguish and the joy that we experience. As both, He knows how we were made, what we need, how our bodies, minds and souls function and react to the joys and pressures of life. His understanding is comprehensive.
Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Everything is put under His authority to do with as He wills. He is also the Good Shepherd that tends us, watches over us and guides us. Because He is both, He has everything at His disposal to perfectly shepherd, care for, direct us and bring us back when we stray off course. His care for us is complete.
Acts 10:42 reminds us that He is our Judge. Our sin is offensive and deserving of punishment. However, He is also our savior who has voluntarily laid down His life in our stead. These two roles come together in that, as Judge He accepts the perfect sacrifice that He as Savior provided on the cross for the atonement for our sins. As a result, we are clothed in Christ’s righteousness and rescued from punishment.
He is God (1 John 5:20) but He is also the Way, Truth and Life that brings us to God. When we yield to and follow Him, we find peace and contentment.
This is just the beginning. Spend some time, if you haven’t already, to understand who Christ is and all that He does for us. Either way, this brief dialogue should be sufficient to comprehend that it is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God as one entity that says to you “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) I can think of no better image to have as I bring my needs to the throne of God. It is where my pondering took me as I contemplated the concerns that have been weighing on my mind. That realization helped me remember that my savior, who is both the “Son of God” and the “Son of Man”, comes equipped with both power and compassion and is ready to supply all my needs (Phil 4:19). He is prepared to do that for you as well. Go to Him, humbly pour out your needs to Him and find rest for your soul.