Lamb of God
With the start of the Eid Al Adha, I am reflecting on iconography of the lamb within major faiths of the world. The lamb plays a major role in holy stories, which resonates with my shepherd’s heart.
As far back as we can trace, we Harrisons have raised sheep. I love my goats, but it is the sheep that have taught me how to be a better human. With the arrival of the celebration of the Eid Al Adha, the iconography of the lamb within the great monotheistic traditions of the world has been on my mind.
The Eid Al Adha is the high Muslim holy day. It is a three day celebration, falling 60 days after the Eid Al Fitr (the holiday which ends the holy month of Ramadan on a lunar calendar). Eid Al Adha translates from Arabic to Festival of the Sacrifice, and it honors the story of the patriarch Abraham and his faithfulness to God. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all honor this story within their beliefs.
Abraham spent most of his life without a child. Late in his life, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. It must have seemed absolutely impossible to Abraham at his advanced age — much less his wife’s advanced age. Yet, much to their surprise, God did indeed bless them with a child. This had been the greatest wish of Abraham’s heart, and he was overjoyed to be a father. And then, God commanded that Abraham offer his child up as a sacrifice.
Heartbroken and heartsick, yet faithful to the Lord, Abraham prepared to offer the boy up. They traveled the distance to the place of sacrifice. One can barely fathom how rife with sorrow Abraham must have been. He built an altar, and bound his beloved son to it. At the last moment, as Abraham raised the knife and prepared to slay the boy upon the altar, an Angel of the Lord miraculously appeared and stayed his hand. Because Abraham was faithful unto the Lord, to the point of sacrificing his own son, God would reward him with great blessings. And caught in the bush nearby was a ram lamb, provided by God to be sacrificed in place of the boy child.
This story is held reverently by the Muslim community. During the Eid Al Adha, every adult male Muslim is expected to provide a sacrifice to thank God for their blessings. Half of the meat is consumed at a celebration with friends & family, and the other half (or the monetary equivalent) is to be given to the less fortunate. An unblemished intact male ram lamb is preferred, since that was the sacrifice offered by Abraham, but throughout the world it is also common to offer up a goat, a cow, or even a camel.
For those of us who raise sheep in the Midwest, the growing Muslim community has allowed us to parlay our livestock into significantly increased value around this holiday. As a shepherd, it also causes me to reflect on the role of the lamb in faith traditions. Beyond the patriarch Abraham, the lamb is also key to the story of Moses. I have always adored the movie “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and Anne Baxter (as the intense Nefertari, who — fun fact — was the granddaughter of architect Frank Lloyd Wright). At the heart of the movie, however, is the story of Moses which touches Judaism, and Christianity, and Islam. When the plague of death comes to Egypt, it is the blood of a ram lamb that is used to mark the faithful households which are “passed over” when the Lord brings death to the firstborn of each family.
For Muslims, the story of Abraham’s faithfulness loses its import without the presence of the lamb. In the Jewish tradition, there is no Passover without the blood of the lamb to mark the doors of the chosen people so the plague of death would pass over them. And in the Christian tradition, Jesus Christ is often portrayed as the sacrificial lamb. As Catholics have chanted for a thousand years: “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace”.
The 23rd Psalm
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
For those of us called to be farmers, truly the Lord is with us. There is no endeavor more ancient or more noble than the care of the earth and its creatures. And tangentially as stewards of creation, we are also called to be warriors for the rights of others. The image of the lamb unites the major faith traditions of the world, and the meal of lamb serves to celebrate the Eid, the Passover, and Easter. Thus, we must never forget that when we fight for our rights as farmers, we are also fighting for the rights of all. When we fight for the future of agriculture, we also fight for civil liberties, we fight for the free exercise of religion, we fight for human rights.
There are places in this world where a woman cannot have a bank account, but she can have a herd of sheep. To farm is freedom. And to farm is to be blessed.