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"As a sheep led to slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth" (Acts 8), the eunuch reads from the Prophet Isaiah. "About whom, pray, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" the eunuch asks Philip the Evangelist, whom the Holy Spirit has commanded to go up and join himself to the eunuch's chariot, and whom the eunuch has invited up into his chariot to instruct him so that he can understand what he's reading.
Rather than take this Scripture with a grain of salt and the events of Good Friday for granted which it foretokens and which interpret and fulfill it, perhaps we should ask ourselves and one another the eunuch's question--we who are not a dry tree and uninstructed as he was but living branches of the true Vine Jesus through faith in Him fully taught by His Spirit in His Word. Perhaps we should ask the Holy Spirit who joined us in Baptism, who converted us to saving faith in Jesus Christ and incorporated us as members of His body, the Church, to guide our hearing and reading and believing of this and all Scripture, which is by faith, and enlighten us.
So, how about it? Is Isaiah the sheep who is led to the slaughter? Is he the lamb who is dumb before his shearer, who opens not his mouth? Well, Philip isn't dumb! He knows who the Sheep is and he knows who the Lamb is. He opens his mouth. "And beginning with this Scripture he told [the eunuch] the good news of Jesus."
Jesus, not Isaiah, is the Sheep. He's the One who's led to the slaughter. We deserve to be, because of our sins. But Jesus is led to the slaughter in our place, as our Substitute, because He's loaded down with our sins. He's led to the slaughter in lieu of us, so that we, who deserve to be because of our sins, won't have to be. As I said, He's led to the slaughter as our Substitute, our Stand-In.
And God accepts Him as our Substitute and accepts His substitutionary sacrifice because He Himself is sinless and because He's willing to die in our place. Indeed, He is the Lamb who is skinned, shorn of His royal fleece as God's Son, mute before His shearer, not because He couldn't squawk about the unfairness of it all, but because this is how it must be for God's justice to be served, if we, the guilty party, are to go free.
"So he opens not his mouth." He goes uncomplaining forth to the slaughter in our stead, as our Stand-In, as our Sub. He's that stand-up kind of guy! And God accepts His sacrifice on our behalf and pardons us for His sake and reconciles and restores us to sonship on account of Him.
Thus far the lesson. And we don't just take the Scripture with a grain of salt. We don't take for granted the events of Good Friday which the Scripture foretokens and which fulfill and interpret it for our salvation. The Holy Spirit who joined us in Baptism and converted us to saving faith in Jesus and joined us to Him as members of His body has enlightened us by faith.
Who can describe Jesus' generation, indeed? "For his life is taken up from the earth." God didn't leave Him on the cross or in the tomb. He accepted His sacrifice. He raised His own dear Son from the dead and exalted Him to His own right hand. And He has raised and exalted us right along with Him through the faith He has given us in Him.
This is the Good News of Jesus which Philip imparted to the eunuch, beginning with this very Scripture. This Gospel is the implement by means of which the Holy Spirit implanted faith in the fertile furrow of the eunuch's heart, by means of which He begets the same faith in us, beginning with this Scripture, declaring unto one and all--to all who will listen--the Good News of Jesus, the Sheep led to the slaughter in our place, but not left at the slaughterhouse, not deserted on the cross, much less abandoned in the tomb, relegated to death, but raised and ascended for us, for us--and we with Him, for His sake!
How can you resist a Lamb like that, slain for your offenses, raised for your right-standing? How can you deny Mary's little Lamb whose fleece, white as snow, covers you with His righteousness, who gives you to eat and to drink of His own body and blood broken and shed for you?
How can you not follow Him into those green pastures fat with His Word, beside those soul-quieting waters of forgiveness, through the valley of the shadow of death, through death's door even, straight into His sheepfold, straight into heaven, when you've been baptized into Him, when you've been incorporated into His very body, when you're His espoused bride not merely His faithful flock?
Who can describe His generation? You can--you whom He has regenerated in Holy Baptism, you whom He has converted by means of His Gospel and fed with His holy body and blood. You are His generation. And with Him there's no generation gap--none whatsoever! Amen.
- Pastor Erickson