The Lion shall lie down with the Lamb, for where there had once been enmity, there only exists peace. The One who is called “Jehovah” was slain to avert the Father’s wrath, so that those who deserved punishment could be found blameless. For in Him their regrets no longer bear any consequence since His death broke the chains of judgment. So like a young sheep who was led to the slaughter, He walked this lonely path, for it was His life alone that was chosen to be the sacrifice for mankind.
Then His arrival on earth was not that of a normal child, for though He came down from heaven as a babe, even the day of His birth was marked with the sole purpose: to be the righteousness of man incarnate; the One who would exemplify, in human form, the incorruptible qualities of God. Until that time, man only knew law and judgment, but His death changed all of that, for He became the “New Covenant” between man and God, where only grace and mercy await the repentant, leaving absent the fear of reproach. For those found in Christ now share in His perfection, and therefore, are seen as well-pleasing and acceptable to the Father.
It was through the brutality of the Cross that He sought to reinstate harmony back into the world, for He knew this painful end was the single answer for bridging the deep chasm of sin which kept man from truly knowing the Father. It was no accident that He became the Savior, for this was the understanding He carried all the days of His life.
So while some may see Him just as a zealot who was martyred for His beliefs, His crucifixion was more than symbolic, as the spilling of His blood made this act of atonement permanent for the criminal and the transgressor, who are vile in nature, and truly deserving of condemnation and death.
But if it were not for Him, who else would have had the right reputation to bear this burden? For though He Himself was guiltless, He bore the blame of the whole world upon His shoulders. It’s not that He simply laid down His life for another, or for what He believed (since heroes of war and other men have been willing to do the same), but that He was undeserving of the judgment He received, for all of God’s wrath became His portion to endure.
Yet, His death on the Cross was not His end, for what came after was the proof that He was sent from the Father, as God’s One and only true Son: the One who appeared in human form to serve as the perfect mediator between the Father and those He created: those who were formerly considered outcasts due to their earthly and spiritual lineage; for the generations of man would have remained banished from God’s presence unless Jesus had stepped in to restore man’s fallen state.
So when believers talk of the ‘Lion and the Lamb’, it is a picture in the natural realm of two who cannot coexist. Yet, in the spiritual, it is a depiction of the peace which has come to the soul’s of man, for now all have the opportunity to rest in eternal forgiveness because Christ came as the Conquering King: the Lion of Judah who has triumphed over sin, and as the spotless Lamb who bore the penalty for the world’s iniquities.
Then He forever laid to rest the hostility between God and mankind, so that any who choose to follow after Him might walk in freedom, as new creations: those, who through His sacrificial blood, now stand chaste and pure before the Father.
Then who would refuse this glorious gift, and decline the advantage His death has brought them?
And though “None!” should be the reply to this question, alas, many are the number who shall decide to remain debtors. For though His offer includes what they owe, these are unable to see the benefit of surrendering their offenses to Him. Yet, without His intervention, surely these must pay their debt, for there exists a high price that is counted against every transgressor. However, not a single individual on their own can satisfy the amount due, for to be set free from this obligation requires perfection.
But who has ever been able to claim this reputation? No one, save One, for Christ alone has borne this distinction. Therefore, it is in His name and through His blood that a person is left owing nothing, for He took every single charge against man and accepted the penalty the world rightly deserved so that those He loved could be rejoined with their Creator.
Though humbly and lowly He entered the world, His death was nothing short of magnificent, because in those moments of pain and anguish He forever crushed the bond between sin and death. The seal which once marked man’s fate had finally been broken, exemplified when His tomb lay wide open. For when that stone was rolled away, it spoke of this eternal shift, where the barrier which kept mankind from God the Father had been removed.
So now, those who are the most undeserving can share in His reward, for none are denied when repentant and contrite. Then, it is through Him alone that a more amicable relationship with God and man is restored. It is His presence in their relationship which enables someone to say, “God is my friend!” This was the reason Jesus came and was put to death. For though He may have died as a Lamb, upon His resurrection, He rose as a roaring Lion: the One who finally reconciled mankind with the Father.
“Who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” -Philippians 2:6-11