Why is Jesus called the Lamb of God?
John 1:29 “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”
Rev 5:6 ” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”
And why is He called the Lion of Judah?
Revelation 5: 5 Then one of the elders said to me “Do not weep! See, the LION of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals”.
The phrase “Lamb of God” is a reference to the Passover lamb whose shed blood saved God’s people from death and freed them from their bondage to slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:12-13).
Paul called Jesus our “Passover Lamb” in 1 Cor. 5:7, and John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He was saying that as the Passover lamb redeemed the Jews from their bondage to slavery, the Lamb of God redeems us from our bondage to sin.
Lion of Judah comes from Genesis 49:9-12 where Jacob called his son Judah a lion’s cub, and prophesied that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah and be the ruler over the nations. That makes “Lion of Judah” a Messianic title and since Jesus is the Messiah who will rule the world, He is the Lion of Judah.
Therefore The “Lamb of God” is a title associated with the Lord’s first Coming, while the “Lion of Judah” points to His second coming.