The story of our 2024 Lent devotional is a pretty simple one. It begins and ends with God said so.
I remember being at daily Mass one morning as my mind drifted prayerfully to Psalm 23. And in the moment I turned my attention to the Good Shepherd, the words of Saint John the Baptist echoed in my ears: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). The Good Shepherd is the Lamb of God.
I called Jenna right away only to find out our managing editor had shared the same inspiration—Advent and Lent companion devotionals exploring these two related titles of Jesus.
But let me clarify: When I said “God said so,” I wasn’t referring to the grace I received in Mass to ponder the mystery of the Good Shepherd Who became the Lamb of God, or the similar inspiration He gave to our editor. God said so when He inextricably linked these titles and images together in the words of Holy Scripture.
It’s a secret hidden in plain sight, and He has entrusted it to our sweet sisterhood to treasure and meditate upon.
How can our strong leader, Jesus—the way, the truth, and the life (see John 14:6)—allow Himself to become the sacrificial Lamb slain for the sins of the world? How can the Good Shepherd become a Lamb?
And yet, a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It is the same creature, but one crawls upon the ground and the other magically flies through the air. The nature is the same, but the character is different.
It falls short, as analogies do, but we can glean some truth from it. The nature of the creature (what it is) can be the same while the character (what it does) is different. And don’t we want to know every aspect and dimension of our beautiful Savior Jesus’ Heart and life? To know and love Him as both Shepherd and Lamb?
This Lent, the Good Shepherd is extending His Hand and inviting us to walk with Him from the fields of Bethlehem to the city of Jerusalem. He is asking us to look upon another side of His Face and to receive another piece of His Heart.
In Advent, Jesus pursued each one of us and every part of us—and now He wants to rescue those whom He found. That is what Lent is all about, after all: what He did for us.
At times we get a little confused about that. We try to do for Jesus what only He can do for us. So this Lent, we’re looking to the Lamb of God to show us Who He is as Savior.
In the Lent devotional, Rescued: Lent with the Lamb of God, we’ll read the prophecy of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 while meditating on different aspects of Jesus—extravagant, patient, healing, meek, willing, and strong—and what that means for our lives.
Jesus wants to be your Good Shepherd and your Savior, to reveal Himself as the Lamb of God Who sacrificed everything for love of you. This Lent, let Him.
Beth Davis is a lover of Jesus, a retired youth minister, the Director of Formation for Blessed is She. She is passionate about teaching women how to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus in prayer through writing, speaking, and mentorship. Her favorite things include being the favorite aunt to her five niece and nephews, making friends everywhere she goes, and whatever book she’s currently reading.
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