How does Acts 8:32 foreshadow Jesus' sacrificial role as the Lamb of God? Acts 8:32—The Prophetic Line “ ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.’ ” (Acts 8:32) Immediate Setting • The Ethiopian official is reading Isaiah 53 while returning from Jerusalem. • Philip, led by the Spirit, meets him on the road and explains that the passage speaks of Jesus. • Luke’s narration highlights how the early church read the prophets as literal, Spirit-given testimony about Christ. Isaiah 53:7—Source of the Quotation • “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:7) • Written centuries before the cross, Isaiah portrays an innocent sufferer willingly accepting death. • The lamb imagery matches Old-Covenant sacrifice: spotless, submissive, offered for sin. Foreshadowing the Sacrificial Lamb • Voluntary submission: Jesus “did not open His mouth” before Caiaphas and Pilate (Matthew 26:62-63; 27:12-14). • Innocence and perfection: like a Passover lamb “without blemish” (Exodus 12:5; 1 Peter 1:19). • Substitutionary death: the lamb dies so others may live, anticipating Christ “bearing our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5-6). • Public slaughter: Golgotha mirrors the altar scene—sin placed on the victim, blood poured out for atonement. New-Testament Echoes • John 1:29—“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” • 1 Corinthians 5:7—“Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” • 1 Peter 1:18-19—redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.” • Revelation 5:6—John beholds “a Lamb who appeared to have been slain,” receiving worship forever. From Prophecy to Fulfillment • Acts 8:32 bridges Isaiah’s vision and the historical cross. • The Spirit ensures the church recognizes Jesus as the promised Lamb. • The continuity of Scripture—prophet, Gospel, epistle, apocalypse—reveals one unified story of redemption through a slain yet victorious Lamb. Living in the Light of the Lamb • Confidence: the same God who planned the sacrifice orchestrates every detail of salvation. • Gratitude: the cost of redemption—“the precious blood of Christ”—moves hearts to worship. • Witness: like Philip, believers carry the Scriptures and point others to the Lamb who takes away sin. |
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