Revelation 5:6: “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

August 29th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

It is interestingly that an elder referred to Jesus as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” but then when John turned toward the throne, instead of seeing a Lion, he saw a Lamb, or literally a “pet lamb.” In Exodus 12:3, God required the Jewish slaves in Egypt to bring the first Passover lamb into their homes for 4 days before it was to be butchered, essentially making it a pet.

When John saw Jesus, he saw Him as a lamb that had been slaughtered, suggesting that Jesus still bears the marks of the cross, which He suffered for us. If His wounds are a permanent condition, our first view of Jesus in heaven may be a startling experience. We will certainly realize our own responsibility in Him receiving them, and we will be all the more thankful for His sacrifice on our behalf.

A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school’s first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy’s dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.

At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking. “How did you get the scar on your face?” the teacher asked.

The mother replied, “When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to shield him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She touched the burned side of her face. “This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did.”

At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.¹

In a similar manner, Jesus Christ bears a scar—many scars, in fact.

“Thank You, LORD, for taking our punishment. Help us to remember to be thankful and serve You well this day.”

¹Lih Yuh Kuo, “The Scar,” Chicken Soup For the Soul (Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1997), p. 225.