John 1:29-34
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’31 I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John 1:29-34 JESUS: THE LAMB OF GOD
Springford Baptist Church: March 13, 2022.
We continue to consider how we can know God more fully by knowing Jesus, His Son.
This week we are paying particular attention to the way that John the Baptist introduces Jesus.
He says, “Look, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29b)
How do you usually introduce someone? Do you refer to the family the person comes from, or what that person does or did for a living, or where that person lives?
In introductions we try to give information that will help another person to know something significant about the person being introduced.
When John the Baptist says to the crowd, “Look” and directs their attention to Jesus, he does not call Him “Jesus” meaning “the Lord saves”, but rather “the Lamb of God.”
This really means the same thing because since Jesus, the Lamb of God is willing to sacrifice Himself for the world, we can be saved from our sin.
This indicates that from the outset of His ministry, Jesus came to sacrifice Himself for the world.
None of the Old Testament sacrifices that the Jewish people participated in could ever atone for the sins of the world.
So many lambs on an altar through the years, leading up to Jesus’ entry into our world, but now look it is the perfect Lamb of God Who has come to make that perfect sacrifice.
Recognize with me the incredible depth of love for our world, for us, that God was willing to send His own Son to be that perfect sacrifice.
Recognize with me the incredible depth of love for our world, for us, that Jesus was willing to be that Lamb.
All along Jesus came to fulfill God’s plan of redemption at the cross. This was not something that came up as a last minute solution.
This was a deliberate plan that entered the heart of God as the way that He would take away the sin of the world.
When we are quite young, there is an innocent unawareness of the sin of the world. Typically, small children are quite trusting and expect that people will be nice and kind.
As we grow older in this world, we recognize more and more the footprint of sin and the depravity that results.
We continue to be horrified by the sin of the world in what we see and hear unfolding in The Ukraine. We cannot imagine the deliberate bombing of a maternity hospital by the Russians.
War certainly brings out the worst in some people.
Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world is prepared to bring out the best in all people.
When we have conversations, as we have been having, wondering how this terrible conflict in the Ukraine can be resolved and peace restored, often despair is expressed as to how this can happen.
The sins of our world are magnified for our viewing when we watch the current news reports.
What is humanly impossible to resolve is not impossible to God.
In wanting to know God more fully through Jesus His Son, we can witness that God is well aware of the sin of our world.
God knows that we as human beings have such a capacity for both love and for hate.
When Jesus, the Lamb of God came to take away the sin of the world, He came not just to provide for the forgiveness of our sins, but for a transformed way of living.
Each of us is conscious that as much as we try to live transformed lives and to confront our sins, that we continue to need God to help us every step of the way.
If we lose sight of the truth that only Jesus, the Lamb of God can take away the sin of the world then we fall into the trap of trying to deal with the immense sins of our world through human effort alone. It could be likened to pouring a cup of water over a raging fire.
Not one of us can quench the roaring flames of sin and the consequences of the sins of our world, but God can.
When we are praying for peace in our world, we can be praying for Jesus, the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. These prayers will be powerful prayers that will recognize the truth that Jesus is the only remedy for the sin of the world.
As further explanation in John the Baptist’s introduction of Jesus, John says,
30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’31 I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
When John the Baptist says that Jesus was before him, (vs.30) it is clear that John knows that Jesus is God’s Son who has always been, just as God has always been. This is also evident in the opening words of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
The credibility of knowing that Jesus is God’s own Son, this Lamb of God Who Takes away the sin of the world, is further revealed when John declares, “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. 33 And I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Then John the Baptist spells out Jesus’ identity in these words of introduction, “34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”John the Baptist is verifying that Jesus is none other than God’s Chosen One, the very Son of God.
In today’s Scripture, we see that John the Baptist could introduce Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world because He knew God and He knew that God had sent Jesus.
How will you and I knowing God through knowing Jesus also compel us to introduce Jesus to our world, to people around us? When we are having conversations about what a dreadful state our world is in, could we also look for ways to introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God, Who alone can take away the sin of the world?