The Lamb at the Altar

While cleaning out the mess in the garage from the fire, I came across a container filled with my old journals. For a moment, my heart sank — I was so afraid they were lost. But thank You, Jesus, most of them were salvageable. As I looked through the container, I found a story I wrote years ago. So today I’m offering a little piece of my heart for you to read. I hope you enjoy…

​A long time ago, in the bustling city of Jerusalem, there lived a boy named Eli. He was a dutiful child, always striving to obey his parents. His father, a stern but devout man, often reminded him, “Eli, God is your Heavenly Father. He has entrusted you to me. My job is to teach you about Him.”

Every morning, Eli rose early to read from the Torah and pray. Then he stood before his father, reciting the sacred stories—the covenant God made with Abraham, or how Moses led their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt toward the Promised Land. His father knew the Torah by heart and could always tell if Eli had prepared well. “The Torah is more than history or rules,” he would say. “Every word comes from God. Study it deeply and obey its laws.”

In the soft light of dawn, Eli’s mother walked him to school, where he learned Hebrew reading and writing. But most of the day was devoted to memorizing and reciting passages from the Torah before his classmates and teacher.

After school, Eli joined his father in the pottery workshop. His father crafted ovens, lamps, pots, and jars of every shape—some so finely made they held precious oils and perfumes for the wealthy. Eli worked hard: digging clay from the earth, pounding it with a mallet, picking out stones and sticks, then kneading and folding it until his hands ached. At the wheel, his father shaped the clay while explaining each step. Finally, the pieces went into the tall kiln, where Eli watched the fire closely—too hot, and the pots would shatter, meaning more labor to replace them.

Jerusalem was no ordinary city; it housed the great Temple, the heart of Jewish worship. Three times a year, pilgrims flooded the streets for God’s appointed feasts. Now it was spring, and Passover drew near. The roads filled with travelers—some walking, others on donkeys or camels—all buzzing with excitement about the Temple and the celebrations.
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For Eli, the joy was shadowed by sorrow. He knew the Passover story well: God had commanded the Israelites to slaughter a spotless lamb and smear its blood on their doorframes. That night, death passed over the marked homes but struck the firstborn in every unmarked Egyptian household. The lamb died to protect the family.

“Eli,” his father had said, “this Passover lamb is our sacrifice to the Lord. Its blood will cover our household, and its meat will fill our feast. Your task is to care for it well—I expect nothing less.”

Eli had tended the lamb with tender love, feeding and grooming it daily. He dreaded the moment it would die. The night before the sacrifice, he slipped downstairs to stay by its side. In the quiet dark, he whispered through tears, “Why must he die, God? You know how much I love him.”

As the 14th day dawned, Eli prayed for a miracle, but none came. He lingered with the lamb until his father arrived to lead it to the Temple. Eli followed, though his heart rebelled.

The Temple courts teemed with families and lambs. Lines snaked toward the priests, who stood in rows holding golden and silver bowls. At last, Eli’s turn came. He turned away as the knife fell, unable to watch the little lamb’s life end. Its blood filled a bowl, passed hand to hand until poured at the altar’s base. The orchestra and singers swelled around him, but the sound pounded in his head like accusation. Overwhelmed, he pushed through the crowd, running until he collapsed against a wall, gasping, tears streaming.

A boy about twelve or thirteen approached. “Are you lost?” he asked gently.
“No,” Eli muttered, wanting solitude. Yet something about this stranger felt different—kind, steady.

They stood in silence until Eli’s grief spilled out: words about his lamb, his pain, his love. He wept uncontrollably. The other boy listened without interrupting. When Eli finally looked up, he saw tears in the boy’s eyes—tears of shared sorrow.

Then the boy spoke words that puzzled Eli: “God has supplied a sacrificial lamb that will die for all.”

Eli walked home, turning the strange promise over in his mind. He could not forget the boy.

Years passed. Eli grew into a strong, skilled potter, working alongside his father to create vessels for Jerusalem’s homes and markets. Another feast approached, and the city swelled with pilgrims once more. On the Sabbath, weary but reflective, Eli made his way toward the Temple. Memories of that long-ago Passover stirred—the boy’s words echoed still.

