1. Revelation 5:6 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Is John's seeing a “Lamb” surprising?

Revelation 5:6 (ESV)

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Yes, it is. The elder had spoken of a Lion, a Root, one who conquered. None of those is a characteristic of a lamb. On the contrary, a lamb is vulnerable, dependent, harmless.