WITHOUT BLEMISH

Your lamb shall be without blemish….        Exo 12:5

Without exception, including that first Passover night, God demanded that the sacrifices of the Old Testament be “without blemish”. This means that they were to be perfect, free from disease, and without spot; they were not to be blind, lame, or sick (Mal 1:8). The lamb must be fit to stand the close attention and scrutiny of all in the household, and have no visible defects and no hidden flaws. The smallest deformity or defect made a lamb unfit for sacrifice. This is a picture of the Lord Jesus.

We probably want to portray ourselves in the best possible light in public. The Lord Jesus was a Man whose perfections were appreciated, not always on earth, but in heaven.  God was pleased to  announce, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Mat 3:17).  It is interesting that John’s Gospel is the only one in the NT who does not record this statement; he refers to John the Baptist's statement that He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), and that must have been regarded as sufficient to affirm that He is "without blemish".

Paul, the man of intellect, tells us, “He knew no sin”  (2Co 5:21); Peter, the man of action, tells us, “He did no sin” (1 Pet. 2:22); and John, the man of affection, tells us “In Him was no sin” (1Jn 3:5). We glory in the holy character of the Lord Jesus, apart from which He could never have been our sacrifice. Our lamb  is indeed without blemish.