Difficult Questions: How is Jesus Both a Lamb and a Lion?

From time to time, we dig into Scripture and seek answers to difficult questions from the Bible. Today, we are asking the question: “How is Jesus both a lion and a lamb?”

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29 (KJV)

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. I Peter 1:19 (KJV)

Jesus came to earth the first time as a a sacrificial lamb to buy man back from the slave market of sin. He became the Lamb of God who took away our sin.

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Revelation 5:12 (KJV)

Revelation 5 shows us that Jesus died to save mankind as the spotless Lamb of God, thus fulfilling the Old Testament Scriptures.

Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:9-10 (KJV)

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Hebrews 7:14 (KJV)

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. Revelation 5:5 (KJV)

Jesus is called a lion because He descended from the tribe of Judah, whose emblem is the lion. Jesus will come back a second time with a roar against His enemies. A lion is king of the beasts, thus Jesus as the ferocious Lion King will come back the second time during the final war and will set up His kingdom forever. Jesus as King is a conquering lion who overcame, giving Him the right to rule forever. Of His kingdom there will be no end.

We can receive Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb to save us when He came the first time. If we reject His sacrifice, He will come the second time as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, making war with His enemies and defeating them.

The lion and the lamb also speak of the two sides or natures of Christ. He is gentle yet strong. He came to save, yet to conquer. He came to take our judgment or to be the Judge of mankind. He can be our Savior now or our Judge later. We choose which side of Jesus we experience; the Lamb or the Lion. Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. They are two aspects of Jesus Christ and both are to be honored.