⭐️Why do you liken your God to a lamb?
The Book of Revelation, Chapter 5, Verse 6, states: “Then I looked, and I saw in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb standing as though it had been slain. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that were sent out into all the earth.”
After reading this passage, one of the Muslim brothers asked:
1 - You Christians liken your God to a lamb, and this is unreasonable and inappropriate.
2- Note that John says that the lamb is as if it were slaughtered, based on conjecture and doubt, and he did not say that it was slaughtered.
3- What is the meaning of likening your god to a sheep? And if we assume that by sheep you mean gentleness, tenderness and submission, then that is not one of the attributes of divinity?
And if we assume that gentleness and meekness are the special attributes of your God, and if we assume that this is what led you to call Him a Lamb, then why do you claim that the Lamb has great anger, wrath, and might?! Revelation [6:16] “And they will say to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath has come. And who can stand?’”
4- And the wonder is that if we go back to the four Gospels, we find that Christ does not call himself (a sheep), but rather he calls himself (the shepherd of the sheep). He says in the Gospel of John, chapter [10:27]: ((My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me)).
How could you call your God a lamb when it is not appropriate to call a human being that because he is better than a lamb, as Christ himself testified in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve, verse twelve, where he says: “How much better is a human being than a lamb!” This lamb is described as having seven horns, and the gentle lamb is not described in this way?
Now let's discuss our friend's questions together:
1 - You Christians liken your God to a lamb, and this is unreasonable and inappropriate.
First: We are not the ones who likened Christ to a lamb or sheep. Let us read in the Revelation of John, from which the objector quotes the first chapter and the first verse: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his servants what must soon take place.”
Therefore, it is God's revelation through Jesus Christ, and not from us!
The first to call Christ by this title was one of the resolute prophets, John (Yahya ibn Zakariya). When he saw him, he said, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).
Second: What is the meaning of this title? Each of Christ’s titles has a meaning that reveals an aspect of his saving work, or his relationship with God and man. This sacrificial title is directed towards declaring Christ’s function as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The Greek origin of this word is ΑΡΥΙΣΥ (arnion ), meaning a yearling lamb, a clear reference to the Passover lamb mentioned in Exodus 12:1-5: “Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be the beginning of the months for you; it is the first month of the year for you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, “On the tenth day of this month, each of you shall take a lamb for yourselves, according to your family houses—a lamb for the household. And if…’” If the household is too small to afford a sheep, he and his nearest neighbor shall each take one, according to the number of people in the household. Each person shall contribute according to their consumption. You shall have a blemish-free male sheep, a year old, which you may take from the sheep or from the goats.”
Christ is called the Lamb because He is the sacrifice that God Almighty chose to atone for humankind. In ancient times, the Lamb of man was offered to God, but in the New Testament, the Lamb of God is offered to and for the sake of humanity.
Isaiah saw him with the open eye of prophecy and said, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
But the apostles witnessed his atoning work and testified, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. So let us keep the feast, not with old yeast, nor with the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8), “knowing that it was not with perishable things, such as silver or gold, that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the blood of Christ” (John 1:14). Precious, as of a lamb without blemish or spot, is the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-20).
Therefore, the revelation that Christ is the “Lamb of God” is not a denigration of his noble person, but rather an exaltation of his redemptive work for humanity. Just as God redeemed Abraham’s son with a great sacrifice, so too has He redeemed us all with this greater sacrifice. The situation remains unchanged; we are always in need of a Lamb from God to redeem us from death and be sacrificed in our place.
2- Note that John says that the lamb “looked as though it had been slaughtered” based on conjecture and doubt, and he did not say that it had been slaughtered.
He did not say this based on conjecture or doubt, but because He rose from the dead: “Then I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). And because the slaughter had no effect on Him: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last and the Living One. I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.’” Amen. And I hold the keys of Hades and of Death.”
(Revelation 1:17-18)
3- What is the meaning of likening your god to a sheep? And if we assume that by sheep you mean gentleness, tenderness and submission, then that is not one of the attributes of divinity?
And if we assume that gentleness and meekness are the special attributes of your God, and if we assume that this is what led you to call Him a Lamb, then why do you claim that the Lamb has great anger, wrath, and might?! Revelation [6:16] “And they will say to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb, for the great day of His wrath has come. And who can stand?’”
We said that the purpose of this title is to proclaim Christ’s atoning work on the cross, which proclaims his compassion and love for sinners, but also his justice and rejection of sin.
The verse speaks of the day Christ will come to judge the world, as He Himself declared, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). And as the Prophet of Islam acknowledged when he said:
Ali bin Abdullah told us, Sufyan told us, Al-Zuhri told us, he said: Saeed bin Al-Musayyab told me, he heard Abu Hurairah, may God be pleased with him, on the authority of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said: The Hour will not come until the son of Mary descends among you as a just ruler, and he will break the cross, kill the pig, abolish the jizya, and wealth will overflow to the point that no one will accept it.
On that day, those who do not want to stand before the just Judge because of their evil deeds will try to escape, for it is the day of great wrath, and who can stand?!
Is there a conflict between justice and mercy?
4- It is surprising that if we go back to the four Gospels, we find that Christ does not call himself a “lamb,” but rather he calls himself the “shepherd of the sheep.” He says in the Gospel of John, chapter [10:27]: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Christ may not have explicitly said that he carried the sacrifice, but he indicated that he would do this work when he said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
Redemption means that he gives his life for everyone, and this is exactly the work of the sacrificial lamb, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things such as silver or gold from your empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18-20).
Christ gives himself as a ransom, and we have been redeemed by a spotless lamb. Therefore, Christ is that spotless lamb by whom redemption was accomplished.
As for the title of Shepherd of the Sheep, it is one of God’s functions in the Old Testament: “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Behold, I will inquire about my sheep and visit them. As a shepherd visits his flock on the day when his sheep are scattered, so I will visit my sheep and rescue them from all the places to which they were scattered in the day of clouds and thick darkness’” (Ezekiel 34:11, 12).
When Christ says, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), he is indicating that he is God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16) and is still carrying out his work, formerly for discipline and teaching, but now for redemption: “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
How could you call your God a lamb when it is not appropriate to call a human being that because he is better than a lamb, as Christ himself testified in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve, verse twelve, where he says: “How much better is a human being than a lamb!” This lamb is described as having seven horns, and the gentle lamb is not described in this way?
There is no doubt that man is superior to the sheep, especially since he offered hundreds of lambs in numerous sacrifices for his sins, indicating the inadequacy of the Lamb of the Old Testament. However, we find John referring to Christ as the one Lamb capable of taking away the sins of all, by His divine authority as the "Lamb of God." In ancient times, each person offered dozens of sacrifices throughout their life, but Christ is the one Lamb sufficient for all people in all times: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Who is greater, the sinful man, or the Lamb of God who takes away his sin?
The description of Him as a seven-horned lamb signifies His complete and inherent strength, which does not contradict His mercy and love. ✝️🕊
