Last week we read how Joseph’s older brother, Judah, offered himself as a substitute to save his brothers from certain death.
Judah is an interesting guy. Judah is the brother whose idea it was to sell Joseph into slavery and then lie to their father, Jacob, about how a lion ate poor Joseph. Judah presented his dad, Jacob, with Josesph’s fabulous coat of many colors, ripped and torn and covered in blood, and offered this lie: “A lion devoured your son, Joseph.”
This is the very same Judah who has now been changed by God…the moment he tells Joseph that he will lay his life down as a substitute for Benjamin…that’s when Joseph’s heart breaks because now he has found evidence that he can trust his brothers.
My friend Brad said to me last week, “Oh, now I get why Jesus is called the Lion of Judah.” Can you see why?
First, Jesus is from the Tribe of Judah…Judah’s great great great…and some more greats…grandson. But why is Jesus’ called the lion of Judah?
First, Jesus is the Lion of Judah, the Victorious Warrior who rescued us from our death by dying in our place, who destroyed the power of death by rising from the grave. This is the image of strength and power.
Second, Judah’s connection to a lion isn’t all the positive; in fact, it’s a moment of weakness for Judah. It’s the same with Jesus. Jesus is the Lion of Judah, not in strength, but in great weakness. Instead of selling us ungrateful and spoiled younger siblings into slavery and pretending we were eaten by a lion….Jesus volunteered to endure our slavery; to trade places with us so that he might rescue us from the captivity of the sin we signed up for. And when sin and death threatened to rip us to shreds and kill us, like a lion would destroy its prey, Jesus became our substitute. Jesus was ripped and torn so we didn’t have to be.
And when the royal robe of our Jesus was presented to the Heavenly Father, the blood on the robe wasn’t a lie. It’s the most sorrowful and glorious truth there is: Jesus died in our place. We are forgive and free. For the Lion of Judah offered his own blood, to become our substitute just like Judah offered, so that all of us younger brothers and sisters might be rescued from our banishment and brought back into the family of God.
Jesus is our Lion of Judah, the King of Kings who substitutes himself for us sinners so that by His blood we are forgiven and washed clean.