Near the Temple, he saw a commotion: a group shouting at a man, fists raised. “You break the Sabbath! You claim equality with God!”

Then a voice rang out, familiar yet deeper: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24).

Eli’s heart leaped. Could it be? He pressed through the crowd. Yes—it was him, the boy from years before, now a man named Jesus, said to be from Nazareth, son of a carpenter. Some called Him the Messiah, a healer who spoke of God as His Father.

Eli followed the throng, hungry to understand. He gathered provisions and journeyed toward Galilee, where crowds gathered for miracles and teachings. Near Bethsaida, on a hillside, he spotted Him. Pushing closer, Eli stood among thousands as Jesus looked up, smiled, and approached with open arms. “Eli, My friend.”

In that instant, Eli knew: this was the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of the Torah’s prophecies.

That day, Eli ate bread and fish multiplied by Jesus’ hands. He watched healings and heard teachings about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—spoken as a Son speaks of His Father.

Jesus continued His ministry, but religious leaders plotted against Him, spreading rumors. Eli remained unshaken; his heart knew the truth.

During the Feast of Dedication, Eli returned to the Temple and found crowds around Jesus again. “If You are the Christ, tell us plainly!”

Jesus replied, “I did tell you, but you did not believe. The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me… My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all… I and the Father are one” (John 10:22-30).

Fury erupted; stones were lifted. But Jesus slipped away.

Soon news spread: Jesus had raised a man from death, enraging the priests. They sought His arrest.

Then Passover neared again. Crowds welcomed Jesus with palm branches, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Eli joined the cry. But Jesus soon overturned the money-changers’ tables in the Temple, declaring, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

He healed the blind and lame. He taught boldly. The leaders challenged Him with traps, but Jesus exposed their hypocrisy: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them… But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:2-3). He called them hypocrites and fools.
Power filled the air; even the leaders fell silent in anger.

Then came the arrest. False witnesses lied; Jesus remained mostly silent. When asked if He was the Christ, He declared, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).

They beat and spat on Him. Pilate questioned: “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “It is as you say” (Mark 15:2).

The crowd, stirred by the priests, demanded Barabbas’ release. With regard to Jesus they shouted, “Crucify Him!” Pilate yielded, had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over.

Eli watched in horror as they led Jesus away—beaten, crowned with thorns, robed in purple mockery, bearing His cross to Golgotha. There they crucified Him between two criminals.

Darkness fell. Women wept at the foot of the cross. Jesus cried, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” and at that moment he died. Immediately the earth shook— an earthquake so strong that rocks split and tombs broke open. 

Eli fled, heartbroken. Days blurred; he could think of nothing else. Wandering Jerusalem, he returned to the spot where he had met the boy years before. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and wept.

Suddenly a voice softly spoke: “Do you remember what I told you when we were boys?”
Eli opened his eyes—Jesus stood before him, alive! “God has supplied a sacrificial lamb that will die for all. Eli, that Lamb is Me. It is through My blood that you are made holy. It is through My sacrifice that you receive eternal life. It is through My love that I give this gift to you. My friend, regard My blood as holy and precious. Do not take it for granted, but rejoice that it was shed for you—to purify you and allow you to stand holy before God. It is the most awesome gift you will ever receive. Wear it, live in it, walk covered in My blood, for My name shall reign forever.”

Then Jesus was gone. 

As Eli walked home that day, his heart was forever changed. The boy he had met in sorrow at the Temple had become the Man who conquered death itself—the true Passover Lamb whose blood was shed not for one family, but for the sins of the whole world. Eli never forgot those words spoken to him in the quiet street years before, nor the living presence of the risen Savior who had called him by name. From that moment on, he lived with the assurance that the sacrifice was complete, the veil was torn, and eternal life was offered freely through faith in Jesus.
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Have you, like Eli, encountered the Lord Jesus Christ in your life? Do you recognize Him for who He is—the true Passover Lamb who took on the sin of the world? The One who died in your place, rose victorious over the grave, and now offers forgiveness, cleansing, and everlasting life to all who turn to Him in faith? If you have not yet trusted in Him, today can be the day your own story changes forever. The Lamb has been provided. His blood is sufficient. Will you receive the gift?

Leviticus 4 
Hebrews 13:11-13
Hebrews 9:13-14
Revelation 5