John 1:29  Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

In the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain, you will find a stunning painting. The seventeenth-century Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran painted it from 1635 to 1640. He called it Agnus Dei - Latin for Lamb of God..

The painting depicts a wooly merino lamb lying on its side. All four of its feet are bound together above the fetlock with two strands of a cord. The lamb is looking down, past its pink nose, at a gray slab.

The painting's black background serves to highlight the lamb's white wool. Here is a lamb that is perfect, sinless, and without defect. The dark background, though, does something else. It also makes clear why the lamb was slaughtered. Sin. Your sin. My sin. The entire world's dark, ugly, shameful sin.

The knot around the lamb's feet is out of sight, indicating that he can't be freed. He must be slaughtered. His blood alone sets us free from guilt and shame, death and hell.

As Christ the Lamb hung on the cross, blood was finally all He had. His disciples had run away. His garments had been gambled away. Even His Father had turned away. Blood was all Jesus had, but the blood of Jesus is all we need. The blood of Jesus is all we need!!! We are forgiven and free. Behold, the Lamb!

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