The Lamb

In the vision of Nephi from chapters 10-14, the word “Lamb”—referring always to the Savior—is used 57 times.  That is more than it is used in all of the rest of the text of the Book of Mormon.  So why in this vision and in Nephi’s description of it is the word Lamb and the phrase Lamb of God so prevalent?  It is used to describe all aspects of the Savior’s life: his birth, baptism, healings, miracles, atonement, and resurrection are all referred to with the phrase “Lamb of God.”  In chapter 13 the word is used the most and refers not to his mortal life but to His work in the latter days: the gospel, the scriptures, and the power of God in the last days are all of the Lamb of God.  The phrase Lamb of God can teach us many things, but first and foremost it is a witness of the fact that Jesus was a sacrifice of the Father, and perhaps the emphasis here in these chapters is showing us that of all of Christ’s duties and missions, nothing is as important as His mission to be the great and last sacrifice of the Father.  1 Nephi 13:41 shows an interesting juxtaposition of Christ as both Lamb and Shepherd, but it is by the former that Christ is more commonly called in these chapters.  Christ’s most important role was to be the Lamb of God to “take away the sins of the world” (1 Nephi 10:10).