Last Sunday's Gospel Reading on the baptism of Jesus reminded us that, in Scripture, God does everything possible to live among God's people here on earth--whether it is God descending on Sinai, journeying with the Israelites via the tabernacle, taking residence at the temple in Jerusalem, and fulfilling the promise of "Immanuel".
This Sunday's Johannine Reading resonates with the same theme: God finding ways to live among God's people here on earth. The number of sermons and commentaries on "The Lamb of God" is voluminous. But contemporary Hebrew Bible scholarship-- especially on the Priestly Tradition in the Pentateuch--can help us better understand the meaning of "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
Whether it is about Mount Sinai, the Tabernacle, the Jerusalem Temple, and eventually, the territories of ancient Israel and Judah, the blood that is offered as purification (or sin) offerings acts as ritual detergent. "Sins" make God's dwelling places "dirty". The offerings and its related rituals (washing hands, bathing, etc.) make sure that God has a welcoming place God can call home among us.
Remember when we were children? Remember all the rituals we did to keep our homes clean and welcoming? Remember all the times we had to wash up, bathe, brush our teeth, and wear fresh clothes when we were expecting guests?
In other words, my friends, the blood of the lamb makes the whole world, including you and me, spotlessly clean so that God can dwell among us. For the Christian, Jesus is the reason the whole world is cleansed. For the Christian, Jesus is the reason God is not in heaven anymore.
Praise the Lord!
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*image, "The Lamb of God" at the Basilica dei Santi Cosma e Damiano (Rome, Italy), from the vanderbilt divinity library digital archives.
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