One
of the most endearing titles the Saviour has is ‘the Lion of Judah’ (Revelation
5:5). It denotes strength and power that balances the picture of the meek and
sacrificial Lamb mentioned in the following verse (v 6).
Before
the patriarch Jacob died he blessed his sons and their posterity and named the
tribe of Judah a ‘lion’s whelp’ (Genesis 49:9) which shall rule in Israel until
‘Shiloh’ (Christ, the Messiah, the Lion) shall come to gather His people (v
10).
To
be a lion of a tribe, one needs to have the blood of that tribe run through his
veins. Not only did Jesus have that blood that bonded Him to His mortal roots
but He had the social and cultural bonding with His people:
“Jesus
was a Jew; he was of the tribe of Judah. David, the Jew, was his fore-father,
and Mary, the Jewess, his mother. He grew up in a Jewish home, spoke the Jewish
Aramaic of the day, Learned Jewish customs and traditions, studied in Jewish
schools, read Jewish scripture, attended Jewish synagogues, and participated in
Jewish worship. From Bethlehem to Calvary, he was a Jew of the Jews.” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah
Book 1, p 296)
The
two instances in the scriptures where the Saviour is spoken of as the lion are
relative to His protectiveness of the House of Israel (Isaiah 31:4; Hosea
11:9,10; Revelation 5:5,6).
In
Hosea, the Saviour laments over Ephraim who has forsaken Him and exclaims,
‘mine heart is turned toward thee, and my mercies are extended to gather thee’
(v 8aJST). Hosea then says ‘He shall roar like a lion and the children shall
tremble from the west’ (v 10). We Ephraim, in the western hemisphere, have
certainly trembled at the sound of His voice as we have gathered to His earthly
kingdom restored in 1830 through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
On
his final visit to the Temple, prior to His crucifixion, the Saviour once again
proclaimed His divine Sonship. For the
last time He cried out loud that He who believes Him, believes Him who sent Him
(John 12:44). I think of the Lion in Him when I picture this scene. This was
the last call to the Jewish nation to believe in Him as the Son of God and the
Lion of Judah who ‘washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of
grapes’ to atone for His people (Genesis 49:11). Instead of belief, the people
questioned, ‘who is this Son of Man’ that you say must be lifted up? (John 12:34).
Who
is this Son of Man? He is the Son of Man of Holiness, who is God the Father,
for Man of Holiness is His name (Moses 5:57); He is the light of the world and
whosoever believes in Him will not abide in darkness (John 12:46); He is the
Son of God under whose command He came to preach all righteousness and that
salvation is through Him and of Him (v 49); He is the Father’s servant who came
to offer life everlasting to all who believe on His name (v 50). He is the
bread of life (John 6:35,41,48,51); He is the light of the world (John 8:12;
9:5); He is the good shepherd (John 10:11,14); He is the resurrection and the
life (John 11:25); He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6); He is
the Messiah, the Lord Omnipotent, Alpha and Omega, He is Jesus the Christ, the
King of Glory.......….…….can you hear the roar???
I
remember coming to You
Long
ago through the water’s gate,
So
inviting, wide open for my soul to embrace.
You
flowed through my heart since that day
Showing
me the wonder of You;
I
have seen Your agonizing sacrifice,
And
Your spilt blood too.
I
hear You, I am Your sheep,
I
know You and Your sacrificial pains
For
the believing blood of Israel
Runs
through my veins.
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