Lamb of God

In John 1:19-28, John the Baptist is questioned by the religious leaders as to who he is. He tells them he is not the Christ, he is not Elijah and he is not the prophet like Moses. They come because they are anticipating and waiting for the Christ to come. They are looking for a redeemer that will be like Moses who will free them from Roman rule--like Moses did when they were freed from Egypt.

The next day, while they were still there, John the Baptist sees his cousin walking towards them. Someone he had played with as a child. Someone he had been to family gatherings with. All the time while they were growing up, I believe John the Baptist did not know who Jesus really was. ("I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God" John 1:32-34).

This time when his cousin approaches, John the Baptist gets to do what he came to do. He had lived for this moment, not because this was a relative, but because he came to prepare the way and announce the Christ. He had told the religious leaders that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'"

His cousin is in view and John the Baptist points to him and proclaims, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"

Have you ever thought about what that meant to the Jewish people who there? Maybe they thought of the lamb that was slaughtered at Passover (Exodus 11-12). Remember the households that took the blood of the lamb and put it around their door would be spared the death of their firstborn as death passed over Egypt.

Maybe they thought of the Lamb that was slaughtered for the sin offering in Leviticus 4:32-35: “If he brings the lamb as his sin offering . . .He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. . .In this way the priest will make atonement for him, for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven."

Maybe it was the Lamb described in Isaiah 53:7,11: “He was oppressed and afflicted yet he did not open his mouth; he was like a lamb led to slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth . . .After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”

Think about John the Baptist's proclamation and what it meant for the Jewish people present that day. Think about what it means for us today. He is the Lamb that has come so that we can overcome death. He is the Lamb that has come so our sins can be forgiven. He is the Lamb who's soul suffered so we could be justified and our iniquities could be paid for.

Never forget what John the Baptist lived for--the moment he could point to Jesus and tell the world he is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!"